Olivia Hayfield is the pen name of English author Sue Copsey, who is known for her family saga and mystery novels. Hayfield writes under this pseudonym as a re-imagined alter ego, who is younger and more glamorous than her real-life counterpart. While Sue Copsey is married with two children, Olivia Hayfield would have lovers and a purebred cat.
Hayfield is best known for her debut adult novel “Wife After Wife,” and writes modern retellings of historical events and stories. She is inspired by culture and history and enjoys using what she calls the “full immersion” method, which involves spending a lot of time in historical places such as London and Scotland, where she gets inspiration for her fiction. When she is not writing or working at her editing job, Olivia can be found with her nose deep in a fiction or non-fiction history work. She is a huge fan of Antonia Fraser and Philippa Gregory and while she also reads the takes on history by male authors, she prefers female insights on relationships and historical characters.
Sue Copsey, who writes as Olivia Hayfield, is usually in her office editing other people's books, while Hayfield is often in her writing hut at the bottom of the garden, imagining what historical figures would be like if they lived today. Her first adult novel was “Wife After Wife” (2020), a modern retelling of the story of King Henry VIII and his six wives. This was followed in 2021 by “Sister to Sister,” a retelling of the tale of Tudor queens Elizabeth and Mary. Sue's writing career began in London Zoo's press office. She later became an editor at Dorling Kindersley, before moving to New Zealand, where she continues to work in publishing. Sue has also written several children's books, including “The Ghosts of Tarawera,” which was a Storylines Children's Literature Trust Notable Book.