Love, Loss and the Stories We Carry: A Q&A with Beth Jordan, Author of Thank You for the Kiss

Beth Jordan's Thank You for the Kiss is an emotionally rich novel inspired by true events, exploring the complex relationship between grief, healing and self-discovery. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Cuba, the story follows one woman's journey through love, loss and the unexpected decisions that can shape a life forever.

Blending evocative travel writing with deeply human emotion, Beth creates a compelling work of fiction that asks powerful questions about vulnerability, resilience and the stories we tell ourselves as we search for hope after heartbreak.

We caught up with Beth to learn more about the inspiration behind the novel, her writing journey, and how real experiences became the foundation for this unforgettable story.

Thank You for the Kiss is inspired by true events but told as a work of fiction. How did you find the process of writing this story as a novel?

I suppose the events that took place seemed unreal to me. Events which were outside my usual life experience. Years later when I reflected back on that period of time, they still seemed unreal to me, something that happened to others, something that happened in the movies, but the reality was that those events did take place and unfolded as though I was reading a story told by another.

When I came to write about it, I did not find it difficult to turn the events into a novel, as it had a strong story structure – a beginning, a middle and an end; an unforeseeable end. It had believable characters with all their graces and faults, people whom I wrote about who lived lives readers could relate to and leave maybe shaking their heads in disbelief.

The opening chapters immediately immerse readers in the atmosphere of Havana. How important was the setting in shaping both the story and the emotional journey of your characters?

I’ve always had a deep sense of space and place. Wherever I travelled in the world, I quickly found myself immersed, absorbing all the sights and sounds and smells of every nuance swirling around me. I am a people watcher, often remarked upon by my companions who would find me staring or observing people around me.

Havana, with its rich sensory atmosphere and history, drew me straight into its world, a world drenched in an overwhelming past and its people of not only diverse backgrounds but also diverse heritage, which, over time, melded together to make its people what they are. So the opening chapters led me straight to a place which the protagonist found herself in. Halfway through the story, so many events and situations had occurred which altered her emotional welfare, heightening her own awareness of every sound and movement which triggered her perception of those whom she encountered throughout the story.

Themes of grief, healing and self-discovery run throughout the novel. Were these themes something you set out to explore from the beginning, or did they emerge naturally as you wrote?

The central character, Gina, was already in a state of grief when she arrived in Cuba for a holiday with her cousin Ela. Loss and bereavement were emotions she was already carrying with her, but she did not want those to affect her sense of well-being, but carrying them with her, they subliminally altered her relationships. I did not set out to explore these themes of grief, healing and self-discovery; they percolated and surfaced as the story unfolded, leading her to make decisions she would normally not have made.

Drawing inspiration from real life can be both rewarding and emotionally challenging. How did you decide which experiences to keep, which to fictionalise, and where to let your imagination take over?

It was an interesting challenge to decide what to keep in the story and what to eliminate. What came through as I wrote the story was almost as though my pen had its own mind, and I found myself flowing with the events that took place and writing them in a way that would allow the reader to make up their own mind whether they were fact or fiction. There were moments in the story when my pen hovered over an event which I, as the author, decided to write in a way that would bring a richness, a desire, and a feeling that would allow the characters to breathe their own life and make their own decisions.

Your descriptions are wonderfully vivid and sensory, making readers feel as though they are walking the streets of Cuba alongside your characters. How do you approach writing settings with such depth and authenticity?

I am utterly driven by a sense of truth which I carry like an artist’s palette. I see and hear, smell and taste in colour, and as I write, the emotions of the moment, when I am there in that place, are drawn into words whose origin I cannot explain. They flow through me as though I am part of what I am writing.

This story explores how grief and unresolved emotions can quietly influence the decisions we make. What conversations or reflections do you hope readers will have after finishing the book?

I would hope the reader comes with an unbiased mind, a reflective mind, maybe based upon their own life experiences. Open to discover how others navigate the world in which they find themselves. Writing a fictionalised memoir puts one in a place which could be open to criticism and thoughts of ‘I would never do that, never.’ But stop and remember those moments when a decision was made out of character and one was left surprised and maybe devastated, regretting and wishing time would reverse itself.

Maybe, though, those decisions made, had to be made. I am a firm believer in karma; no matter what decision or fork in a path one takes, that is the right decision for that fork because one does not know its final consequences, and not all of those outcomes are negative. Who knows, then, how our life will be after that consequence.

Looking back on your writing journey, what surprised you most about bringing Thank You for the Kiss to life?

My biggest surprise was writing the story. It had never been planned. I always kept a diary of my travels, but not of this one. The only piece I recorded on paper was the ‘pig scene’; the rest stayed in my memory. That memory had haunted me, and an occasion arose through a creative writing session to write about a ‘sense of place’. Immediately the first chapter came to mind. I wrote it and then carried on till I finished the story.

Every writer develops their own creative process. What does a typical writing day look like for you, and how do you know when a story is ready to be shared?

I absolutely do not have a typical writing day, but I do have a sense of how long a story will take me to write. This one took over three years. I was training to become a personal and professional life coach, which was intense in its practical and theoretical application, and I wrote Thank You For The Kiss during the same period. I finally finished it when I moved to the Highlands of Scotland from Brighton. I had joined a new writing group whose founder suggested some key areas when beginning to write and setting aims and goals, one of them being a date to publish.

However, I soon found the pressure of the group more than overwhelming and decided to write in my own time. Funnily enough, what really helped me to write more regularly and with a ‘finish’ in mind was the fact that I began to write in my local café for two hours a day. Amidst the buzz and hum and chatter, I found it easier to write, and the day I put that final full stop was a joy; I knew I had finished the first draft of the story. I told the manager I had just finished my first novel in his restaurant and thanked him for letting me sit there all those months, occupying a four-seater table. He grinned and said it had been a pleasure to have a writer sit and so diligently enhance their space. I had to giggle at that. I gave him a signed copy of my book as a ‘Thank You’, but did not give him a kiss.

Outside of writing, you're clearly someone who loves exploring different cultures and travelling. How have your travels influenced your storytelling and your outlook on life?

I feel blessed and privileged to have been afforded the opportunity to look into the lives of so many people around the world. I think exploring different cultures has quietly shaped my worldview. I accept people when I meet them; I rail at people who criticise other cultural behaviours. I studied Anthropology – The Way of Seeing – at Birkbeck College back in 2008, long before I began to write seriously. From that I learnt the art of acceptance. That we are all different but the same.

Photography has also taught me how to view the world. I can choose to see the beauty or the ugliness; whichever I see, all I need to do is frame it, look, absorb, click and say thank you.

Where can readers follow your journey as an author and keep up to date with your latest news about your book?

My book is available on Amazon in paperback, hardback and e-book: http://www.amazon.com/BETH-JORDAN/e/B0BTYZ6X39

For my authors page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/evocative

I have a website where I post what is happening in my world with a section for a newsletter: www.bethjordanauthorphotographer.com

Facebook is a good place to keep up to date with my travel stories and thoughts on writing: https://www.facebook.com/bethjordanwriter