Writing a book is a major feat many dream about but only a few accomplish. It certainly felt like that at times for Jill Fordyce J.D. ’89, who kept her literary dreams on ice while she pursued appellate law and started a family.
But now Fordyce is celebrating becoming a published author as of January 2024 with her debut novel, Belonging.
Spanning three decades, Belonging is about the ways we are all shaped by the places we come from and the desire to make a family when your own family has failed.
“The inspiration originally started with just the seed of an idea of how a childhood friendship could endure and sustain someone kind of lighting the way through life and even death,” Fordyce says. “I also love a coming-of-age story, I love a family saga and I wanted to tell a story like that.”
Fordyce began drafting the story over 10 years ago and took classes at Stanford to brush up on her writing chops. “What I would hope a reader takes [in] the most is this notion of belonging,” Fordyce says. “It could be belonging to a family or a faith or a school or a community. Without it, there’s a fundamental aloneness. It would be my dream if this book spoke to people about belonging, what that means, and helps people to feel less alone.”