Debuting at forty one: the perfect age to publish?

I had never considered writing a novel until the age of thirty-four, when an idea landed in my head one day. My jobs in campaigns and advocacy had required lots of writing - from petition emails to position papers - and in the 2010s, I had a very twee blog (full of craft projects and ukuleles). I'd even dabbled in poetry. But a novel? That felt delusional. If I wanted to write fiction, surely I should have mastered that skill long ago, along with learning to swim or ride a bike.

The idea wouldn't leave me alone though. I wrote a short story version of it, then ummed and ahhed over whether to take myself seriously and give the story a shot at being what it wanted to be - a novel. An encouraging push from Kerry Ryan at Write Like a Grrrl got me going. Soon, I had mapped out the chapters with post-its on my living room door and there was no stopping me.