I am delighted to welcome you to my second stop on the blog tour to celebrate Kate Hewitt's powerful This Fragile Life. You can read my review of the book here. There is also the chance to win a paperback copy of Kate's latest novel, A Mother's Choice, which is due out in June. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
Today, I am thrilled to feature a guest post by Kate Hewitt, on the subject of the research she had to do on IVF and also some personal thoughts on her writing.
Welcome to Books, Life and Everything, Kate. A Fragile Life is such an emotional read.
Kate:
This Fragile Life, more than any other book I’ve written, is
very close to my heart. I first had the germ of the idea of the book many years
ago when I was living in New York City, before I was a mother myself. Then,
after I’d had four children and been married for ten years, the rest of the
story—with a twist I don’t want to give away—came to me and the book
practically wrote itself, straight from my heart onto the page.
There was research involved, of course, including in how IVF
works and the experiences of women with fertility issues. In order to make sure
I wrote as accurately as possible, I spoke to several friends who had undergone
IVF, and also researched the various processes and procedures involved. Having
had some fertility issues myself over the years, I also channelled my own
experience of the heartbreak of seeing that single line on a pregnancy test
again and again.
Writing a book that means so much to you can be a very
exposing thing. There is a lot of myself in the book’s main characters; Alex
and Martha are polar opposites, and in some ways they are different sides of
myself. The themes in the book are important to me too—sacrifice and suffering,
loss and hope, all of it mixed together. That’s how life has been for me and
really is for everyone. And I hope This Fragile Life, weepy that is, offers
readers hope that even when the worst happens, good can come of it. Of all the
messages I could give in my books, that is one that is the most important to
me.
My most recent book, A Mother’s Choice, is out with
Bookouture in June and has a similar theme, although the story is quite
different. Like This Fragile Life, it’s a weepy—do you enjoy books that make
you tear up?
Thanks so much for these thoughts, Kate. It is a fantastic read.
About the Author
Kate Hewitt is the USA Today-bestselling author of over 60 books of
women's fiction and romance. She is the author of the Hartley-by-the-Sea
series, set in England's Lake District and published by Penguin. She is also,
under the name Katharine Swartz, the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a
series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell.
She likes to read romance, mystery, the occasional straight
historical and angsty women's fiction; she particularly enjoys reading about
well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.
Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the
windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales
with her husband, five children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever.
Thanks to Kate Hewitt and Jenny of
Neverland Blog Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Giveaway (International)
To win a paperback copy of Kate's latest novel, A Mother's Choice, due out in June, follow the link below and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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