Hazel Gaynor is a highly accomplished historical fiction author, originally from Yorkshire, England. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including being a New York Times, USA Today, Globe and Mail, and Irish Times bestselling author. Her debut novel, "The Girl Who Came Home," was particularly well-received, earning the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. Gaynor's novels have also been shortlisted for several other prestigious awards, including the Irish Book Awards, the HWA Gold Crown Award, and the RNA Historical Novel of the Year.
Gaynor's love for writing began when she started contributing to "writing.ie," a national Irish writing website. She wrote a popular guest blog called "Carry on Writing" and conducted feature author interviews with notable writers such as Mary Beth Keane, Phillipa Gregory, Daisy Waugh, Sebastian Faulks, and Cheryl Strayed. In 2012, Gaynor's writing talent was recognized when she won the Emerging Writers Cecil Day Lewis Award.
Before becoming an author, Gaynor worked in professional services and spent several years living in Kildare, Ireland, with her husband. It was only after she was made redundant from her day job that she decided to pursue her passion for writing full-time. Her first novel, "The Girl Who Came Home," was published in 2012, and since then, she has become an international sensation, with her books being translated into eighteen languages and published in twenty-five territories. Gaynor now lives in Ireland with her husband and two children and is represented by Michelle Brower of Trellis Literary Management, USA.