The small fact that Jane Steen is named after Jane Eyre - may explain her lifelong fascination with historical fiction.

But despite this, Jane says, for many years she couldn’t find her own path.

She lived in different countries like Belgium and Chicago, she studied law and she worked in real estate in America too. Then, in her fifties she became a black belt in karate. Jane loves a challenge and nothing stopped her fighting back. (I’ll let her tell you the story.)

But then one day after she was forced to leave a job, she started to write historical novels. However, it was only when she started publishing these books herself and learning the business sides of the industry, she knew she’d found her own path.

In the discussion we discuss:

• What it’s really like to live in Chicago

• Why she decided to go for a black belt in karate (and does she ever use it when she gets cross?)

• How Jane believes we all have our own path and it’s never too late to find it

• Why studying endless courses can distract us from where we are meant to be

• How a magical wave can sweep us to somewhere we’ve never dreamt of, but we have to be brave enough to take the plunge in the first place.

  To learn more about Jane and her Victorian novels 'you can't put down' https://www.janesteen.com/

  And to learn more about me and my books and to keep in touch (and I'd love it if you did) you can find me here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/