**The Kindle copy is on sale for $1.99 this month. Grab your copy now!
Fans of Caroline Leavitt will relish this rich, complex novel born of the author's own loss and grief, about how one can overcome tragedy through bravery and self-discovery.
Cassidy Morgan's life has always followed a carefully laid track: top education, fulfilling career, and marriage to the love of her life, Owen. The next logical step was starting a family. But when a late-term miscarriage threatens to derail everything she's worked so hard for, she finds herself questioning her identity, particularly what it means to be a mother. Unable to move past her guilt and shame, she realizes there's more to fix than a broken heart. Grief illuminates the weaknesses in her marriage and forces her to deal with her tumultuous relationship with her own mother.Cassidy hopes her work as a veterinarian specializing in equine reproduction will distract her from the pain but instead finds that one of the cases she's working on shines a spotlight on the memory of her unborn son. For once in her life, Cassidy is left untethered and wondering why she wanted to become a mother in the first place.
Then the unexpected happens when Cassidy becomes pregnant again. But the joy over her baby is tempered by her fear of another loss as well as her increasingly troubled marriage. Now, she must decide whether to let her pain hold her back or trust that there's still something to live for.
What We Carry is a thought-provoking response to the author's own miscarriage and lack of fiction surrounding the topic, that she and other women in her situation crave.
“Layers of insightful, beautifully rendered prose and absorbing monologues shine a light through a multi-faceted prism of loss and grief that ultimately reflects the hopeful beauty of learning how to start over.”
—Shelf Awareness
"Heartbreakingly honest and wonderfully emotional, What We Carry is a poignant and heartfelt novel of learning--and loving--through loss, filled with characters you long to root for."
—Kate Hewitt, USA Today bestselling author of When You Were Mine
“In a tender story about one woman’s anguished choices in her determination to become a mother, Kalyn Fogarty takes an unsparing look at the raw courage it sometimes requires to do those things most people take for granted. Fogarty understands human nature and the ways in which compassion for another species — in this case, horses — can teach us the truest understanding of ourselves.”
—Jacquelyn Mitchard, author The Deep End of the Ocean
"What We Carry takes readers on a journey from to the depths of despair and back again in a moving tribute to motherhood. The family dynamics between Cassidy, Claire, and Joan are gripping. Their story of functional dysfunction will keep you turning pages to find out what happens next."
—Jennifer Bardsley, author of Sweet Bliss
"Few losses are as shattering as the death of a child, but when that loss occurs as a miscarriage, parents often find themselves isolated in their grief. This fresh, unflinchingly honest story depicts the chronic ache of grief, the challenge of self-forgiveness, and ultimately, the achievement of a new sense of balance. With fully drawn characters that will live in your heart long after the last page, this moving portrait is not to be missed."
—Rebecca Hodge, author of Wildland
Some Q & A with Kalyn ~
Tell us a little about yourself and how you started writing.
I’m an author and professional horseback rider and
instructor. I began writing at a very young age- mostly books about ponies!-
but have evolved over the years to writing Women’s Fiction. I am also trying my
hand at a YA series.
What are some things you enjoy when not writing?
I am an avid reader. I love Women’s fiction,
psychological thrillers and anything by Stephen King. I ride horses for a
living and enjoy anything horse-related.
How do you start your day (a routine of sorts?)
When I am in the middle of drafting, I like to write from 4:30-6:30. This is the only time of the day that is quiet in my house. My two kids (3 year old and 15 months old) wake up around seven and from then until bed time I’m full speed.
Finish this: “I can’t write without…”
Coffee and my notebooks.
What did you think you’d be when you became an adult?
A horse trainer or veterinarian. Although, I always
secretly wanted to be an author.
What is something about you that people would surprise people?
I am am introvert by nature, but my job and life are very
extroverted.
Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?
Own my own horseback riding instruction business.
Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?
I love Jodi Picoult’s style and ability to take very important- and often controversial- topics and show all the different sides and facets of that topic.
If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change?
I pitched to agents and small presses simultaneously. I actually heard back from the small presses first and ended up going with one of my top choices. However, after signing the contract I was contacted by a few dream agents. But since I already got the deal, they asked me to send my next project to them. I wish I had waited a few extra months to get the agent first!
How do you market your work?
Social media, especially Instagram.
What
are you working on now?
Novel 2, a women’s fiction story about an unlikely friendship between a young mother experiencing postpartum depression and a septuagenarian widow. I am also in the early stages of a Young Adult series- think Oregon Trail meets Jumanji and Outlander.
Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences?
The inciting incident of WHAT WE CARRY is a late-term miscarriage. It is loosely based off my own experience of miscarrying my first pregnancy at 17 weeks in 2017.
Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?
I love the parts of the novel where the main character is describing her equine patients. It was really fun to combine my two passions- horses and writing.
What would your job of choice be if you didn’t write books?
My day job is my other dream job, so I’m very lucky!
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Write truthfully. Readers are very perceptive and can tell when the writing is coming from a place of honesty. I think this resonates the strongest.
What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?
The self-promotion and marketing are tough, but I love the writing and research. I especially love the revision process.
Favorite band or music?
Anything country. I love Tim McGraw.
Place you’d like to travel?
Safari in Africa, road trip through the Rockies, and adventures in Costa Rica are all high up on my list.
Kalyn's social media links:
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