Only four weeks from Threadbare’s launch date, I’m experiencing familiar jitters of excitement and apprehension—like labor pains.
The seeds for Threadbare began germinating over fifteen years ago when I started hunting for Mathilda, my great-grandmother, who carried the deadly BRCA1 cancer gene mutation. After ten years of writing snippets about Mathilda and my own cancer diagnosis in my fund-raising appeal letter, I imagined a life story of her own.
Mathilda’s (Tillie’s) character embodies the best and some of the worst qualities of the women in my family: intelligence, curiosity, tenacity, devotion, beauty, and impulsivity, the last of which has, at times, sabotaged all the others. My research led me deep into late -1800’s NYC, a time when technology and medical knowledge were rapidly developing. Sadly, the diseases scientists could see and name, like cancer, tuberculosis, and typhus, had no cures. Meanwhile, technology was changing the world, opening doors to new businesses and faster production of goods. It was also a period of explosive immigration, straining the housing, education, and healthcare resources of New York City. The Suffragette Movement had taken root, and women, one by one, were testing th
eir Victorian boundaries. This was Tillie’s world.
I’ve always been an avid reader and dreamed of someday trying my hand at writing myself. When I retired from my career as a healthcare executive five years ago, I took the plunge, and am excited to release Threadbare on May 21st, the prequel to my first novel, In the Hands of Women.
XO Jane
Threadbare in Kindle format is available for preorder on Amazon and will be part of a Goodreads 2-week giveaway - 100 Kindle Books.
In the Hands of Women is available at all online outlets and many book stores!