MIDLIFE MAGIC

Two women share their inspiring stories of how life changed for the better after a midlife blip

- MISHAAL KHAN

'My books flew off the shelves'

Fiona Leitch, 55, lives in Great Yarmouth with her husband Dominic, 54.

Sitting at my desk, I tapped away on my laptop, allowing the words to flow. As I imagined characters, plot lines and settings, I let my creativity go wild. As the chapters of my latest novel came together, I felt a huge sense of pride. Because, finally, in my 50s, I'm living the dream I had for years - and one I never thought would come true.

As a child, I'd adored books, staying up late to finish one more chapter and as I got older, I enjoyed writing short stories too. I dreamed of writing a script for a TV show one day. During my 20s and 30s, I went from one job to another, working as a payroll officer and in administration. I never really had much direction, and after marrying my husband and having our son, I became a stay-at-home mum.

Thanks to Dominic’s job in finance, we lived comfortably.

Still, when my son started school, I wanted to do something for myself. So I got a few jobs, working as a receptionist and took on cleaning jobs. In my spare time, I immersed myself in creative writing, working on film scripts and comedy sketches. Then when a friend suggested I turn one of my scripts into a novel, it got me thinking. Could I really be an author? It seemed like a pipe dream, and I didn't have a clue where to start. Still, I gave it a go, and sent my draft off to publishing agents. Nothing really came of it though and I thought about giving up.

Then in December 2017, our lives suddenly changed when Dominic was made redundant. At 48, I found myself as the sole breadwinner. Money was very tight, and while Dominic struggled to find another post, I took on more cleaning work, plus factory jobs, doing three minimum-wage jobs.