Opinion | “The Loves of Our Lives”: A year in the making

Karsyn Wallace, junior broadcast journalism and documentary and peace studies double major

Although I am not an English student, I have always loved creative writing and it has been a hobby of mine for years. 

Amid the pandemic, I dedicated more time and attention toward my writing and through this, I produced a story I am extremely proud of. 

On May 1, I published the literary fiction novel, “The Loves of Our Lives” with the Washington D.C.-based publishing company, New Degree Press. 

This novel is loosely based on the personal experiences of myself, my mother and my grandmother. I have gained inspiration from them throughout my life and through the combination of our life experience and family stories, a novel felt like the perfect medium to showcase these experiences. 

The story follows three characters, Emi, Jo and Willa, navigating their lives through the timeline of their romantic relationships, with many twists and turns along the way. Beginning in the 1950s and spanning to present day, one learns that the road to love can be a winding path. 

This creation process spanned over the past year and was an incredible journey. I gained this opportunity through the Book Creators program led by Georgetown University and had many writing mentors help with the development of my work. Through this experience alone, I learned so much about myself as well as my writing and exactly what it takes to share a piece of work on a broader scale. I highly recommend applying to this program if you would like to learn what it takes to develop a piece of work and become a published author.

This book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other sellers in both ebook and paperback form. If you read it, thank you so much for your support; writing a review always helps the author reach a broader audience.

I hope that this story inspires you to learn more about your own family history. For me, this was a perfect opportunity to grow even closer with my family members. Through embodying characters with traits resembling real people, I feel closer to those around me.