Author Confessions: Kristin Harmel

On writing through cancer, her latest novel and the four ladies that changed her life.

There are certain novels I know I’m going to love from the first chapter. Sometimes it’s the setting that draws me in. Other times it’s the character. When I began reading Kristin Harmel’s The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau, it was both. First, I was at a fancy party, and then I was watching the main character, an unassuming elderly woman, steal an 8 carat yellow diamond ring.

The intrigue only increased from there. We learned Colette is a retired librarian, and an accomplished jewel thief who stole gems for the French resistance during World War II. We also learn that her younger sister disappeared during a German raid with a priceless bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown. Decades later, the bracelet surfaces and Colette has the chance to discover what really happened to her sister.

I asked Kristin to stop by Dear Fiction to chat about her latest book (she’s penned more than a dozen) and her writing life. Welcome, Kristin!

I'm fascinated with origin stories. Tell me where the idea for The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau came from.
The idea for the book came initially from thinking about how many different ways people found to support resistance movements during World War II. Of course many of those methods of resistance—things like smuggling arms and blowing up railroad tracks—were necessary to defeat the Germans but were obviously illegal. And one could argue that the ends certainly justified the means in those cases. Theft—as Colette and her mother engage in, in the book—was another illegal activity that certainly helped the underground.

But what happens when the war ends? Evil doesn't simply disappear from the world. There are still wrongs to right, scales of justice to balance. But does that end goal of justice justify the means of jewelry theft when the world is no longer at war? Who determines what's right or wrong? Those questions are at the heart of this story, which is about a lifelong jewel thief who must come to terms with the decisions she has made—and the guilt she has carried for so many years.

How was this book more/less challenging to write than your previous books?
This one was actually a huge challenge for me, because it was the first book I wrote after going through several months of treatment for breast cancer: a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. I had written the outline before my diagnosis, and it took me six months to pick up the story again, because through those treatments, I found I simply couldn't write. I don't know if it was stress or exhaustion or the actual chemotherapy meds, but I wasn't myself—and I really felt terrified that I'd been fundamentally changed and that I'd lost my writing voice forever. Coming back to the page was filled with a lot of fear and self-doubt at first, but I finally found my way back to the story—and back to myself.

Since jewelry figures so central in this book I'm curious if you have a strong connection to any single piece of heirloom jewelry? Are you someone who splurges on jewelry or do you prefer flea market finds?
It's funny that I chose jewel theft, because I'm not big on expensive jewelry myself. My ears aren't even pierced, believe it or not! But I'm a big believer in sentimental jewelry—and at the end of the day, that's what the diamond bracelet really is for Colette. For me, aside from my wedding and engagement rings, my most sentimental pieces are the two thin silver rings I wore through my cancer journey. One was engraved with the names of my son, husband and mom, to remind me who I was fighting for. And the other was engraved: TOWTIITI, which stood for, "The only way through it is through it," the mantra I repeated to myself each day.

I feel like the business and work of being a writer is magical and also extremely tough. What has been your most challenging moment as a writer?
(As mentioned above) In October 2022, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation, through April 2023. During that time, I found myself unable to write normally. I had other creative outlets during that time—I even co-wrote and sold a television series (still in development)—but I couldn't seem to keep thoughts in my head long enough to move from chapter to chapter in the writing of a book. That terrified me. I really worried that it was a change in my brain (courtesy of the chemo) that would last forever, and there were days when I sat down to write and wound up weeping at the impossibility of it all.

I'm incredibly grateful that once my treatments were done, I began to get my writing groove back. I think that staying engaged in other creative things—such as writing and developing a TV show—helped me to stay afloat, because I knew there was a part of my brain still capable of creating. Eventually I found my way back—and I think the detour, into both self-doubt and a different writing format, helped make me a stronger writer and storyteller in the end.

If you could relive one day in your author life, what would it be and why?
I would choose to relive the day Patti Callahan Henry, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Mary Kay Andrews, Mary Alice Monroe, Meg Walker and I met at Mary Kay's house in Tybee Island, GA for our first Friends & Fiction summit, in November 2020. We had all launched Friends & Fiction together seven months earlier, in April 2020, but because of the lockdown, we hadn't been able to be together in real life. F&F changed all of our lives--and we truly never expected it--so to meet up and celebrate that and begin to plan our future together felt really special.

Can you describe what happens to you when you're really in a novel? (Are you dropping the ball as a mother? Do you feel tingly in your chest?
When I'm really in it, I write and write and write until my vision blurs and I have a headache! It doesn't happen often, but boy is it a magical feeling. My last day like that was in early May. I was actually in a hotel lounge for the day while my husband was at work and my son was at school, and something just cracked open in me and the writing flowed. I wrote 7,000 words and finished the first draft of my 2026 book, then promptly collapsed in exhaustion. But not before ordering a celebratory glass of champagne.

Who are your writing heroes—and why?
My F&F cohosts—Mary Kay Andrews, Patti Callahan Henry, and Kristy Woodson Harvey—are not only my writing besties, but also some of the hardest-working, smartest, savviest women I know. They all have such a unique voice and style, and yet they all share the same work ethic, dedication to their readers, and genuine love for the world of books. I love all three of them deeply as both people and professionals!

Which of your novels do you think is your best so far? Why?
I always think my best novel is my most recent, because I think I'm still a work in progress, and I continue to try to push myself to get better and better with every book. I think that if I don't feel like each book is an improvement over the last, I'm doing something wrong, and I really do strive to tangibly improve. So for that reason, The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is my current favorite. But if I had to choose a book from my backlist, it would probably be The Forest of Vanishing Stars, which just poured out of me differently. I think the real answer is that I haven't written my best book yet--but stay tuned!

I love that. Thank you so much, Kristin. Good luck with this latest novel. To buy a copy of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau, pop on over here to find a retailer. xo

Have a great weekend, everyone!