The Second Life of Jack and Jackie: Feeling the (Writing) Fear and Doing It Anyway

Here’s something I’ve learned about myself over the past few years—as a writer, I apparently love a challenge.

My first novel, The Girl Who Tried to Change History, was a time travel-focused story mixed with historical fiction, set in London during World War Two. I decided to write this book despite the fact that I am in no way, shape, or form a science fiction writer. 

And honestly, the thought of even trying to write about time travel was a little bit unnerving. But I had an idea for a story that would only work if I could transplant a 21st century protagonist back to the era of her grandparents to try to change the future—so, after a few years of back and forth, I committed to this rather uncharacteristic idea and began writing the story.  And I’m very glad that I did!

A few years ago, during a turbulent time in my life, I unexpectedly got an idea for a new novel.  I’d recently lost my mom after a long battle with cancer, which had followed my dad’s death several years earlier. And, the world was in the process of recovering from a global pandemic. All things considered, life felt very unsettled, and as I navigated my fresh grief, I found myself looking for something, or someone, to help me through those difficult times. Strangely enough, that someone turned out to be a person I’ve never met, but long admired—Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

I’ve been a huge fan of Jackie since I picked up my first biography of her at age eighteen and became acquainted with her fascinating life story. At many difficult times in my own life, I’ve found myself turning to her for inspiration, asking myself “What would Jackie do?” as I faced a new challenge or heartbreak. And in the spring of 2021, after losing my mom, I needed this inspiration more than ever.

During the next few months, I coped in part by subsuming my grief in Jackie’s story. I consumed all the content about her I could find—biographies, novels, movies, interviews, clips of her giving speeches in Spanish and French on Youtube. Somehow, diving down the rabbit hole of Jackie’s life made my own struggles a bit easier to bear—but it also saddened me. I kept thinking about the array of tragedies Jackie had to face at such a young age, in front of the entire world–from losing a child while First Lady to seeing her husband shot and killed as she sat beside him. As inspirational as I found her resilience and ability to survive, and even thrive, after these heartbreaks, I couldn’t help feeling how unfair it all was.

I began to wonder–what if things had gone differently at one critical moment in Jackie’s life?  What if JFK had survived his shooting in Dallas, and the two of them had gone on to live the next thirty years together until Jackie’s own death? What might that story have looked like?

In the spring of 2022, I was lucky enough to take a dream trip to the Maldives, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. I spent a week sailing around through stunning islands and blissful sun-dappled seas, and as my mind gently released both my grief and the day-to-day worries of my life back home, I began to see the seed of a story in my mind unfold. Scenes, characters, lines of dialogue unfurled before me as if by magic. I knew that when I got back home, I had to sit down and begin writing this story, to see where it would lead. And so I did.

I was, of course, a bit terrified. Writing a time travel story when I’m not a science fiction writer was scary enough—but taking on the creation of an alternate version of the lives of two of the most iconic figures in 20th century American history was, if possible, even more intimidating.  But, it turns out I really do love a challenge, because I did it anyway—and once again, I’m so glad I did.

It took about a year and half to write The Second Life of Jack and Jackie, and another year and a half to complete the publication process. I am now so incredibly excited and honored to share this novel—a true labor of love—with the world.

The Second Life of Jack and Jackie is a story about life, love, second chances, and what it really means to spend your life with someone, knowing how fragile and tenuous life really is.  All lives and love stories end; it’s just a matter of when and how. But in my novel, I attempted to give two real people a different end to their fictional story. It was terrifying, exhilarating, comforting, heartbreaking, and satisfying all at once. I loved writing this book, and I truly hope you will enjoy reading it.

The moral of the story: don’t be afraid to take chances, to break out of the type of writing you think you’re supposed to do and try something different, and to create a story that feels magical. And then, once you’ve done that, don’t be afraid (at least not too afraid!) to share it with the world.

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Melissa Kaplan lives in Washington, DC, where she works as a policy advocate on food security and hunger issues. She studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and holds a master’s degree in comparative politics with a focus on Europe. She has been a passionate student of history for her entire life, particularly the World War II era. Kaplan is also an avid traveler, has visited more than forty countries, and enjoys yoga and barre classes. Her second novel, The Second Life of Jack and Jackie, is out now.

THE SECOND LIFE OF JACK AND JACKIE

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy narrowly escapes an assassination attempt while riding through the streets of Dallas with his wife, Jacqueline, by his side. The next day, realizing how fortunate he is to be alive, Jack and Jackie—who have become more deeply connected after several months of personal tragedy—reconnect and embark on the next thirty years of their marriage together.

But no love story lasts forever. When Jackie is diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1994, she and Jack must figure out how to say goodbye to their life and to each other—and Jack must find a way to live without the one person he always believed he simply could not lose.

The Second Life of Jack and Jackie is a story of love and second chances that examines what it means to spend your life with someone, knowing how fragile and tenuous life is. When one person in a relationship is almost certain to leave first—no matter how it happens–can there really be such a thing as a happy ending? Or, despite loss and grief being an inevitable part of life, maybe love will still find a way to triumph in the end?

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing