Author Jill McCorkle

Q: Your new novel, “Life After Life,” is set in a long-term care facility in North Carolina. Were you thinking of care workers reading the book?

A: I finished the book and one of my earliest thoughts was, I hope I have done these people justice. They give so much in life, they’re in there doing the real thing. I ordered and read a lot of the books that I know are often used in training people who care for the elderly.

Q: You’re touring now. Are you engaging with the long-term care community?

A: I spoke to the Wake County Hospice this summer. I met a geriatric physician at USC [University of Southern California], and she’s on an Alzheimer’s board, and her response could not have been more positive. I was invited to speak at ElderHelp of San Diego, and it went to a dialogue on long-term care. I’m hoping that kind of dialogue would have a greater audience. 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

A: You see a change in how there are so many visitors in assisted living, and there’s such a drop-off in skilled nursing. There’s a fear in seeing what’s around the corner. My hope is that my novel shows it’s worth walking around that corner.