Hazel McHaffie – Becoming a Novelist

“What a treat! My own personal tutor – an established author herself – analysing every assignment, critiquing style as well as content, and helping me to hone my skills. The difference was tangible.”

Hazel McHaffie

http://www.hazelmchaffie.com/books.html

From Academic to Novelist

Hazel had been a medical author, researcher and lecturer for over 20 years before deciding she wanted to be a writer. In fact, she waited until her 50th birthday before deciding to re-invent herself as a novelist. For Hazel, writing academic papers and books about ethical issues was not enough. She wanted to reach a wider audience with issues she felt touched everyone at one time or another in their lives. So, she set off on a journey to write about the ethics surrounding topics such as organ transplantation, stem cells, infertility, euthanasia and mental incapacity, in a way that could be accessed by more readers.

First Novel

Hazel was not afraid to dive in at the deep end and soon had a novel published. However, despite the novel becoming a standard text on professional and degree courses, Hazel was not happy with the quality of it. At this point she decided she needed some professional help and enrolled with The Writers Bureau.

Hazel’s Publishing Success

Since completing the course Hazel has gone on to write seven novels and has made an appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Her seventh novel is due for release in January 2012 and she’s currently working on the eighth, she’s also converting her backlist into ebooks and writing a weekly blog.

Hazel’s story shows how previous work experience can be used to make captivating writing and a full-time career as a writer.