Jill McCorkle’s last novel, Tending to Virginia, was released 17 years ago. Since the book’s release, McCorkle, a professor in English, has written numerous short stories and published several collections. Now, McCorkle has returned to longer fiction with the release of her new novel, Life After Life. 

McCorkle said that though it’s been a long time since her last novel, she felt comfortable returning to the format. “It’s something I’ve had on the back burner the whole time,” McCorkle said. “I knew that I had something; I just hadn’t had the time. I would also say that the time I spent writing stories in between allowed me to write the novel. My attention to smaller form stories paved the way.” 

Set at the Pine Haven retirement center, the novel follows the lives of various employees and residents of the community. The setting allows for a wide range of characters of different ages, from retired elementary school teacher Sadie to a young tattooed mother named C.J. 

McCorkle said that writing for such a diverse cast of characters was a fun challenge. 

“I knew that I wanted to represent all ages and people coming from different places,” McCorkle said. “[I was] stepping into a character’s life. I knew I was going for this bigger picture.” 

With 17 years between novels, McCorkle said that she was able to draw a lot of material from new experiences in her life. Several events served as major inspiration for the novel, including the death of her father. 

“My dad’s death 20 years ago was very inspiring in terms of my interest in the hospice volunteer,” McCorkle said. “You have all this life going on in a room and one moment they’re there — the next they’re not.” 

McCorkle said that in her time visiting retirement centers, she found that people who were close to the end of their lives were not as lifeless as they are often imagined to be. 

“I’m fascinated when I visit my mother and she’s on a hall with many people suffering from dementia,” McCorkle said. “I’m struck by how vital they still are.” 

The novel also deals with the idea of how well people know one another. McCorkle said that while she was stuck in traffic, her son asked how many people around them could possibly have murdered someone. The question stuck with McCorkle, who brought the idea of secrets into Life After Life. 

McCorkle said that injecting her own memories into the characters helped f lesh them out and turn them into believable individuals. 

“I think we are our memories,” McCorkle said. “Sometimes I have given characters a memory of mine. Other times their memories are wholly created. I really wanted to shine a light on that last stretch of life. They’re there with their memories and life.” 

McCorkle is currently on tour to promote the novel and will visit a number of bookstores and universities through the end of May. For more information on the novel, visit lifeafterlifebook. net