Writing is easy for author Joan

Joan Shirley-Davies from Ellesmere was born in Shrewsbury and has always been determined to be a published author.

And after many false starts, she has achieved her dream. At the age of 74, her first book Money is Easy, has been published by Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.

Joan uses her surroundings as inspiration for her work. The mere near her home inspired her to write Money is easy, which is a love story with a twist and a strong, female protagonist.

"It is never too late to strive for your dream," said Joan. "When I reached retirement age, I had used up so many years snatching at windows of free time, working hard on fruitless attempts. I had to find out why I was failing, otherwise I was never going to make it. So five years ago, I went back to school to find out what I was doing wrong, sort out my bad habits and to learn my craft properly."

So, instead of following her husband's advice to write crime fiction or sci-fi as she had already written a number of short stories in that genre she decided to write about what she knew - people and places, stories of characters, relationships, love and the way life can sometimes turn in to a battle and throw up challenges. After two years of distance learning, she wrote Money is Easy.

"It is amazing how much you can achieve in your later years," added Joan. "Being older means I have more time to start a new career. It's never too late. I'm still fit, well and ambitious and write every day for about five hours. The sequel to Money is Easy has now been completed and I am working on the research for the third in the trilogy."

Joan's book has received five star reviews on Amazon. The book is available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle format.