“Living Through It,” by Jules
by Saluki
Today for Fan Fic Friday, I’m going to rec “Living Through It,” by our very own Jules. From the summary:
A father. A daughter. An incurable disease.
When life hands you an impossible path, what can you do other than follow and live through it?
A story about the cruelty of terminal illness, determination and will, and ultimately triumph and inspiration.
In this story, Bella is twenty-five and living at home so that she can take care of Charlie, who is living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which is more commonly known as Lou Gherig’s disease. When his disease progresses to the point that Bella can no longer take care of him without assistance they hire a nurse who happens to be named Edward Cullen.
This story is about love, but it certainly isn’t your typical love story. What’s so beautiful is that it’s about love in all its forms. It’s about the pure happiness that comes with loving and being loved. It’s about unrequited love, the power of an old love, and the bliss of new love. It’s about the heartbreak that comes with watching someone you love fade away before your eyes. Ultimately, it is about the joy of loving, even when it hurts. I guarantee after reading this story, you will never look at love the same way again.
What makes this story so gripping to me is the fact that Jules has drawn on her own life experiences to write this story. I spoke to Jules about what writing LTI has been like for her.
me: What was your inspiration for writing LTI?
Well, I have always wanted to write about my experience of being a young girl facing her dad’s terminal illness and one day, I was relaying my background to SusanAshlea in a chat, and the idea just came to me to do it in the realm of fan fic. So I wrote the first chapter and shared it with her and she said I had to continue.
me: Since you are drawing in large part from your own experiences, what has it been like writing LTI?
It has been an emotional ride, much like the story itself and my experience with my dad. There were good times, bad times and everything in between. That being said – I am NOT Bella in the story. She’s actually several people wrapped up into one.
me: Were you nervous about posting it? Putting your writing out there is tough enough, but when it is based on something so person, that must add to the experience.
It was nerve inducing, yes. There is a piece of myself and there are things that I have and will be putting out there that are highly personal. So far though, I have been overwhelmed by the touching response.
me: Tell me a little more about the response. Have you been surprised about people’s reactions?
It think what surprised me the most were the number of people that have reached out because they have been through the same illness with a family member (or are going through it currently). I also had a review from a caregiver who said my depiction was extremely accurate and that made me feel very confident that I was getting things across in the way I wanted to.
me: That’s incredible. Knowing that you are touching people who have gone, or are going through the same experience, has to be overwhelming.
It is. It’s a reminder that no matter how alone you think you may be, there are many people in this world that are going through these experiences too.
me: To me, this story is about love and how important it is to never, ever take it for granted, even when it hurts. What do you want your readers to take away from LTI?
OMG…I was just thinking that. It is about love. It’s about valuing the time you have with your loved ones, no matter how short lived or infrequent it may be. I hope readers will understand that when you are going through something difficult and there doesn’t seem to be any hope, there is. As hard as it may be, life goes on after the loss of a loved one and the best thing you can do is celebrate that person and live every day in their honor and honor them by living.
me: Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview! LTI is a beautifully written story that I think everyone should read.
Jules: Thank you for the honor.
As I said, this isn’t your typical love story. Jules does a brilliant job of building the attraction…and the doubt between Edward and Bella. Bella, who has committed herself fully to taking care of Charlie, feels torn about what a relationship with Edward would mean. Edward has his doubts as well. Whether it is more than the issue of mixing business with pleasure remains to be seen. Their relationship is growing and evolving in a very realistic way. The path for them is going to be rocky. There’s Charlie’s illness, Bella’s ex-husband, Emmett, Edward’s past, among other obstacles these two will need to overcome.
But, the real joy in the story for me comes in the relationship that Bella has with her father. I wish I could adequately describe how deeply I’m affected by her devotion to Charlie. So many children would have left the care of an ill parent to someone else, but Bella has devoted her life to taking care of him. Sure, it’s hard. But its clear that they are forming a bond that, to be honest, might not have developed if not for his illness. Bella is an incredibly strong, empathetic character. I know Jules denies that she is Bella, but the strength, kindness, and modesty displayed by Bella are definitely parts of Jules.
I hope all of you take the time to check out “Living Through It,” by Jules. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.
What a great resource!