A Letter To A Lost One My Character Never Sent

From Katey, Elliot’s 17-year-old daughter in Lovers

Dear Mum,

I never got the chance to tell you these things. Maybe if I write them down, it will feel like you can still hear me.

When you were in and out of hospital, I stayed with Grandma. She was kind, but it wasn’t the same. I missed the sound of your music filling the house — your gentle touch on the harp, the way you lost yourself at the piano, even though you always said you weren’t the best singer. To me, you were perfect. I missed your laughter, your kindness, your energy. Mostly, I missed the way you looked at Dad, as if every note you played was just for him and me.

Talking to Dad was hard back then. He seemed so far away, as though he was pushing me aside because the pain was too heavy to carry. With you, I could talk about anything — the little things, the big things, the things that scared me. Without you, I kept quiet. I felt guilty too, when I first fell in love. I wondered if I was stealing love away from you and Dad, when all of it should have belonged to you both.

But time changed things. Dad started speaking your name again. Slowly, I found my voice too. We began to share memories of you instead of hiding them. It felt like opening a window after the house had been shut up for too long.

Now, Dad has let love in again. I think you would like her — my piano teacher. She reminds me of you in the way she encourages me, in the way she listens. Sometimes, when she plays, it feels like you’re near. I’m sorry I never took piano lessons from you when I had the chance.

I thought there would always be more time.

I hope you know that I carry your music with me, Mum. Always.

Love, Katey

• This is a letter Katey, a character in my novel Lovers, never sent. Writing it reminded me why I love creating emotional women’s fiction — stories about the power of memory, family, and connection.

  Lovers is a novel about love and loss, exploring how grief reshapes us and how healing can begin in unexpected ways. But it also about friendships and kindness and of love lost and found. If you’ve ever written a letter to a lost loved one, you’ll recognise Katey’s longing. It’s also a story of music, resilience, and finding light after darkness — a tender look at grief and healing in fiction.

  
  

• If you’d like to meet Katey, Elliot, and Val, you can find Lovers here