By Casey Neill
Loneliness prompted Elisabeth Easther to craft a tale of fertility, friendship and modern womanhood.
New novel Seed is rooted in the New Zealand actress and journalist’s own journey with miscarriage and IVF.
“My own experiences formed the very kernel of Seed,” Elisabeth told Kids.
“I had two miscarriages, including one set of twins.
“Getting so close to a second child pushed me into the arms of a fertility clinic.
“After a few goes of assisted ovulation then one crack at IUI and no luck, the very effective sales team at this fertility clinic convinced us that IVF was the answer for a woman of 41, as I was then.
“From then, we were on a roller coaster that was very hard to get off.
“Sharing some of this still makes me feel self-conscious, and I am also aware I’m not just sharing my own story, which is why the more drafts I wrote, the more fictionalised aspects became, and a lot of the really visceral stuff ended up on the cutting room floor.”
The public was first introduced to Seed in the form of a play.
“I actually started the story as a novel,” Elisabeth explained.
“My son was about six, and he was with his dad for a whole week, which felt like a lifetime.
“I was single again, which was for the best, but I did feel very alone, so I wrote.
“Then I turned that early rough novel into a play because, as an actor, it felt easier to put on a play than get a novel published.
“The script quickly won the Adam Award for Best New Zealand Play, which also gave the script a good boost.
“Over various productions and tours, it did rather well and went on to have a life of its own.”
Elisabeth acknowledged that some readers would find Seed painful.
“When the play was doing the rounds, I had a few people tell me they couldn’t go as it cut too close to the bone for them at that time,” she said.
“I also had lots of people say it was good to see those lives being lived on stage, so I hope it won’t make readers’ nerves too raw.
“I also like to think it is as funny as it is moving, and it might just help to make some readers feel less alone if they are having trouble conceiving.
“But at the end of it all, it’s much more than just a story about baby making.
“I just hope readers enjoy meeting Hillary, Maggie, Shelley and Virginia and spending time in their worlds.
“There’s probably a little bit of me in each of them, and they all also do things I would never do.
“But experience-wise, Hillary’s medical adventures are most like mine.”
So which character would she choose to be friends with?
“Probably Virginia, as she’s fun and open and honest and vulnerable, although I’d totally suggest she slow down on the drinking and the vaping,” Elisabeth said.
“But she is 37 and a half in the story and I’m 55 now, so we’re at totally different stages.
“Maggie and Hillary also, I’d like to be part of their rubbish empire.
“Shelley is perfectly lovely, but I’m not sure we’d have that much in common. Sorry, Shelley!”
