Author Jane Ward joins the Spotlight to share about her latest novel, Should Have Told You Sooner
Author Name: Jane Ward
Book Title: Should Have Told You Sooner
Book Genre: Fiction
Release Date: February 10, 2026
Publisher: She Writes Press
Welcome, Jane! How would you describe Should Have Told You Sooner?
Three decades after losing the love of her life in London and giving away the child only she knew she was carrying, art historian Noel Enfield buries her pain and moves on with her life. A return to London thirty years later shows her that despite her efforts to forget, the past remains a part of her, and this truth sets her on a journey to fix her mistakes and reclaim what—and who—she left behind.
What sparked the idea for this book?
The idea for Should Have Told You Sooner came to me in 2020 when I found a book of old Welsh folk tales and began reading them for a bit of escapism. In one of the stories, a young farmer named Gwyn visits a lake, and while he is there, a beautiful fairy rises from the water and speaks to him. In that instant, Gwyn falls in love. They marry but it’s not long after that their life together ends in disappointment and pain. Long after finishing the story, I kept thinking about Gwyn and the water fairy, Nelferch, imagining how I might write about all the ways we harm those we profess to love from the points of view of a modern pair. Over the next three years of writing, my imagination took off.
Did you do any research?
I did a lot of research! I continued reading about Welsh mythology and sacred places. Because the book takes place in London and south Wales, I needed to make those locations clear to the reader. Now, I have spent a lot of time in London since the 1980s, but the south coast of Wales was less familiar to me. So I took trains from Swansea and Cardiff and Carmarthen all around the area, and I also walked the coastline around Tenby and on the Gower peninsula to get the landscape right. And art–museums, art history, painting–played such a big role in the book that I had to brush up on all of it. And while I took art history courses in college, the world of Welsh landscape painting was completely new to me. There was lots of poring over paintings and biographies. Two contemporary artists generously gave me some of their time so that I might talk informedly about process and technique.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
I’m a reader and I love talking to other readers. I know how I feel about the books I write and what I’ve tried to say, but I love hearing from readers of my novels about what touches them or resonates with them. I always learn something new about my work from others’ interpretations, believe it or not! I suppose my biggest challenge as a writer is the flip side of the pleasure I get from talking to readers: there are times when all I want to do is stay inside and write. It can be hard to go from introverted writer to social author.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Should Have Told You Sooner?
I approach every story I begin to write with curiosity about why people do what they do and how they (sometimes how they do not) grow. No judgment, just a desire to understand. Should Have Told You Sooner is a very human story about the kind of mistakes we all make and the grace we all deserve.
Fans of which authors or books might gravitate toward your book?
Anne Tyler, Ann Patchett, David Nicholls, Claire Lombardo
Any words of wisdom you’d give to a new writer?
It can be difficult to just start writing when you’re starting out. You might have the characters in your mind and an idea of what you’d like to say, but you don’t know how to begin. What helped me out of the blank page, and helps even now when I find myself stuck at a plot pivot point, is to ask myself, “What could happen?” Or “What comes next?” And I start exploring the different ways I can answer those questions. Sometimes the directions I go in work, and sometimes they don’t, and that’s okay. Everything can be revised. But the prompt is always a way to get the imagination working to move you forward.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
I worked as a baker for a while, and I still love baking at home – bread baking especially. As I said earlier, I’m an avid reader. Sometimes it’s a struggle to put a good book down. Travel is a passion and when I do travel, I take loads of landscape photos. I pursue all the empty spaces and quirky angles and interesting light when I’m out and about, whether in cities or in nature.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
Usually when I finish writing a book, the characters start to fade away. This time, not so much. When Should Have Told You Sooner ended, the characters kept nudging me as if they had more to say. So I’m currently in the middle of discovering what’s next for Noel and Bryn and Henry and Noel’s stepdaughter, Alice. Maybe stay tuned for a sequel. When that’s put to bed, I’m going to turn to a modern ghost story set in Switzerland.
What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?
Although it came out in 2024, I only recently finished The Wedding People by Alison Espach. I thought it was delightful the way so many strangers made connections over the course of a wedding week, and the kind of connections that helped them understand who they are, what they need, and the reasons why they should stay present. It was so well done, and I still think about how she brought all that together in my quiet moments.
Where can readers find you?
janeaward.com for book updates, videos, events calendar, and my blog, Sleight of Hand
Facebook: Jane Alessandrini Ward, Author
Instagram: @authorjaneward
Threads: @authorjaneward
Thank you, Jane! Should Have Told You Sooner is out NOW.
Should Have Told You Sooner
While studying art history at a London university, Noel Enfield falls passionately in love with aspiring artist and art school student Bryn Jones. Shortly after Bryn leaves for a five-month painting trip through Italy, Noel discovers she is pregnant. She is ecstatic and believes Bryn will be too—they have plans to marry, after all. But mishaps part the two lovers, and a desperate Noel makes a split-second choice to move forward in a way that will change not only her life but also the lives of everyone she loves.
Three decades later, when she is offered a six-month secondment to a London museum, Noel decides it’s time to prove she really has moved on from that difficult period by returning to the city where she met and lost Bryn. But rather than proving she has persevered, the move lands Noel in the thick of London’s insular art world, with only one or two degrees of separation from her past and the people she once loved. After she reconnects with an old, dear friend and learns finally what kept Bryn from returning to her all those years ago, the very underpinnings of her life are rocked to their core. Some decisions made in the past can never be put behind her, she realizes, and armed with this new understanding, she sets out on a journey to reclaim what—and who—she left behind.
“Jane dives deep into what drives an artist and the complex and sometimes unknowable aspects that come with bringing art to life on canvas. There are lessons for life, for making brave choices, for the value of art, and for trusting your heart in her beautiful words. I highly recommend her exquisite novel.”—Sarah C. B. Guthrie, MFA, artist, blogger, and host of the Joy Workshop
Author Bio:
Jane Ward is the author of Hunger (Forge 2001), The Mosaic Artist (2011), and In the Aftermath (She Writes Press 2021). After graduating from Simmons College, she worked in the food and hospitality industry; later, she became a contributing writer to an online food magazine and a blogger and occasional host of cooking videos for an internet recipe resource affiliated with several regional newspapers. Most recently she has contributed book reviews to Story Circle and Mom Egg Review. She loves to travel, and to document her trips through travel photography. Jane lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts.