{"id":57575,"date":"2026-09-10T14:13:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T14:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbcwealthmanagement.com\/en-uk\/?p=57575"},"modified":"2026-09-10T14:13:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T14:13:02","slug":"writing-wartime-novels-transformed-my-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbcwealthmanagement.com\/en-uk\/insights\/writing-wartime-novels-transformed-my-retirement","title":{"rendered":"Writing wartime novels transformed my retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Liverpool, 1943. Behind the blackout curtains, Bella and her sweetheart Bobby are seated at the piano, preparing to lift their spirits with some rousing tunes before the screech of falling German bombs becomes too loud for them to play. In Bella\u2019s past lies shame and heartbreak; in her future, redemption and happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That scene is drawn from one of author Pam Howes\u2019 wartime sagas, the creation of which was an opportunity to combine her greatest passions: storytelling and music. But Howes discovered her talent for writing fiction in her third quarter, only after retiring from a successful career in interior design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never thought about writing as a profession,\u201d she explains. \u201cI worked in the music business before I got married, then had three children and moved to Canada with my husband. I did an interior design course while my kids were at school, then started my own business when we returned to the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Your\u00a0<\/em>third quarter<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is the chapter where your focus moves from striving to choosing \u2013 when you have the resources, the perspective and the experience to make the choices that matter to you.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Howes’ business grew and flourished. \u201cIt was all floral curtains, swags and things back in those days,\u201d she remembers. \u201cInstalling them in massive barn conversions was challenging work! After my divorce, when I was approaching 60, I felt it was time for a change. I started reading a lot and I thought, \u2018I can do this.\u2019 I tinkered around, wrote some articles for a music magazine, then my partner suggested I try writing a story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Howes dived straight into this new project, writing and self-publishing five novels set around the Manchester music scene in the swinging sixties. She was surprised and delighted to find that people wanted to read what she\u2019d written. \u201cThey started flying off the shelves,\u201d she remembers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Bestselling author Pam Howes. Photo courtesy of Pam Howes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Making retirement fulfilling, even when there is no road map<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Howes’ story is a familiar one for Annie Coleman, ambassador for the Stanford Center on Longevity in Stanford, California, and founder of Realise Longevity, a strategic consultancy that seeks to change how the world sees ageing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI left the corporate world without knowing what I was going to do next,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019d planned to travel, but then COVID-19 hit. I still felt I had a lot to offer \u2013 my mum lived to 98 and I thought if I was going to live that long myself, I\u2019d need something to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annie quickly realised the challenges and opportunities an ageing population presents to individuals and corporations. \u201cDemographics are fact, not fiction. The systems that society has in place are based on shorter lives \u2013 for example, the state pension came into being when the average life expectancy was 68. Longer lives are an extraordinary achievement, but systems weren\u2019t built for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those working in physical jobs such as construction \u2013 and indeed Howes’ former career, which saw her climbing up and down ladders carrying heavy bolts of cloth \u2013 stepping back and slowing down is a necessity. \u201cBut you still have years of life,\u201d Annie says. \u201cYou still need healthy finances, social connections and something with meaning that makes you feel your life matters. It\u2019s a new life stage that previous generations didn\u2019t experience. There are no road maps and few role models.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Howes’ big break came in 2016, when the fledgling digital-first publisher Bookouture offered her a contract. \u201cBut they told me they wanted wartime sagas, and they needed to be set in Liverpool, not Manchester. \u2018Liverpool sells sagas and Manchester sells crime,\u2019 they said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undaunted, Howes got stuck in, drawing on her parents\u2019 experience of wartime life as well as online research and films. Her first novel, The Lost Daughter of Liverpool<\/em>, set in World War Two, was released in 2017, and she now has 20 titles published in ebook, paperback, audio and large print formats. But financial success didn\u2019t come overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSelling the business wouldn\u2019t have provided me with enough income to live on,\u201d she says. \u201cI had a small private pension, but I still did shift work for the AA for a year before the books started doing well enough that I could stop. Now I\u2019m one of the best-off pensioners I know. Many of my friends are full-time retired and on basic state pension, but I don\u2019t know how anyone manages just on the basic state pension.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Book
Pam Howes’ first novel, The Lost Daughter of Liverpool.<\/em> Photo courtesy of Bookouture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Living their third quarter on their own terms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sufficient funds to live comfortably in later life is a huge concern for those nearing retirement age, agrees Annie. \u201cMost people realise they don\u2019t have enough money to leave the corporate world altogether. We\u2019re seeing a huge growth in entrepreneurship and side hustles among people in their 50s, who have wisdom and experience and want to do something for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But within corporations, the needs and value of older workers are also being increasingly appreciated. Companies such as easyJet, Unilever and L\u2019Or\u00e9al are actively pursuing strategies to recruit and retain older workers, often offering more flexible working for those looking to downscale, embark on a portfolio career or undertake caring responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what advice would Annie give someone looking to launch the next phase of their working life as Howes did? \u201cOlder workers sometimes feel like they\u2019re treading water. Have a conversation with your employer about opportunities to reskill and get out of inertia. But if you\u2019re sure you\u2019ve had enough, think before you leave. What are you good at? What do you love to do? Those are the strengths you\u2019ll use to feel fulfilled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Howes, her unexpected career shift has led not only to financial security and the immense satisfaction derived from having a creative outlet, but also to an improved quality of life. And with her best years still ahead of her, she doesn\u2019t see herself slowing down any time soon. \u201cI\u2019m writing two books a year at the moment,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t have to sit in traffic. I can get up, have breakfast, sit in my dressing gown and write. It\u2019s lovely. People say I never stop talking, so words come easily to me. I see stories wherever I go \u2013 I\u2019ll need to live to be 100 to finish what I\u2019ve got in the pipeline!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Let’s make your ideas happen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your third quarter is a chapter rich with possibility, with the resources, experience and perspective you’ve spent decades earning. But most second careers don\u2019t generate bestseller-level income. It may take several years to become profitable and some never achieve it. That\u2019s why wealth planning is crucial, and we can help you plan the financial runway your next chapter deserves. Talk to us.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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The information provided should not be mistaken for formal planning advice; it is imperative that you seek relevant advice for your own personal circumstances. RBC do not provide tax or legal advice and we would recommend that you seek appropriate advice in these areas. Rates of tax will be based on individual circumstance and tax rules are subject to change. The value of investments, and any income from them, can fall and you may get back less than you invested. Neither simulated nor actual past performance are reliable indicators of future performance. Information is provided only as an example and is not a recommendation to pursue a particular strategy.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThe investments or services contained in this report may not be suitable for you and it is recommended that you consult an independent investment adviser if you are in doubt about the suitability of such investments or services.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nPast performance is not a guide to future performance, future returns are not guaranteed, and a loss of original capital may occur. This article is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. This article is not, and under no circumstances should be construed as, a solicitation to act as a securities broker or dealer in any jurisdiction by any person or company that is not legally permitted to carry on the business of a securities broker or dealer in that jurisdiction. Nothing in this report constitutes legal, accounting or tax advice or individually tailored investment advice.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThis publication has been issued by Royal Bank of Canada on behalf of certain RBC \u00ae companies that form part of the international network of RBC Wealth Management. You should carefully read any risk warnings or regulatory disclosures in this publication or in any other literature accompanying this publication or transmitted to you by Royal Bank of Canada, its affiliates or subsidiaries.\r\n\r\n"},"rbcwm_insight_cta_id":[8231],"rbcwm_pagination":{"next_link":"","next_link_text":"Next article","previous_link":"","previous_link_text":"Previous article"},"rbcwm_video_duration":"","article_time":"","rbcwm_enable_toc":false},"yoast_head":"\nWriting wartime novels transformed my retirement – RBC Wealth Management United Kingdom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rbcwealthmanagement.com\/en-uk\/insights\/writing-wartime-novels-transformed-my-retirement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Writing wartime novels 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