Jessica's story

From full-time carer to published author: read how Jessica became a successful writer with a two-book deal with Harper Collins with the help of CCCU.

When Jessica's husband became ill, her whole life changed. Having to leave her job as a midwife, she became a full-time carer whilst bringing up her two children.

But this didn't stop her from pursuing her love of writing, and she joined CCCU to complete a Creative Writing degree. She's now a published author with a two-book deal with Harper Collins HQ Stories and is working on book number three.

Read how Jessica became a published author whilst caring for her husband and juggling motherhood.

Pursuing a passion for writing

"The first time I studied here I was training to be a midwife. I’d worked in a range of different roles before this but deep down I had always wanted to go to university, and I decided to begin a career in healthcare.

"It was while I was working as a qualified midwife that my husband became ill, and I had to leave my new career to care for him as well as our two young children.

"During this time, writing was therapy for me. I had written as a teenager too, and started to realise that this was something I wanted to focus more energy on."

This University immediately stood out to me as the best place for me to pursue my writing – I’d loved studying here as an undergraduate, and the distance-learning element of the MA meant I could fit the course around my caring responsibilities.

"The best thing about studying here was the practical advice I received – the academics are professionals in their field, and I would never have known how to approach an agent or find a publisher without their industry knowledge. My first novel, The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside, is due to published this summer."

Making connections at CCCU

"I actually met my agent through university too – she had made a video giving advice to people trying to get published and it was suggested as a resource in one of my modules.

"She seemed approachable so I thought I would pitch to her and it ended up being her that signed me – without CCCU this literally wouldn’t have happened!

"I love both reading and writing about positive topics; I’ve spent a lot of my career working with people in difficult circumstances, as a support worker for people with disabilities, in homeless shelters, in mental health services, and all those experiences have informed my writing - it can be a depressing world and we could all do with being uplifted.

"If you’re considering higher education just go for it – it’s easy to find reasons why you think things won’t work out but there’s always a way around any barrier. You’ll be surprised at how things fall into place. Also, it goes really quickly, so make the most of your time!

"Thanks to CCCU, I became a published writer whilst caring for my husband and juggling motherhood. It doesn't matter your circumstances - at CCCU, there's an opportunity to thrive."