Our TIME is NOW!

It takes a brave woman to realise that she’s following the wrong path in life, and an even braver one to do something about it. Four readers share their stories of changing course, and what happened next...

‘I gave myself permission to follow my dreams’ Life changed for Helen Fields, 48, when she decided to leave her career in law, start again and write novels – now she’s on her fifth book.

Growing up, I was bursting with creative energy. I adored acting and public speaking, and was constantly filling notebooks with stories, songs and poems. After studying law, I became a family and criminal barrister and lost sight of those things I loved. I would be up all night getting ready for court the next day. Although I enjoyed my job, the 60-hour weeks were exhausting and left little time for much else. When I had my first child, Gabriel, in 2004, I was back at work six weeks later. It was heart-breaking.

But the real change came two years later when I was pregnant again. I was working on a sex offence case and found the evidence so upsetting – I was often in tears. My work had become physically and emotionally draining and I felt I had nothing left to give. When Solomon was born, I knew I wanted to be there for him and his older brother, so I decided not to return to law.

My husband, David, was running a film production company, and I started working for him instead. It wasn’t something I thought I wanted to do, but it allowed me to step back into the creative world. I helped pen scripts for adverts and my love of writing returned at full force. Then, one night, when our third child Eva was very young, David asked me, ‘If you could start again and do anything, what would you do?’ I surprised myself with my response. ‘I want

to write a book.’ He was so encouraging. I’d never had a proper maternity leave so he suggested I take six months off so I could really give writing a go.

During that time, I wrote two novels. I didn’t think they were good enough to be published, but they proved that I could finish a story. I found an agent and started developing some crime and thriller ideas. The time I had spent in prisons and with psychiatrists and police officers had given me a unique perspective of the darker sides of life. I came up with the idea for a crime thriller set in Scotland, and secured a three-book deal. I panicked at first, wondering if I could do it, but my family and publishers had so much faith in me.

Seeing my first book, Perfect Remains, published in January 2017, was overwhelming. I didn’t quite believe it was real until I held it in my hands. It was wonderful receiving praise, but I’ve also learned not everyone will like everything you write – and that’s okay. When the follow up, Perfect Prey, was released six months later, my publishers said they wanted another three. Now I’m on my fifth book. Today, life is a far cry from the courtroom and I can spend a lot more time with my children. I’m so glad I didn’t settle for a career that didn’t make me happy, and instead allowed myself to follow my dreams. Life is too short not to try. ◆ Helen’s new book, Perfect Crime (Avon, Harpercollins), is out in April