An Emotional Journey

Leslie A. Rasmussen Author Interview

The Stories We Cannot Tell follows two pregnant women who are forced to make difficult choices in life and the bond they form as they navigate this point in their life. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Getting pregnant and staying pregnant is such an emotional journey for a lot of women. I wrote this book so hopefully, women going through infertility or making a choice not to continue a pregnancy will feel less shame than society has made them feel. I didn’t have an easy time getting pregnant, and I had many friends going through hell to have a child and not a lot of these women shared their stories. I wrote this book before Roe Vs. Wade was overturned, something I never thought was a possibility in our country. I’m hoping the readers, no matter what their views on this topic are, realize that what’s right for them, may not be right for everyone, and having compassion and empathy is all most women in these situations want.

Was the character’s backstory something you always had, or did it develop as you were writing?

I had written a lot of the backstory for each of the women before I started writing the book. I wanted to get to know their quirks and personalities ahead of time, so I could incorporate them into who they are and the individual journey that they were going through. That being said, there were things that came out in the dialogue or in their stories as the writing of the book went on.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The themes that were important for me to explore were friendship, loss, love, family, and hope. I also wanted to explore how a woman views her pregnancy issues differently than a male partner, and when something happens to the baby, how his pain is just as genuine, but he may express it in a different way.

What is the next book you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

I’m just beginning my next book so I’m not sure yet when it will be out. It’s the story of three sisters who go on a journey together to figure out what happened to their mother and end up finding things about their past they never knew.

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Rachel is a thirty-year-old married Jewish woman who has wanted a baby for a long time. Katie’s a thirty-two-year-old single, Catholic woman who has been trying to find a man who will stick around. We follow the women individually as they find themselves pregnant–Rachel happily, Katie, not. As they enter their second trimester, they’re shocked to hear that there’s something very wrong with the babies they are carrying. Rachel and Katie meet in a support group and bond as they help each other through not only an excruciating decision but through the issues that come with making that decision. The Stories We Cannot Tell explores friendship, loss, love, hope, and family.

Posted on August 20, 2023, in Interviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.

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