So thrilled to welcome Diane Barnes to the Spotlight to chat about her latest novel
Author Name: Diane Barnes
Book Title: All We Could Still Have
Book Genre: Book Club Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Release Date: November 7, 2023
Publisher: Lake Union
Welcome, Diane! How would you describe ALL WE COULD STILL HAVE?
When I was writing the book, I took a pitch class with Leigh Stein, who is wonderful. With her help, this is what I came up:
ALL WE COULD STILL HAVE is a heart-wrenching, hopeful, and propulsive women’s fiction novel about a woman committed to carrying on her family’s legacy. After three failed IVF attempts, Nikki Sebastian is desperate to try again, but her husband Kyle refuses to go through another round. As she tries to convince him to change his mind, she finds herself turning into someone she doesn’t want to be and someone he doesn’t like. To save her marriage and her self-worth, she’ll have to learn to reimagine the life she always thought she’d have.
What sparked the idea for this book?
I came up with the idea for this book based on a writing prompt best-selling author Elizabeth Berg gave me during a four-day workshop I took with her. There were eight writers in the workshop, and Elizabeth gave each of us our own prompt. My prompt was to write a scene about a woman who buys new sexy lingerie and then dresses in it but her husband ignores her. As I thought about reasons a husband would do that, I came up with the idea that the couple had been trying to have a baby and had been unsuccessful. The wife always believes she will get pregnant and then is inconsolable when she doesn’t. So, the husband wanted to avoid her being disappointed again.
What’s your favorite part about writing?
Imagining the stories. I also love creating a world where I dictate what happens. I love creating characters that do exactly what I tell them to do. So much in our lives is out of control, but in fiction writing the author gets to control everything.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read ALL WE COULD STILL HAVE?
To be entertained and forget the craziness going on in the world for a little while. Readers have told me the book is a real page-turner and they couldn’t put it down. It’s perfect for book clubs because readers have different opinions of the characters and what they would have done in similar situations. There’s definitely a lot to talk about at the end.
What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
To me, ALL WE COULD STILL HAVE is a story of hope. Even when things don’t go the way you want to them, you can pivot and still be happy.
Any words of wisdom for a new writer?
This will sound so simple, but write. Make yourself sit in that chair and work through writer’s block and difficult scenes. Finish the story your started and don’t let anybody discourage you.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
I love baseball. I’m a huge Red Sox fan. I also love going to plays/musicals. When I was growing up, my dad worked in theatres, and I sometimes went to work him and got to watch all the shows from backstage.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
I am working on a new book with the working title MARY MULLIGAN GETS A DO-OVER. It’s a about a fiftyish woman who dreams of being in her twenties again. Her dream comes true, but she realizes being young again isn’t all she thought it would be.
What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?
HELLO STRANGER by Katherine Center. I loved it. I enjoy all her books. They’re hopeful.
Where can readers find you?
I’d love readers to go to dianembarnes.com and join my mailing list. They can also follow me @dianebarnes777 on Twitter and Instagram. For readers in New England, I’ll be at a book fair in Rockport, MA on December 2. It’s at Brackett’s Oceanview Restaurant, and I hear Santa is going to make an appearance!
Thank you so much for having me on the blog!!
Thank YOU for joining us, Diane! All We Could Still Have is out now.
All We Could Still Have
In their attempts to have a child, a husband and wife must contend with personal desires, crossed boundaries, and broken trust as they reimagine what it truly means to be a family.
Nikki and Kyle Sebastian have a loving and healthy marriage. It’s only missing one thing they want–children. When the couple is diagnosed with “unexplained infertility” and endures several failed rounds of IVF, Kyle, for both their sakes, is unwilling to bury them deeper in emotional and financial debt.
Desperate to have a baby, Nikki betrays Kyle’s trust in an attempt to try IVF one more time. The choice fractures their once-stable union. Now burdened with suspicion, resentment, and further grief, their little family is falling apart.
Picking up the pieces of their broken home means reassessing their dreams for the future–dreams that Nikki’s not ready to give up. If she can’t find a way to forge a new path forward with Kyle, she may find herself alone at the end of the family tree she longs to help grow.