Kirsten Pursell on Heartbreak, Midlife, and Writing the Women We Actually Are

What this episode covers

What do you do when life dismantles everything you thought you were? For Kirsten Pursell, you write about it. In this episode of the Fresh Fiction Podcast, Samantha Tennant sits down with award-winning author Kirsten Pursell to discuss her latest novel, THE UNABRIDGED LIFE OF MISSY KINCAID — winner of the Literary Titan Gold Award and an Editor’s Pick from BookLife. It’s the second book in the Scarlet’s Harlots trilogy, and it’s the kind of story that follows you long after you’ve finished the last page. Kirsten and Samantha dig into what it means to write characters who are messy, flawed, and fiercely determined to keep going. Kirsten shares how her own experience of heartbreak at 57 — and the grief of leaving a 29-year marriage — found their way into Missy’s story. She talks about writing in two voices (past and present), what it felt like when her real-life Travis fact-checked his chapter, and why she believes you don’t become a strong woman overnight. They also explore Kirsten’s memoir ON BECOMING ME, her rapid-fire Fresh Fiction facts (yes, she won a Mercedes on Hollywood Squares), and the cover reveal for the third Scarlet’s Harlots book — AMBER UNSCRIPTED, coming June 2025. If you love women’s fiction that doesn’t flinch, this episode is for you. TOPICS COVERED • THE UNABRIDGED LIFE OF MISSY KINCAID — plot, themes, and favorite scenes • Writing women who are flawed, imperfect, and rising anyway • How real heartbreak shaped Missy’s story • The Scarlet’s Harlots trilogy and what’s coming in Book 3 • Memoir writing and the power of old diary entries • Finding your voice in midlife • Hollywood Squares, game shows, and doing things that scare you FIND KIRSTEN Website: kirstenpursell.com Facebook: Kirsten Pursell Author Instagram: @KirstenPursell | @KirstenPursellBooks

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.