Ask the Author: Jane Lebak
Answered Questions (4)
Jane Lebak
The question behind my book "Half Missing" actually comes from my own life. As a kid, I was used to sitting at the table with my extended relations for hours after dinner, with all my family members talking and trading stories.
One night, my mother's aunt or great-aunt shared a story about a friend of hers who was on vacation in England and saw a news anchor who looked and sounded exactly like her daughter...and she'd always sworn she'd given birth to twins. (This was in the era of women getting knocked out for birth.) She said she vaguely remembered giving birth to two babies, but when she awakened in recovery, they said she had only one baby.
Of course, this was way before the time of the internet (if I heard the story in the 1980s, then it must have taken place in the 1960s or 1970s) so my great-great aunt's friend was never able to get any answers or find out who that news anchor was.
Years later, I thought about that story again, and I decided it needed an answer--so I wrote it!
One night, my mother's aunt or great-aunt shared a story about a friend of hers who was on vacation in England and saw a news anchor who looked and sounded exactly like her daughter...and she'd always sworn she'd given birth to twins. (This was in the era of women getting knocked out for birth.) She said she vaguely remembered giving birth to two babies, but when she awakened in recovery, they said she had only one baby.
Of course, this was way before the time of the internet (if I heard the story in the 1980s, then it must have taken place in the 1960s or 1970s) so my great-great aunt's friend was never able to get any answers or find out who that news anchor was.
Years later, I thought about that story again, and I decided it needed an answer--so I wrote it!
Jane Lebak
Last winter never got bad enough to get rid of the stink bugs for us, so in springtime, they were EVERYWHERE. In a couple months, they'll start trying to come indoors again, too.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your granddaughter. :-( It's just so hard for everyone, but I think for grandparents it's such a specific loss because you're not only grieving for your grandbaby, but you're also grieving for your child's pain. Thank you for your kind words, and I hope you'll find peace and consolation in your own journey.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your granddaughter. :-( It's just so hard for everyone, but I think for grandparents it's such a specific loss because you're not only grieving for your grandbaby, but you're also grieving for your child's pain. Thank you for your kind words, and I hope you'll find peace and consolation in your own journey.
Jane Lebak
No, this one is secular fiction. Amber does briefly mention what she thinks about religion, but it's incidental to the story.
Thank you for checking out my stories. :-)
Thank you for checking out my stories. :-)
Jane Lebak
Hi, Julie! The idea for this book comes from a number of different places, actually. When I was really little, I have a distinct memory of sitting at my Great Aunt Millie's table after dinner while the adults all had coffee and cannoli, and she told this story about someone she knew who'd been on vacation in England and saw a news reporter who looked just like her daughter. My mother and other relatives don't remember this story at all, but it stuck with me.
I had a birth experience similar to Maureen's, and my mother's was similar in a different respect, so when I put them all together, I ended up with a rather intriguing question.
Thank you so much for checking out the book, and I hope you enjoy it!
I had a birth experience similar to Maureen's, and my mother's was similar in a different respect, so when I put them all together, I ended up with a rather intriguing question.
Thank you so much for checking out the book, and I hope you enjoy it!
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