At the risk of utilizing more puns than professionalism, I have to say, my excitement for today’s new release is madly overflowing from deeply within, and I am wildly anticipating the experience our readers will have as they receive their copies of Katherine Turner’s latest book, Madly Deeply Wildly. To all of us at Josha, Madly Deeply Wildly represents many new developments, including multiple standalone fiction releases coming over the next several months; in fact, this book is our first standalone novel we’ve ever released, so from a business perspective, that’s thrilling. But even more exhilarating is the story behind Madly Deeply Wildly, so I decided to sit down with Katherine and talk about the development of this novel as well as her hopes for readers as they take in Renata’s story.
Let’s start by talking about the title of your latest novel—Madly Deeply Wildly. At first glance, those three words evoke such strong feelings of passion, whether that means romantic passion or simply zeal for life. Without giving away too many spoilers, what can you tell us about how your title words are reflected throughout the story?
The answer may not come as a surprise based on how you worded your question—Madly Deeply Wildly is a story of romantic love and passion, but it’s also a story of friendship and learning to be excited to be alive again after having joy stripped away, one piece at a time.
When we talked previously about the Life Imperfect series, you said the characters in that series came pouring out of you as you wrote. How did the characters in Madly Deeply Wildly—such as Renata and Chad, as well as their friend group—reveal themselves to you?
In the same way they did for the Life Imperfect series, really. They appeared in my thoughts, jumping in and out at will for a few weeks, and then started whispering to me that it was time to tell their story. I sat down, and they revealed everything I needed to know as I was writing; in essence the story came pouring out of me the same way it did for my series fiction.
Is Madly Deeply Wildly a work of autofiction, like your other books? How so?
Yes, to an extent. Every novel I write is in some capacity a work of autofiction, though some more so than others. In this particular novel, I pulled from my own life the self-doubt that plagues you after you’ve been gaslit, the contradictory emotions that can go along with a healthy sexual experience after sexual trauma, how pride and loss can work in tandem to cloud your ability to trust yourself, and the longing for a family and true friendships. All of these are things I’ve struggled with throughout my life, and I wanted to highlight how it can manifest and what it can look like to someone on the outside, as well as show that there’s always a way to heal and find happiness.
As you’ve described for the Life Imperfect series, while Madly Deeply Wildly does contain a romantic plot line, it sounds like the book is far more so about your protagonist, Renata, and her healing journey. What can you tell us about the impact of healing on a new romance?
Whether the romance is young or old, healing is important. The willingness to examine ourselves and heal our wounds, to work on self-improvement because we can acknowledge there are things we should work on, is vital for any healthy relationship (not just romantic relationships). It can also be downright scary in the best of times, but especially when navigating a new romance. I think it also presents an opportunity to do things in a healthy way to begin with, even if you have no previous experience with doing so.
For Renata and Chad, healing is the only way they are able to have a relationship. What Renata discovers is that the unhealed parts of her past will interfere with her present and her future until she stops and addresses those parts. Likewise, Chad has some unresolved trauma of his own that presents some difficulties for a healthy relationship between them that he will need to take on in order to open the door for happiness. _
When we talked about the release of Wildflower Promise, the third book in the Life Imperfect series, you shared a bit about what it was like to start writing that series after decades of not writing at all. If we look at your recent releases, it seems as though this book was your first foray back into writing new fiction after spending a long time working on your memoir, resilient. What was it like to return to fiction?
That’s correct—this was the first fiction I wrote after working on resilient. When I finished my memoir and published it, I had what I refer to as an emotional hangover. Writing that book was tough. Letting that book go out into the world where people could see me at my most vulnerable, learn things about me I’d kept secret my entire life, was tough. All of that took a bit of a toll on me, and I needed a break from nonfiction. Returning to fiction was like a release from the pressure that had built up while working on resilient. With this book in particular, it was also a brand-new adventure. I mean, every new book is a new adventure, but this one was in a different way because it was my first standalone fiction. Everything I’d written before, from a fiction perspective, was part of the Life Imperfect series, where it takes several books for the characters to complete their full developmental arcs. Writing a standalone posed a new challenge because the developmental arc needed to be contained within a single book. I didn’t set out to write it that way, but it became apparent partway through the first draft that this wasn’t a series, but a standalone, and so I had to make sure that everything tied together in a different way.
How are you feeling now that release day is finally here? Do you have any anxiety about your book being available for reading worldwide? How does releasing this standalone novel compare to releasing your memoir in 2021?
I always have anxiety when I release a new book. Every release leaves me with worry that readers won’t like it or that I could have done something better or fill-in-the-blank. Doubt and worry is just part of the process for me (and many writers, I think). Overall, though, I’m excited. I loved this story. I love all my stories, but this was my first standalone and I fell in love with the characters as if they were my own friends. That’s exciting to share with other people.
Can you tell us anything about your current writing projects?
Well, I have several ideas that are waiting to come out and several in various stages of the production process, currently all standalone fiction. I adore them all and can’t wait for readers to get their hands on them, because I think they will, too.
Do you have any other books coming later this year?
I do! I have The End of Interludes publishing September 15th. This one is a musically-inclined story of healing and how the bonds of love can endure through time, and will inspire the music-lover inside many of us. Then Believing in Never, a story of how our childhoods can impact our lives as adults and how friendships and love can sustain us, is coming in December. It’s an exciting year for sure!
Head on over to Katherine’s Instagram account to congratulate her on her new book, Madly Deeply Wildly—now available everywhere books are sold. And make sure to sign up for Josha’s newsletter to stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming releases, including Katherine’s next novel!
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Katherine Turner
Josha Publishing, LLC 