# Hazel Gaynor

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{{Short description|English author}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Hazel Gaynor
| image = 
| caption = 
| pseudonym = 
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|5|16|df=y}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/fiction/9619-girl-who-came-home-gaynor?start=1|title=Girl Who Came Home (Gaynor): Author Bio|website=Lit Lovers|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref>
| birth_place = [Driffield](/source/Driffield), [East Riding of Yorkshire](/source/East_Riding_of_Yorkshire), England
| children = 2
| alma_mater = [Manchester Metropolitan University](/source/Manchester_Metropolitan_University)
| occupation = Writer
| period = 
| genre = Historical fiction, [fantasy](/source/historical_fantasy), [romance](/source/historical_romance)
| subject = <!-- designed for nonfiction -->
| movement = 
| awards = {{Plainlist|
* [Romantic Novelists' Association Award](/source/Romantic_Novelists'_Association_Award)
* STAR Award
}}
| signature = 
| website = {{URL|https://www.hazelgaynor.com/}}
| notableworks = 
}}

'''Hazel Gaynor''' (born 16 May 1971) is an English author of historical fiction and fantasy based in Ireland.

==Early and personal life==
Gaynor is from [Driffield](/source/Driffield), [East Riding of Yorkshire](/source/East_Riding_of_Yorkshire).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hazelgaynor.com/news/launches-readings-and-signings/|title=Launches, readings and signings|website=Hazel Gaynor|date=10 March 2021|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> She graduated in 1993 with a [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) in Business Studies from [Manchester Metropolitan University](/source/Manchester_Metropolitan_University). She and her sister lost their mother in 1995.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/the-girl-who-dared-author-hazel-gaynor-on-journey-from-rejection-to-bestseller-31168917.html|title=The girl who dared... author Hazel Gaynor on journey from rejection to bestseller|journal=Independent.ie|first=Emily|last=Hourican|date=24 April 2015|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> Gaynor lived in [Manchester](/source/Manchester), [Australia](/source/Australia), and [London](/source/London) in the 1990s. She moved to Ireland in 2001 after meeting her now husband through a mutual friend in [Dublin](/source/Dublin). They settled in [Kilcullen](/source/Kilcullen), [County Kildare](/source/County_Kildare) in 2004 where they have raised their two sons.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://thegloss.ie/writers-block-with-hazel-gaynor/|title=Writer's Block with Hazel Gaynor|journal=The Gloss|first=Sophie|last=Grenham|date=23 November 2018|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/home/279237/my-kildare-life-with-kilcullen-author-hazel-gaynor.html|title=My Kildare Life with Kilcullen Author Hazel Gaynor|journal=Leinster Leader|first=Sarah|last=Peppard|date=5 November 2017|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref>

==Career==
Gaynor began her career in professional services. After she was laid off from her job as a learning and development executive at the Irish law firm A&L Goodbody during the [Great Recession](/source/Great_Recession), she pursued her passion of writing. She ran a personal blog titled ''Hot Cross Mum'', which became an e-book in 2011. She contributed to and interviewed authors such as [Philippa Gregory](/source/Philippa_Gregory) for the likes of ''[Writing.ie](/source/Writing.ie)''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mummypages.ie/book-review-hot-cross-mum-bitesize-slices-of-motherhood|title=Book Review: Hot Cross Mum: bitesize slices of motherhood|website=Mummy Pages|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref>

Gaynor self-published her debut fiction novel ''The Girl Who Came Home'', based on the true story of 14 Irish emigrants on the [Titanic](/source/Titanic), on [Kindle](/source/Amazon_Kindle) in 2012. She received the Cecil Day Lewis Literary Bursary Award at Kildare Readers' Festival that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.writing.ie/guest-blogs/cecil-day-lewis-literary-bursary-award/|title=Cecil Day Lewis Literary Bursary Award|website=Writing.ie|date=15 October 2012|first=Hazel|last=Gaynor|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> In 2013, she landed her first publishing deal with [HarperCollins](/source/HarperCollins) under the [William Morrow imprint](/source/William_Morrow_and_Company), who re-published the novel in print in 2014. It became a [''New York Times''](/source/New_York_Times_Best_Seller) and [''USA Today'' bestseller](/source/USA_Today_bestseller) and was named the [Romantic Novelists' Association Historical Novel of the Year](/source/Romantic_Novelists'_Association_Awards).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-girl-who-came-home-hazel-gaynor?variant=32207233220642|title=The Girl Who Came Home|website=HarperCollins|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> She signed with a New York agent.

Her second novel ''A Memory of Violets'', originally titled ''Daughters of the Flowers'', was published in February 2015. The character of Albert Shaw is based on [John Groom](/source/Livability_(charity)).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://historicalnovelsociety.org/a-memory-of-violets-by-hazel-gaynor-brings-victorian-philanthropy-to-life/|title=A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor Brings Victorian Philanthropy to Life|website=Historical Novel Society|first=Jane|last=Steen|date=19 November 2014 |accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> It appeared in [WHSmith](/source/WHSmith)'s spring selection.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://booksparks.com/portfolio/hazel-gaynor/|title=Hazel Gaynor|website=Booksparks|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref>

This was followed by ''The Girl from the Savoy'' on London's [interwar period](/source/interwar_period) in June 2016, a ''[Globe and Mail](/source/Globe_and_Mail)'' and ''[Irish Times](/source/Irish_Times)'' best seller shortlisted for the [Irish Book Awards](/source/Irish_Book_Awards).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishbookawards.irish/nominee/the-girl-from-the-savoy/|title=The Girl from the Savoy|website=Irish Book Awards|accessdate=2 October 2021|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510070525/https://www.irishbookawards.irish/nominee/the-girl-from-the-savoy/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In August 2017, Gaynor published her first fantasy novel ''[The Cottingley Secret](/source/The_Cottingley_Secret)'', a fictionalisation of the [Cottingley fairies](/source/Cottingley_fairies) story from 1917 Yorkshire.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4876824/cottingley-fairies-book/|title=Inside the Elaborate Hoax That Made British Society Believe in Fairies|magazine=TIME|first=Hazel|last=Gaynor|date=1 August 2017|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> Gaynor's October 2018 novel ''The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter'' was a ''USA Today'' and ''Irish Times'' bestseller. Shortlisted for a Historical Writers' Association Gold Crown Award,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.writing.ie/news/hazel-gaynors-the-lighthouse-keepers-daughter-longlisted-for-2019-hwa-gold-crown/|title=Hazel Gaynor's The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter longlisted for 2019 HWA Gold Crown|website=Writing.ie|date=8 August 2019|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062403476|title=The Girl from the Savoy: A Novel|website=IndieBound.org|date=7 June 2016 |isbn=978-0-06-240347-6 |accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> the story of [Grace Darling](/source/Grace_Darling) had fascinated Gaynor from a young age.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.suejleonard.com/articles/hazel-gaynor/|title=Hazel Gaynor|website=Sue Leonard|date=25 February 2019 |accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref>

Her 2020 book, set at a boarding school in 1941 China, was published under the name ''The Bird in the Bamboo Cave'' in August in some countries and ''When We Were Young & Brave'' elsewhere in October.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-bird-in-the-bamboo-cage-by-hazel-gaynor-review-c0rtwlr5z|title=The Bird in the Bamboo Cage by Hazel Gaynor, review|journal=The Sunday Times|first=Joanne|last=O'Sullivan|date=20 September 2020|access-date=2 October 2021}}</ref>

===Collaborations===
In 2016, Gaynor wrote a short story for the collection ''Fall of Poppies''.

Gaynor has collaborated with American author Heather Webb on ''Last Christmas in Paris'' (2017), ''Meet Me in Monaco'' (2019) featuring [Grace Kelly](/source/Grace_Kelly), and ''Three Words for Goodbye'' (2021) (co-written over the [COVID-19](/source/COVID-19) lockdown).<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.nprillinois.org/podcast/front-row-network/2021-07-20/gaynor-and-webb-novel-three-words-for-goodbye-takes-readers-on-a-journey|title=Gaynor and Webb Novel, 'Three Words for Goodbye,' Takes Readers on a Journey|journal=NPR Illinois|first=Anna|last=McFarland|date=20 July 2021|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> The first won the 2018 Women's Fiction Writers Association STAR Award in the General Category.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.womensfictionwriters.org/2018-star-award-winners|title=2018 STAR Award Winners|website=Women's Fiction Writers Association STAR Award|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> The latter was one of [BuzzFeed](/source/BuzzFeed)'s July picks.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/buzzfeed-best-books-of-july-2021|title=Here Are BuzzFeed's Picks For The Best Books Of July 2021|journal=BuzzFeed|author=Multiple|date=13 July 2021|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref> They also co-wrote ''Christmas with the Queen'', published in 2024.

Gaynor runs the Inspiration Project, which conducts workshops for aspiring writers, with Catherine Ryan Howard and Carmel Harrington.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/writeside-hazel-gaynor-39448092.html|title=WriteSide: Hazel Gaynor|journal=Independent.ie|first=Kim|last=Bielenberg|date=15 August 2021|accessdate=2 October 2021}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
===Fiction===
*''The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic'' (2012)
*''A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London's Flower Sellers'' (2015)
*''The Girl from the Savoy'' (2016)
*''[The Cottingley Secret](/source/The_Cottingley_Secret)'' (2017)
*''Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I'' (2017), co-written with [Heather Webb](/source/Heather_Webb)
*''The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter'' (2018)
*''Meet Me in Monaco'' (2019), co-written with Heather Webb
*''The Bird in the Bamboo Cave'' / ''When We Were Young & Brave'' (2020)
*''Three Words for Goodbye'' (2021), co-written with Heather Webb
* ''The Last Lifeboat'' (2023)

===Short stories===
*"Hush" in ''Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War'' (2016)

===Nonfiction===
*''Hot Cross Mum: Bitesize Slices of Motherhood'' (2011)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaynor, Hazel}}
Category:Living people
Category:1971 births
Category:Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University
Category:English bloggers
Category:English emigrants to Ireland
Category:English fantasy writers
Category:English historical novelists
Category:English women historical novelists
Category:People from Driffield
Category:People from Kilcullen
Category:Writers from the East Riding of Yorkshire
Category:21st-century English women novelists
Category:21st-century English novelists

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hazel Gaynor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Gaynor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Gaynor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.