It wasn’t supposed to be a trilogy.
Scarlet makes a bold move across the country to Sullivan’s Island after her thirty-year marriage ends in Finding Scarlet. Open to new beginnings, she discovers love and friendship. While sharing her divorce experiences, Scarlet realizes that the women around her each have their own perspectives.
After completing Finding Scarlet, I realized there were more stories waiting to be told within its pages.
A reader’s review became the spark: “I want to know Missy’s story.”
And a second novel was born. Not just any novel, though. One that would tell the story of a strong woman who had to rise and fall, overcome, and persevere in her story’s telling. She was unapologetic, seemingly unflappable. And utterly imperfect. Her cousin, Margo, was always there - more menace as they aged, but family.
Witty, raw, and emotionally layered, THE UNABRIDGED LIFE OF MISSY KINKAID explores the complicated life of a strong, unfiltered woman navigating life in her fifties, unwilling to conform to societal expectations. Scarlet and Missy find themselves kindred spirits, sharing stories that set them apart from the other women of the Divorced Women’s Book Club. Missy’s cousin, Margo, has a complicated story that deeply intertwines with Missy’s own. And the four women who make up Scarlet’s Harlots are central to the novel: Scarlet. Missy. Margo. And Amber.
The Scarlet’s Harlots Trilogy finishes with Amber’s story, AMBER UNSCRIPTED. Amber returns to her childhood home on Sullivan’s Island after her marriage ends. Amber’s path to living a life removed from one that had been carefully scripted and played out, unfolds as she discovers family secrets and reminders of past loves - and one story unfinished.
With a steadfast determination to be more than the woman who did not get the final rose, yet lived a seemingly fairytale life, Amber pieces together her life, forging a forward direction that doesn’t follow a script.
At its core, this is a story about friendship - a woman who chooses herself, embraces risks, welcomes opportunity, and learns to move forward, untethered from her past.
AMBER UNSCRIPTED completes the Scarlet’s Harlots Trilogy, bringing the journeys of four courageous women full circle. Each chooses to live on her own terms - even when life gets messy.
What began as one story grew into a trilogy, chronicling four remarkable women bound by fate, each offering a uniquely empowering narrative of friendship, love, resilience, and the pursuit of authenticity.
Four women you will likely not soon forget. I will miss writing about them, and I invite you to join their journeys - discover these stories and see which of their lives resonates with you.
The Scarlet's Harlots Trilogy
The renegade women of Scarlet’s Harlots are back. And this time, Amber gets her story.
Back in the childhood bedroom she never thought she'd return to—complete with irremovable My Little Pony stickers—Amber begins the messy work of reinvention. With honesty and sass from her fellow Harlots, she finally faces the story she's long avoided, setting the stage for her next chapter.
A runner-up on The Bachelor. A seemingly glamorous life. A marriage that ended. Amber didn’t get the final rose, but she now has something better: a second chance on her own terms.
Growing up on Sullivan’s Island was never perfect. The house never quite felt like home. Sisters clashed. Parents who loved her yet hid secrets that shaped everything. The men she loved—some disappointed her, and one story remains unfinished.
When a trip to Greece offers a new start, Amber must choose: stay safely in the life she knows, or step into the unknown and write her own unscripted story.
Amber Unscripted is the final novel in The Scarlet’s Harlots Trilogy. The journey began with Finding Scarlet, continued with The Unabridged Life of Missy Kinkaid, and now comes full circle—celebrating friendship, courage, and the conviction to live life unapologetically. While each novel stands alone, the story is far more powerful when read in sequence.
Women's Fiction Friendship [ Author Self-Published, On Sale: June 2, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9798235038837 / eISBN: 9798998808043 ]
Kirsten Pursell is a best selling and award winning author known for her engaging narratives that often blend romance with deeper emotional themes. The Unabridged Life of Missy Kinkaid (release date: 10/14/2025) is her sixth novel. Finding Scarlet, her fifth novel (and was previously published as The Scarlet D), has won numerous literary awards. Her fourth book, Long Enough to Love You, earned numerous awards in women’s fiction, divorce fiction and romance and was an Amazon best seller. Previous works include her memoir, On Becoming Me: Memoir of an 80’s Teenager, and two additional novels: Harvard and Company Clown. Learn more on the website bearing her name.
Outside of writing, she is an avid swimmer who enjoys training and competing in open water and pool events near and far. She is fluent in German, loves to channel her inner mermaid through SCUBA adventures, and will travel just about anywhere given the opportunity. Time with her now adult children is her favorite (a nonfat latte a strong second). She lives in Southern California.
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