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

About this episode

Kirsten Pursell discusses her novel and the impact of personal heartbreak on her writing.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Samantha Tennant

Guest: Kirsten Pursell

Topics covered

• heartbreak
• women's fiction
• character development
• midlife
• writing process
• Scarlet's Harlots trilogy

Keywords

• Kirsten Pursell
• heartbreak
• women's fiction
• Scarlet's Harlots
• writing
• midlife
• character flaws
• literary awards

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Literary Titan, BookLife

Books & works: THE UNABRIDGED LIFE OF MISSY KINCAID, ON BECOMING ME, AMBER UNSCRIPTED

More episodes of The Fresh Fiction Podcast

• Steamy Regency, Morally Gray Men & the Busty Bodice Club — Kathleen Ayers on Writing Romance That Stays With You · June 10, 2026 · 41 min
• Ivy Cassidy on House of Spells and Secrets, Biddy Early, and Writing Without Rules · June 2, 2026 · 40 min
• Gregg Hurwitz | Orphan X, Anti-Hero & the Art of Keeping a Killer Human · May 19, 2026 · 42 min
• From Courtroom to Regency Ballrooms: Janna MacGregor on Writing, Mentorship, and Body Confidence · May 13, 2026 · 39 min
• 200 episodes, 1 missing author, 14 incredible readers · May 5, 2026 · 8 min
• 25 Years, 40+ Books, and One Story She Wasn't Supposed to Tell Yet — Julianne MacLean on What Tomorrow Will Be · April 28, 2026 · 33 min