This Fragile Life: From Idea
to Book
By Kate Hewitt
Thank you so much for having
me here! I’ve been writing romance for Harlequin Presents for seven years, but
have wanted to branch out into women’s fiction for awhile now, so I’m thrilled
that my first women’s fiction, This
Fragile Life, is out with CarinaUK now.
I first had the idea for This Fragile Life—wait for it—nineteen
years ago. I had newly moved to New York City, was fresh out of college and
eager to pursue a career in playwriting. As I was crossing Ninth Avenue on my
way to an unpaid and rather thankless internship at a playwriting guild, an
idea popped into my head of two friends, Alex and Marsha, and how their
relationship changed when Alex agreed to let Marsha, who had been struggling
with infertility, adopt her baby. The idea was originally going to be a play
called The Child Stealers, which is,
of course, a bit pejorative—but even back then I was interested in the balance
of power between women, especially when those women are good friends. I was
also inspired by a play I’d recently seen, a feminist retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Louise Page,
and, being young and full of myself, was eager to seem edgy and avant-garde.
Well. I wrote lots of notes
and exactly one scene and then flitted to something else. I thought of the idea
occasionally, and I think I might have wrote one more scene at some point, but
it was firmly on the back burner until a year ago, when I was struggling to
finish a different story for a prospective agent, and the idea dropped into my
mind as if someone had hijacked my subconscious, except this time I had an
added ‘what if…’ which I won’t share since I don’t want to spoil the story, but
it made the entire idea sharpen into focus, and this time it would be a novel
rather than a play—I gave up playwriting years ago.
I wrote the first third of
the manuscript in three days. The voices
of Alex and Martha (changed from the original Marsha!) came to me so clearly, I
felt as if I knew them and they were talking to me, telling me their stories,
spilling their secrets, their hope and their pain. I love when that happens—and
I’ll admit, it’s not as often as I’d like.
The working title of the
story was Simple Gifts, which I
changed to The Last Breath after a
few days, and eventually ended up, a year and four sets of revisions later, as This Fragile Life. Only nineteen years
in the making!
It’s amazing and incredibly
wonderful to me that this story is now out there, available to readers. It
makes me realize that no idea is wasted, and stories can sometimes takes years
to percolate—but like good wine, that just makes them richer and more complex.
Has anything in your life—a story, a relationship, an idea or a dream—taken a
long time to come to fruition?
Leave a comment and let me know your story, and
I’ll draw a random name to
win a copy of one of my Harlequin Presents, digital
or paper.
Giveaway ends Saturday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.
Giveaway ends Saturday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.
And if you’d like to read This Fragile Life, you can find it
at all these places:
Happy Reading,
Kate
Blurb for This Fragile Life:
You love your best
friend. You trust her with your life. But could you give her the most precious
gift of all? Alex’s life is a mess. She’s barely holding down a job, only just
affording her apartment, and can’t remember when she was last in a relationship.
An unexpected pregnancy is the last thing she needs. Martha’s life is on track.
She’s got the highflying career, the gorgeous home and the loving husband. But
one big thing is missing. Five rounds of IVF and still no baby. The solution
seems simple. Alex knows that Martha can give her child everything that she
can’t provide. But Martha’s world may not be as perfect as it seems, and
letting go isn’t as easy as Alex expected it to be. Now they face a decision
that could shatter their friendship forever.
Check out "Flavors of Summer Contest" On Kate's Facebook Page and enter to win a $300 gift card!
Enter here:
We struggled with infertility. 6.5 years of praying, heart-ache, tests, hope, giving up, fighting, fertility drugs... some of the hardest years of my life... and I wouldn't change it for the world.
ReplyDeleteI will be getting this book as soon as I can.
my email is jrryba(at)gmail(dot)com.
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DeleteSorry, I'm having trouble commenting to the correct posts! Jessica, I can relate to your struggles with infertility. I hope you enjoy This Fragile Life.
DeleteMy husband and I have two sons but never were able to have the daughter we wanted to “round out” our family. When we retired and moved to Florida, we met a young woman who had moved here on her own. She had lost her mother when she was a teenager. We clicked right away. She’s a kindergarten teacher and we would get together every Friday night for dinner and share laughs and funny stories. She became the daughter we never had. She is now married to a Police Captain and they have two lovely daughters of their own who call us Grandma and Grandpa. They have enriched our lives and are part of our family.
ReplyDelete“This Fragile Life" sounds like a truly touching novel about giving the greatest gift of all. I’m really looking forward to reading it. Thanks for allowing me to share my story of thankfulness.
What a lovely story, Connie. I'm so glad you got the daughter you wanted in the end. It's amazing how things work together for good.
DeleteI don't have a story, but do worry I will struggle to have a child, and my heart goes out to all those who have struggled. This book sounds like one to get the hankies for.
ReplyDeleteIdeas can come at any time. Glad it worked out for you!
ReplyDeleteI never struggled with infertility, but I am an adoptive parent. I gave birth to two beautiful children, but sadly lost my daughter 7 yrs ago to Leukemia. Knowing that I NEEDED a daughter in my life (not to replace the one I had lost though)we decided to pursue adoption. No matter if you give birth or adopt, that child is yours! I couldn't love my daughter any more if I gave birth to her myself.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this book. It sounds absolutely AMAZING!
Thank you! I'm so sorry for your loss, but am glad you pursued adoption. No child is replaceable, but each one brings you joy.
DeleteThank you Kate. No parent should ever outlive their children. Everything happens for a reason and I try not to question things I have no control over. I never thought I'd be an adoptive parent, but couldn't imaging my life without my daughter, Bella <3
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting book. I do not have any children. I have been told if I did get pregnant, I most likely wouldn't carry it full term. So, I chose to be a cat mama instead. I have three wonderful kitty babies.
ReplyDeleteThis story sounds fascinating. I have not personally struggled with fertily but have several relatives who has and my heart breaks for them.
ReplyDeletesumsum085@aol.com
I don't have a story. While I do not want children for myself, I do feel for all the women who struggle with fertility.
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ReplyDeleteCongrats to Summer Grinstead. You were chosen by Kate as the winner of this giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love women's fiction and am glad that the author branched out into a different genre.
ReplyDelete