A debut novel from 61-year-old Julie Owen-Moylan

Creator Julie Owen-Moylan has just printed her 1st reserve, That Environmentally friendly-Eyed Female, at 61. She’s been crafting all her lifetime but only in her 50s did she look at it might come to be a occupation last but not least securing a reserve deal with Penguin Michael Joseph in 2020. ‘Most of it happened all through lockdown. I didn’t meet up with the publishing workforce until recently,’ she tells me above the cell phone, ‘It has not rather sunk in nonetheless, but I’m formally an writer!’ When we discuss, Julie is travelling again to her house in Cardiff soon after the London e-book start, final week, ‘We had a fantastic party with beautiful company and type phrases. I cried at the speeches  – and cherished every single moment.’

On leaving school, Julie labored in a chip store and then skilled as a hairdresser, ‘ I went to a horrible college and it was the nearest I was heading to get to a occupation in the resourceful arts!’ she jokes. ‘Coming from a performing class background you know your location, you receive a message about what you should really be accomplishing as a younger woman. “This is not for the likes of you. Operate is to be endured, money is hard won.”

Conquering ingrained attitudes is not effortless. And this is a little something I can absolutely empathise with, obtaining had a equivalent training and upbringing. But, perseverance, expertise and resilience do fork out off. Numerous several years down the line, after travelling abroad and getting on many bar work opportunities, Julie went to faculty and then on to college. ‘ I always cherished guides and could write – I had potential but there was no way of articulating or knowledge it. There is a paucity of ambition. Bolstered by the messages. It’s been a very long outdated journey – but I got there in the end.’

Following functioning in further more schooling (lecturing in organization management) and managing her possess coaching business, on her 50th birthday, Julie gave herself the gift of a part time Master’s Diploma in Resourceful Writing. ‘When my tutor marked my dissertation, he declared the portion of a novel I’d submitted as publishable top quality and I was ecstatic believing it was just a matter of time before the literary globe fell at my ft. Then I failed…again…and again.’

Getting her manuscript turned down by 70 publishers, Julie commenced to doubt herself, ‘ I’d carried all-around a committee of people today in my head telling me “this is not for the likes of you”. They popped up again. I was much too old, not very good enough… But then I realised that the only thing keeping me back again was me. It took me a whilst to change the committee with a improved information. There is no rationale why age or qualifications should really get in the way.’

To raise her chances of currently being revealed, fulfill other authors and literary agents, she signed up for an on line class at the Faber Academy. Then finally, just after completing the system, Julie Owen-Moylan’s e book deal arrived about. That Inexperienced-Eyed Girl is historic fiction. The tale spans the 1950s to 1970s, and characteristics two teachers, a lesbian couple residing collectively in New York, ‘ At a time when it was illegal, they could’ve been locked up, provided electrical shock procedure,’ proceeds Julie, ‘I like to glow a spotlight on these items, to create from a feminist angle. To get people today to assume “what would I do?”‘

With her 2nd novel in the editing levels, Julie is presently researching reserve range a few. ‘I like producing tales, creating figures, challenging women. I like to level out all the limitations girls faced – points have adjusted so a great deal in my life span: it was unlawful to go into a bar on my own right until I was 22, you could not get contraception or a credit rating card, it was lawful to get raped within your marriage. When I glimpse back again, I consider “Fucking hell, how ridiculous.” I like exhibiting people today what it was like – it took a extensive time to alter these attitudes, there is a great deal we consider for granted now.’

Accomplishment may possibly not have come simple but now Julie Owen-Moylan has been recognised and revealed, this is the start off of a self-assured new chapter. She’s about to embark on a limited ebook tour and various publicity situations, like Hay Festival. ‘This is the starting of my career as an author. I want to be as excellent as I can be, to create a body of get the job done I’m proud of. And I know there is likely to be a excellent observe-up for the reason that I have created it.’

Qualified guidance to future authors from Julie Owen-Moylan:

If you genuinely want to do it, compose anything for you. A thing that helps make you pleased. Some thing you want to go through.

Make your personal fashion, do not test to stick to developments. Make your have path.

Never post far too early. Stick it in a drawer for a thirty day period and arrive back to it. Enhance your function relatively than sending in an early draft.

You will most likely get rejected. I did. But when you get knocked back again, decide yourself up all over again and keep likely. Once you start out, you have to retain heading – specially if you did not get a deal until you ended up 60!

Julie Owen-Moylan will be signing guides in Cambridge and Swansea, as effectively as showing up at the Hay Festival and other situations. Additional information Below.