Prospice by Karen Kelly asks the reader to “look ahead,” the Latin translation of her novel’s title. Kelly’s novel is based on a widowed mother who loses her husband in World War II, she returns to her childhood home and rekindles love with a former college sweetheart. Be sure to read the full story on this year’s Book Fest authors in the November print edition of The Rubicon.

Why did you start writing fiction?

Kelly: I started to write because I needed a creative outlet.  I had been raising a family and keeping busy with lots of community things, philanthropy, and housekeeping stuff, but when the kids got a little older I had more time on my hands, and I really needed to express myself in a productive way.  Writing was the most fulfilling, purposeful thing I could think of.  I had long wanted to try writing a novel but never had enough time to really do justice to a project like that, and finally I did have the time.

What is your favorite part about writing fiction?

Kelly: My favorite part about writing fiction is revision!  The hardest part is coming up with the ideas, but after there’s something actually down on paper (or computer, as it were), it’s really fun to challenge myself to improve it.  I love thinking of ways to say something better.  Especially in dialogue – which is considered one the harder things to write, but I try to make voices natural and authentic.  And if a passage seems too pedestrian, I like to challenge myself to come up with something interesting or funny to spice it up. But I also could say that I love the creative process of bringing a story to life.

Where did you get the inspiration for writing Prospice?

Kelly: The inspiration for Prospice was probably my mother’s life.  I learned when I was about 13 that she had, for a short time, a step-brother and [a] step-sister.  This came as something of a surprise, and I guess the idea of a step-brother intrigued me, because many years later I was still thinking about what that would be like.  If you go to my website (www.prospiceanovel.com) you can read more about that impetus.

Did you have an experience similar to your main character?

Kelly: Some of my experiences are reflected in the main characters of the novel.  I think that is likely status quo for authors – we draw on actual experiences to flesh out our stories.  As a young woman, I had many of the emotional upheavals that Dinah [a character in Prospice] experiences, and as a mother I have had many of the parenting quandaries and challenges that Caroline [another character in Prospice] experiences.