After him, there was you: Writing Love, Loss, and Life with Verity Gill

We’re delighted to welcome Verity Gill to the Partnership Publishing blog as she prepares to introduce readers to her debut novel, After him, there was you.

Verity’s writing is tender, emotionally intelligent, and rooted in the quiet truths of love, grief, and resilience. Her debut explores what it means to continue living after loss - not by moving on, but by learning how to carry love forward in new ways.

In this Q&A, Verity shares insight into her creative process, the themes that shape her work, and the journey behind writing her first novel. This conversation offers readers a chance to get to know the author behind the story - her voice, her inspirations, and what storytelling means to her.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and what first drew you to writing?

I can certainly try! I’m not very good at being in the limelight! But here goes…

I consider myself a quiet person, unless you really get to know me, then I apologise! I am a wife and a mother to two beautiful children. Our lives are loud and chaotic, so I do enjoy the rare quieter moments, a chance to recharge and slow down. I enjoy being outdoors, hiking and running especially. Cumbria is one of my favourite places to visit; I feel most at home around mountains.

Reading from a very young age was an outlet for me. I was always drawn to stories as a way to make sense of the world or to escape it. I can say that I am well-travelled from all of the worlds I have experienced through reading, be that sci-fi or fantasy. Inspired by all of this reading, I started making up my own stories from around fourteen years of age. Little scribbles in notebooks, drawing my own maps of these worlds… Writing became a way for me to express myself, especially at such a young and vulnerable age.

Do you remember the moment when the idea for After him, there was you first took shape?

This is a little bit of a funny, slightly odd story. I have told my husband this as well, just so we’re clear. We were on our honeymoon, freshly married, and we were chilling by the pool when I had a thought occur to me. “I don’t know what I would do if my husband died.” Dark. I know! But because it was all so new and happy, I had these intrusive thoughts swirling around! So, I had to get them down. And well, here we are. A whole book later!

Joking aside, I was curious about the way grief would appear in the life of a widow and mother. I wanted to explore this and really reach into the depths of emotion; I wanted to try and see if someone could carry on having experienced such a loss. Could find love again. Accept love again. Especially if the first love was so earth-shattering. How could a love like that exist a second time? But also, find themselves again after loss.

Your writing handles grief with great sensitivity and realism. What was important to you when approaching such an emotionally complex subject?

I wanted to get it right. I, myself, have not experienced loss in this sense. But I have experienced loss and grief in other ways, as we all have. When writing this book, there were moments throughout where I really had to look within myself – let myself feel the emotions – to be able to put them into words. Everyone deals with grief differently; there is no right or wrong way, and I took the time to find the right way that suited the main female character, who was going through this very hard and life-changing chapter.

How did you develop the emotional relationship between Lorelai and Matty, and what did you want that relationship to represent?

Lorelai and Matty’s relationship is very much like my relationship with my son. I pulled from our relationship and poured it into this story.

Matty is a kind soul and incredibly smart; there aren’t many times in the book that Matty acts out or behaves negatively at a high level. The reason for this is I wanted to show that even though he had lost a loved one at such a young age, he was still a sweet and loving child, and this is because of the way Lorelai brings him up after the loss. The way she loves him so unconditionally, all while dealing with her own grief. Communication between them is so important because of the changes that happen, and I wanted this to be a prominent part of the storyline. That despite his young age, Matty understands and supports Lorelai. He wants her to be happy.

What does a typical writing day look like for you, or is there no such thing as “typical”?

This made me laugh. There is no typical. For most of the year I was solo-parenting, as my husband was deployed, which meant I was working and looking after the house and my children, so I didn’t have much time to myself. However, I would get up early before the children in the mornings, or I would get as much writing done as I could as soon as they went to sleep. Sometimes this wasn’t always possible due to sickness, fatigue and lack of inspiration because it was like Groundhog Day every day.

However, once my husband returned home, I was even more determined and selfish with my time. I set myself a deadline and went the extra mile to ensure I met it. Lots of coffee, early mornings, late nights and sneaking away for forty minutes at the weekends. It was hard. But worth it.

Were there any scenes or moments in the book that you found particularly challenging or cathartic to write?

I wouldn’t say there were any scenes in particular that I found challenging to write, however, there are many where I had to really concentrate on my own emotions so that they didn’t interfere with the characters and storyline. Although, there are also scenes that flowed incredibly well because I delved deep into my emotions. It’s having the capacity and space to do this, which can be difficult with two young children running around. There were times when I had to skip a scene and go back to it at a later time when I was able to give it what it needed.

Place plays an important role in your storytelling. How do settings influence your writing and emotional tone?

I have always been moved by nature. I am a lot more creative and inspired when I immerse myself in the outdoors, and this is why the story starts in Keswick. I have been visiting this town since I was about fifteen years old – family holidays spent hiking the mountains of the Lake District and walks around the magnificent lakes. More recently on a trip to Keswick I fell in love with a bookstore in the town, and this is where The Cosy Nook comes from.

O’ahu, on the other hand, is a destination I am desperate to visit. It is on my bucket list. There is just something about the land and culture that pulls me to it; it felt like the right place for a love story.

As a debut author, what surprised you most about the process of writing a novel from start to finish?

How long it takes! I started writing this novel in 2022! I would go back to it every now and then and chip away at it over the years, but there was something about 2025 that made me think, “I need to finish this,” and this eventually led me to think, “Maybe other people will want to read it.”

I have so many unfinished novels from over the last almost two decades, and I owed it to myself to finish one!

What do you hope readers take away from After him, there was you after they turn the final page?

I hope that they feel I have been respectful and realistic in the way grief is reflected in this novel. I hope that those who have known loss and are living with grief can see there is light in the darkness, even if it takes someone to reach out a hand and help you through it.

I also want this to be a cosy read. It’s a love story! I want readers to feel the emotions of the characters; I want them to fall in love with them like I did when bringing them to life. I want to make readers smile and cry (sorry!).

Where can readers follow you, keep up with your writing journey, and learn more about your work?

I have a Bookstagram account (Instagram) and regularly post about the books I am reading, things like that. I will be posting about this novel on there as well. My Bookstagram is where I find a lot of authors and books that I want to read, and I share these on here as well. My handle is ‘thecosynook_’. Please follow me if you want! Or don’t; I’m ok with that too!