The Story Behind the Story with Jane Doucet of Halifax, NS, Canada.

 

Jane has been busy of late with the publication of her new novel and enjoying rave reviews.

The Scribbler is fortunate to have her back as our guest this week to tell us about the story.

If you missed Jane’s previous visit, please go here.

Read on my friends.

 

 

Jane Doucet is a seasoned journalist whose articles have appeared in myriad national magazines, including Chatelaine and Canadian Living. In 2017, she self-published her debut novel, The Pregnant Pause, which was shortlisted for a 2018 Whistler Independent Book Award. Four years later, Halifax-based Vagrant published Jane’s second novel, Fishnets & Fantasies. In May 2023, Vagrant rereleased The Pregnant Pause with a fresh new cover and brought it back into print, and in September 2023 it launched Jane’s third novel, Lost & Found in Lunenburg, which combines characters from her first two novels. Jane lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband.

Title: Lost & Found in Lunenburg

 

Synopsis:

Widowed suddenly after her fiftieth birthday, Rose Ainsworth is addled by grief. Could that be why three months later, she decides to buy her friend Wendy Hebb’s sex shop in the tiny coastal community of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia?

As Rose rushes to rent her house and store her belongings, her older sister, Daisy, worries that Rose is running away—from the home that she and her late husband, Jim, lived in together, and its constant reminders of what she’s lost.

When Rose lands in Lunenburg in a furnished condo with a year’s lease, a colourful cast of local characters keep her from drowning in grief—including a long-lost quirky cousin with a mysterious health condition and a handsome restaurant owner who stirs feelings in Rose she isn’t ready to face.

As the condo’s lease creeps closer to its expiration date, Rose must make a choice—continue carving out her new life or move back home?

 

 

The Story Behind the Story:

 

Readers kept asking for a sequel to The Pregnant Pause, but after I self-published it, I didn’t have anything to add to Rose’s story. However, the following year, when my then boyfriend and I broke up two weeks after my 50th birthday, I had a light-bulb moment.

Since The Pregnant Pause was semi-autobiographical, I now had a new storyline for Rose. I wanted to write about midlife love, loss and new beginnings, but not about divorce. So I decided to explore a topic that interests me: death.

Most of the characters in this story are dealing with some sort of loss—of a spouse, the end of a career and good health, their sense of home and identity. I wanted them to slowly forge a community of support, with people they wouldn’t normally have gravitated toward otherwise.

Flash back to my story for a second: that boyfriend and I reunited five months after our breakup, and nine months later we got married. Because we had a happy ending, I wanted to give one to Rose, too. To give readers hope. Our life journeys aren’t always linear, and we’ll experience multiple losses as we age. The more hope for happy endings—whatever they may look like—the better for all of us.

 

 

A couple questions before you go, Jane:

 

Scribbler: Can you tell us about the perfect setting you have, or desire, for your writing? Music or quiet? Coffee or tequila?  Neat or notes everywhere?

 

Jane: The quiet of my home office, working on my iMac at my sit-stand desk. Decaf green tea and dark chocolate, daily (can’t write without them). Neat most of the time, but sometimes—especially in the early stages of research—notes everywhere.

 

Scribbler: What’s next for Jane Doucet, the Author?

Jane: I’m in the preliminary stages of working on a cozy mystery novel. I plan to get serious about it in 2024!

  

I’m looking forward to reading your novel, Jane. Thanks for being our guest.

Have fun with the cozy. Wishing you continued success with your writing.

 

 

And a Humongous thank you to our visitors and readers.