Alumna Jess Kitching makes waves with new novel
Young author Jess Kitching says that learning from University of Huddersfield academics with experience of the publishing industry has proved invaluable, as her latest novel is released through the world-famous publishing house Simon and Schuster.
Jess, who graduated with a 1:1 in English Literature from the university in 2015, has just released The Life Experiment, which is her fourth novel but her first away from the thriller genre.
The book is a love story about two strangers who discover when they will die, and is partly inspired by the loss of Jess’ close friend during her early 20s.
Born and brought up in Bradford, Jess now lives in Australia but returned to the UK recently when the buzz surrounding The Life Experiment led to her being invited to book festivals including those in Ilkley and Whitby, as well as events at bookshops in Leeds, Birmingham, Hampshire and Ireland.
Study English Literature at the University of Huddersfield
"One of the many things I liked about Huddersfield was that all my lecturers seemed to be being published or having a creative career," says Jess. "It is hard to break into publishing, but learning from people who had a career in academia, but also had another side to them, was inspiring to see.
“My family were always avid readers, but we didn’t know any authors so to learn from people who love the same thing that you do and knowing I could form a career in that field was a huge help even when I was still studying.”
After moving to Australia following her graduation from Huddersfield, Jess worked as a teacher but branched into thriller writing. Her first three novels were published by South African publishing house Kingsley Publishers, but the interlinked global nature of publishing along with social media helped to get Jess noticed as far afield as Denmark and Germany.
The global interest saw Jess work with an agent who liked the idea of The Life Experiment enough to make suggestions, such as focusing the plot on two main protagonists rather than four. Simon and Schuster also liked what they heard, and Jess is now looking to publish more books, one a return to the thriller genre, with them in the next couple of years.
“I sounds cheesy to say it now, but I never really intended The Life Experiment to be published, it was my secret project that I worked on alongside thrillers,” Jess adds.
Writing process was therapeutic
“In my early 20s I lost a good friend to cancer and that really shifted my perspective on life. During COVID I was writing thrillers but I started writing The Life Experiment as a way to process my grief. Writing has always been therapeutic for me.
“I decided to put these characters in a situation where they do find out when they're going to die, and their worst fear is whether they have a long or short time. I guess that was me processing what I'd gone through by writing about these characters, and figuring out who I wanted to be after I’d explored the idea of time and what makes a good life. It came from a place that was originally just for me, which is why it’s quite vulnerable and honest. You don't write for reviews, but the reviews have just been so incredibly beautiful.”
In addition to the book festivals and store events, both in the UK and Australia, Jess has also been able to meet with a care home chain back in the UK that picked up on her earlier works for reading clubs for their residents. But with thoughts now turning to her next novels, Jess has reflected on her feelings about The Life Experiment.
“I'm really proud of The Life Experiment, because I know where this story came from. I dedicated it to my friend that passed away, and also to another friend I then lost a few years later. It's a book about love, grief and loss and how those things intertwine. But ultimately, it’s a story of hope and the joy in small moments along the way.”