Why it’s never too late to start writing: Rebecca Hardy’s path to publication

On 2 July this year, my debut novel The Summer We Lied will be released into the world. Less than a month before that, I turned fifty. Fifty!? What on earth have I been doing with my time, you may well ask.  

I often wonder that myself when I see all the wonderful young writers out there, working full time and wrestling small children to and from school or nursery, yet still somehow managing to polish a manuscript worthy enough of publication.  

But what I’ve realised, over the last five years, is that we all come to writing on our own terms. For some of us that may be straight out of school or university. For others – like me – it might just take that little bit longer, and require a little more help.  

In 2021, after moving house and postcode, I took a break from teaching to try and finally do what I’d always said I wanted to do: write a book. By that stage, I had several notebooks full of ideas, a drawer full of half-finished manuscripts, but nothing I’d ever seen through to completion. Work got in the way, or having a child got in the way, or divorce got in the way. Life, in general, provided a plethora of excuses and reasons as to why I couldn’t just sit down and write a book. In reality, the only thing holding me back was myself.  

With no more excuses to be found, I sat down, got to work, and within a year had finished a manuscript that was perhaps less a novel than it was a jumble of ideas and genres. I’d proved to myself I could write 100,000 words, but I definitely needed help to take it to the next stage.  

Then, at the end of 2022, I had an idea for a new novel that really excited me. It fit the kind of genre of books I liked to read (crime thriller) and also felt cinematic in its sprawl. I had the characters, the stepping stones of a plot, but still no real clue how to hang it all together.  

After searching online for some available courses, I found the Jericho Writers website and applied for a place on their Ultimate Novel Writing Programme. I was thrilled to be accepted onto the 2023 Spring/Summer course and put everything I could into getting the most out of the amazing resources available. Over the months that followed – with feedback from my brilliant tutor, Holly Seddon, along with an equally fabulous peer group of fellow writers – I finished a manuscript that I felt confident enough to send out on submission. 

Back at the start of my writing journey, I’d attended an online event led by Juliet Mushens at Mushens Entertainment, which was hugely insightful. Juliet seemed genuinely passionate about her role as an agent, and I decided to send the opening of my completed novel to her first, just to test the water.   

Remarkably, Juliet requested my full manuscript and, after a couple of weeks of discussions about how better to structure the novel, signed me as a client. I couldn’t have been more thrilled, but the work only increased from there. It took three or four more iterations to get the story right; restructuring and reshaping, rewriting and editing. All the way through this period, I had Holly at the end of an email offering advice and cheering me on, and I had my UNWP fellow writers on WhatsApp and Zooms keeping me sane.

It took months, but by the June of 2025 it was ready to be sent out to Juliet’s list of editors. ‘Gird your loins,’ she told me. ‘This bit can be painful.’ I duly girded . . . then came the email: Alison Hennessey, at Bloomsbury’s Raven Books was taking it to acquisitions! 

The first person I texted was Holly – I knew she’d be just as thrilled as I was, and would also be there to offer me a steadying word if needed – then I texted my UNWP WhatsApp group to share the news: Shhh, don’t tell anyone – a two-book deal! An absolute dream, and I signed without any hesitation. 

Just as before, the work didn’t stop there. More edits, and a full year later, the finished, physical book is now in my hands at last.  

It feels both incredible and terrifying, when finally it happens. But I like to hope that – even at fifty – I’m just getting started. 

My top tips for aspiring authors

1. Embrace feedback

Get as much feedback on your ideas and writing as possible, whether online or in person. I’ve found everyone at Jericho Writers to be incredibly generous with their time and thoughtful in their responses. We are all learners in the beginning and finding a group to inspire and cheer you on can make all the difference. I couldn’t be without my UNWP alumni group and we still Zoom almost every month. 

2. Brace yourself for rejection – but see it as useful, too

Be prepared for rejection but also be ready to learn from it. If you get constructive feedback from agents who seem to be picking up the same issues or suggesting similar solutions, be open to their suggestions. Rewriting and revising your manuscript is all part of the process and if you’re rigid in your thinking, you maybe limiting your story’s potential without realising.  

3. Keep on keeping on

Don’t stop at the first hurdle. I know everyone says that feedback is subjective but it’s true! You only need one yes for the project to begin its journey. 

4. There’s no such thing as ‘too late’

Finally, remember there is no age limit on creativity. However old you are when you come to writing, or whatever your situation, all you can do is try. Even the humblest, messiest first draft has potential if you are willing to keep working at it.  

A law graduate and English teacher for almost twenty years, Rebecca Hardy is is currently taking a career break to pursue her love of writing. She lives in East Sussex, with her wife and teenage son, in amongst the fields and hills where her novel begins. A place which is, thankfully, far more tranquil in real life than on the page. Rebecca is a graduate of the Jericho Writers Ultimate Novel Writing Programme, and her novel The Summer We Lied releases on 2 July.

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