My Path to Writing My Debut Memoir, Accidental Sisters

Katherine Linn Caire

I have always loved writing… in my English and Lit classes growing up, in my own journals, actually, anywhere the opportunity presented itself. My grandmother instilled in me an intense love of the written letter, and to this day, I find its genuine authenticity to always trump an email, text, or brief phone call. I considered her to be one of my very best friends, and a lot of that connection had to do with the constant handwritten letters she sent to me from her retirement home in western North Carolina. Grandma Linn wrote to me regularly as I grew up in Des Moines, and continued to do so during my undergraduate years at Southern Methodist University. Every time she wrote to me, she made sure to include a new word that I had most likely never run into before. One word in particular- sent to me when I was seventeen years old and a freshman in college, is still vivid in my mind. Bibelot. The best word ever for a knickknack or trinket!

She passed one year after I graduated from college, and my most precious memories of her were the letters that I saved. The photographs were special, but in my estimation, her beguiling words were simply the best. Reminiscing over her letters years later, there was, and still is, something about seeing her handwriting that made her come to life again, as if she were right there in front of me, telling me yet another captivating story. As everyone’s handwriting is unique, you just don’t get that same personality translation when you are reading correspondence from any electronic device. My grandmother had firmly instilled in me the importance of the written word.

My memoir tells the story of the highly unlikely series of events that led to me finding my biological half sister. I was adopted at birth, and for the first fifty-two years of my life, I had never had an interest in looking for my biological mother, father, or possible siblings. After miraculously meeting my sister Marcia in 2012, the story came up in conversation frequently as it was quite unusual. I had thought about writing a book about it, partially to document it for generations to come, but also because of much encouragement from friends and family that the story needed to be told. For years, I have gone on prayer walks six to seven days a week, so during that time, I asked for guidance, and I asked for it persistently. During those quiet moments, I thought of my Grandma Linn and the many stories she told me, and how much those memories mean to me. Wouldn’t that be important to pay it forward, so to speak, by leaving this improbable story for those who follow behind my sister and me?

On one of those walks in 2018, my mind was wrapped around something very distant from this book that needed to be written. I recall that I had just begun my walk and was sorting out the mundane chores that I needed to accomplish that day. I even remember exactly where on the street I was when it happened. Out of nowhere, two words floated into my head, and at that moment, nothing else that had occupied my mind a split second before was still lingering. The two words were Accidental Sisters. 

I didn’t even have to think about it. I knew immediately that that was the title of the book about my sister Marcia’s and my incredible journey. I also knew that I was being told to get my act together and start writing right then. Not my journals. Not my letters. The book. Now.

The process of writing this memoir took approximately three years before handing over the initial manuscript. There was a lot of research to be done to fill in the blanks where I had questions, and sometimes those answers were long and convoluted. Not every question had a definitive answer, because some of those truths were buried long ago with the people who guarded those private details. Working through our story also caused me to step into my birth mother’s world during her pregnancy with me, and for the first time in my life, actually contemplate in great detail all that she went through while pregnant, and to get me to the finish line: my healthy birth. My birth mother, Margaret, was from a very close family, yet managed to keep her whole pregnancy and my birth a secret from her parents. Both of my maternal birth grandparents died not knowing about their daughter’s first child. 

Writing about Margaret’s pregnancy with me, and all of the events that led to me finding my sister, allowed me to work through and appreciate the wide range of emotions that others had gone through during the course of these events. It also brought up feelings of my own that I had no idea existed up to that point in my life. It taught me that you never know how you truly, down-in-your-heart-gut-and-soul feel about some things until you are faced with the possibility of confronting them head on.

Would I have realized the importance of putting pen to paper had it not been for my grandmother’s ability to teach by example? Lucky girl that I am, I don’t have to wonder. 

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ACCIDENTAL SISTERS

Discovering a sister’s existence after 52 years

Soul-stirring memoir tells the shocking story of how they found each other

This wild and heartwarming story Accidental Sisters: The Story of My 52 Year Wait to Meet My Biological Sister (Books Fluent, August 26, 2022) follows author, Kathe Linn Caire, as her sudden pull to learn more about her medical history sends her on an unexpected journey.

Kathe isn’t interested in learning her birth parents’ identities, just the details of their health. But what begins as a simple investigation takes a startling swerve when the social worker who sends the records fails to redact  her birth mother’s name. To her surprise, she finds herself combing through vital records, researching every lead she can get her hands on.But when her investigation uncovers a half-sister that Kathe never imagined existed, she must decide: open her heart and mind to a stranger who shares her DNA, or walk away without challenging her long-held beliefs about what it means to be part of a family.

Join her on her quest from a woman who has no interest in her biological roots, to a woman compelled to more fully understand her identity. This story will inspire people to choose compassion as it can lead to more fulfilling relationships and a deeper understanding of yourself and those you love. No matter the twists and turns that block the path (and there are many) her bravery and resilience shine through in this epic true story.

BUY HERE

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KATHERINE CAIRE: Katherine Linn Caire was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. She attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she swam for the Mustangs and received her BBA (Finance), with Minors in Art History and Economics. Although her career has spanned the gamut from commercial banking lender to advertising account executive, from calligrapher/artist to tennis official, she has found her true delight in putting pen to paper. She lived in Dallas for nearly three decades, where all three of her and her husband’s daughters were born and raised. The family moved to the beautiful city of Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 where she lives with her husband, Don, and their precious mutt, Waltzing Matilda. See more at klcairebooks.com.                                                  

                                                                                                                                             

 

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing