Authors [ R ]
A debut author at the age of 75!
Debut author Nancy Ross came to writing late in life. At seventy-five she signed a four book deal with Poolbeg and her novel Alice , for readers of any age simply looking for a good read, will be published in June 2006.
Interestingly Nancy is not the first author of such fiction who came to writing late in life. Writers of this genre have been dubbed as the most talented and natural storytellers. Readers tend to sympathise with the situations the heroines find themselves in. As Elizabeth Buchan ex-Chair of the Romantic Novelists ’ Association, former editor and current author says “ a lot of women readers in particular have rotten circumstances – money is tight, they ’ re struggling, perhaps they ’ re single mothers or dealing with elderly parents. To read about deprived circumstances in which the heroine very often starts out and somehow struggles through can only be a comfort. You can make sense of your life and feel something will come out of it. If it isn ’ t actually happening to you at the very least you can read about it ” .
Her creative talents may indeed be owed to her father B.C. Hilliam a renowned songwriter in England in the colourful 1920s. One of his compositions is still played as a march at the Trooping of the Colour and he ran his own series for the BBC, writing music, lyrics and topical songs. However her greatest inspiration was Eileen O'Casey, wife of playwright Sean O'Casey, who encouraged Nancy to write.
The young Nancy grew up on the edge of the New Forest where their rural calm was broken when their home became a billet for officers during the Second World War. During the Battle of Britain Nancy recalls as a young girl being brought up onto the roof to look at the night sky during one of the famous raids.
Nancy 's mother was also made of stern stuff helping one night to dig out some seventeen injured soldiers buried in a bombing raid. Every day Nancy and her friend set off on their bicycles to school in the next village dodging the swerving tanks as they travelled.
At 17 the young Nancy chose to join the WRNS where she was the second youngest in the whole service. She was posted to Henstridge where she worked in the control tower instructing aircraft when and where to take off and land, writing down their conversations while airborne, in code.
After the war Nancy moved to Ireland where she became a teacher before marrying a racehorse trainer and settling down in County Meath . The marriage did not last and Nancy returned to England where she married again and had three children.
Nancy found herself on her own once more however she soon struck up a friendship with Eileen O'Casey, wife of the playwright Sean O'Casey. Nancy 's mother had shared a stage with Eileen and they had become friends. Years later they found themselves living in the same building and Nancy became Eileen's secretary. Taking her young baby with her Nancy wrote as Eileen dictated her first book about her husband called, Sean.
More books followed and the pair shared a lifelong friendship working hard and sharing delicious meals at favourite restaurants. "Eileen loved to spend money. She was extravagant and had a tremendous sense of the ridiculous."
Eileen resisted old age and resented having to be looked after but she was always happy to see her loyal friend Nancy who held Power of Attorney overseeing royalties from Sean's plays and books. "I used to visit her and bring my youngest son along with me. Eileen was very fond of him and he could cheer her up. Eileen called me by my second name, Joan. She would often say to me, 'you could write a book, Joan'. Well, it has taken me a while. But now I have done it."
