A debut novel from 61-year-old Julie Owen-Moylan – and expert advice on getting published
Author Julie Owen-Moylan has just published her first book, That Green-Eyed Girl, at 61. She’s been writing all her life but only in her 50s did she consider it might become a career; finally securing a book deal with Penguin Michael Joseph in 2020. ‘Most of it happened during lockdown. I didn’t meet the publishing team until recently,’ she tells me over the phone, ‘It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I’m officially an author!’ When we speak, Julie is travelling back to her home in Cardiff after the London book launch, last week, ‘We had a wonderful party with lovely guests and kind words. I cried at the speeches – and loved every minute.’
On leaving school, Julie worked in a chip shop and then trained as a hairdresser, ‘ I went to a terrible school and it was the nearest I was going to get to a career in the creative arts!’ she jokes. ‘Coming from a working class background you know your place, you receive a message about what you should be doing as a young woman. “This isn’t for the likes of you. Work is to be endured, money is hard won.”
Overcoming ingrained attitudes is not easy. And this is something I can totally empathise with, having had a similar education and upbringing. But, perseverance, talent and resilience do pay off. Several years down the line, after travelling abroad and taking on numerous bar jobs, Julie went to college and then onto university. ‘ I always loved books and could write – I had potential but there was no way of articulating or understanding it. There’s a paucity of ambition. Reinforced by the messages. It’s been a long old journey – but I got there in the end.’
After working in further education (lecturing in business management) and running her own training company, on her 50th birthday, Julie gave herself the gift of a part time Master’s Degree in Creative Writing. ‘When my tutor marked my dissertation, he declared the section of a novel I’d submitted as publishable quality and I was ecstatic believing it was just a matter of time before the literary world fell at my feet. Then I failed…again…and again.’
Having her manuscript rejected by 70 publishers, Julie began to doubt herself, ‘ I’d carried around a committee of people in my head telling me “this isn’t for the likes of you”. They popped up again. I was too old, not good enough… But then I realised that the only thing holding me back was me. It took me a while to replace the committee with a better message. There is no reason why age or background should get in the way.’
To increase her chances of being published, meet other authors and literary agents, she signed up for an online course at the Faber Academy. Then finally, after completing the course, Julie Owen-Moylan’s book deal came about. That Green-Eyed Girl is historical fiction. The story spans the 1950s to 1970s, and features two teachers, a lesbian couple living together in New York, ‘ At a time when it was illegal, they could’ve been locked up, given electric shock treatment,’ continues Julie, ‘I like to shine a spotlight on these things, to write from a feminist angle. To get people to think “what would I do?”‘
With her second novel in the editing stages, Julie is currently researching book number three. ‘I like writing stories, creating characters, complicated women. I like to point out all the restrictions women faced – things have changed so much in my lifetime: it was illegal to go into a bar on my own until I was 22, you couldn’t get contraception or a credit card, it was legal to get raped within your marriage. When I look back, I think “Fucking hell, how ridiculous.” I like showing people what it was like – it took a long time to change those attitudes, there’s a lot we take for granted now.’
Success may not have come easy but now Julie Owen-Moylan has been recognised and published, this is the start of a confident new chapter. She’s about to embark on a short book tour and numerous publicity events, including Hay Festival. ‘This is the beginning of my career as an author. I want to be as good as I can be, to create a body of work I’m proud of. And I know there’s going to be a good follow-up because I’ve written it.’
Expert advice to prospective authors from Julie Owen-Moylan:
If you really want to do it, write something for you. Something that makes you happy. Something you want to read.
Make your own fashion, don’t try to follow trends. Make your own path.
Don’t submit too early. Stick it in a drawer for a month and come back to it. Improve your work rather than sending in an early draft.
You will probably get rejected. I did. But when you get knocked back, pick yourself up again and keep going. Once you start, you have to keep going – particularly if you didn’t get a deal till you were 60!
Julie Owen-Moylan will be signing books in Cambridge and Swansea, as well as appearing at the Hay Festival and other events. More details HERE.
Discussion (16 Comments)
Sara says:
…Talk about “stick-at-it-ness” !!
Such rich advice in so short a piece. Practical and inspiring.
Very best of luck in your writing endeavors. Look forward to reading your bookChristian P.. says:
This piece is absolutely my favorite thing you’ve ever posted. Julie Owen-Moylan personifies everything you’ve shared on That’s Not My Age about being the best version of yourself at any age. What an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing her story. I can’t wait to read her novels.
Eileen O'Hara says:
Terrific for Julie.! Thanks, Alyson, for featuring her debut. Love the tips – which can be adapted to any sort of creative work. Just ordered the novel in the U.S.
Glyn says:
Growing up in the North of England in the 50’s , I recognise all the prevailing attitudes towards girls that Julie describes. A rubbish education and a culture of limiting career ambitions is hardly a good start. Well done Julie in circumnavigating the negative mores of the time. I have just ordered your book. Good luck.
Anna says:
That’s so great! Can’t wait to read it. And congrats on your talent and perseverance, Julie. I too started to write fiction, two years ago, and now, at 69 (70 this year, yikes!) I’ve completed one manuscript and am well into my second. Now to find a publisher! The field is so competitive…who knew?
Loved this post so much, Alyson. Julie Owen-Moylan is an inspiration to all of us to not give up on our dreams. I recently connected with a former student whose final assignment for a high school course I was teaching in the nineties has just been published. She has been a journalist all her career but still longed to write fiction. I commented to her a few months ago that her story for my class was one I had never forgotten, so it must be good if I remembered it for twenty-five years. She rummaged around in her stash of memorabilia, found the story, edited it a bit and it’s just been published in an anthology of stories. I was thrilled for her. That is really following Julie’s advice to stick a work in a drawer and come back to it later! Ha.
That’s another brilliant story! I think writing is always better if you give it a bit of space, rather than rushing to publish (the scourge of insatiable social media!)
SuD says:
Love this! I can empathize as I am somewhat a late bloomer to indulging my creative aspirations. They were locked away for many years until my 50s when I realized that not following my creative path was a key to my unhappiness. Julie is inspiring.
Monique Johnson says:
What an interesting life she has lead. Congratulations Julie Owen-Moylan on the book! I’ll put it on my summer reading list.
For me, age 60 started a new life. I had been a copywriter for many years but a brain surgery made that impossible. I got back to the thing I loved doing as a very young girl….. creating art. I am happier now than I have ever been because I’m doing what I truly love.
We must all find what we love to do and DO IT.
As someone who has self-published her first book at age 75, I say RIght On! I’m impressed by Julie’s perseverance – all those rejections. I’ve gone through it, too, though not so severely – but rejection is very hard to take and God bless you, Julie, for not giving up! You have to keep going — so true, and I’m so glad you did. I’ll look for your book, too.
Kerin says:
This is sch an inspiring post, thank you Alison! Reading this, and having just watched the Julia Child series on HBO recently, the message is clear that age can be an obstacle, but not a barrier, to trying something new later in life.
Caroline says:
Great story. I read this just at the right time. I needed the boost to re-start my own career involving writing, and as a woman of 52 I need to do as Julie says and get out of my own way.
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Thanks for this encouraging post.