Author Introduction
Jane Taylor
Jane was born in Essex, England and then moved to Birmingham where her younger sister was born. There was one final move again for the family unit to Lincoln in Lincolnshire where the family settled. Jane Taylor’s journey to becoming an author has been shaped by a lifetime of stories -both read and lived.
A dedicated NHS worker, who recently decided to take the brave step of setting aside her career to focus on the completing of her debut novel.
The topics included in the book, particularly those of a medical nature stem from her own personal experiences – lending the story an authenticity that readers can truly feel.
As a child Jane was never far from a book or a sketch pad. That love of storytelling has never left her. When Jane is not writing, she can be found having dinner with friends, catching up with the girls or spending time with her family.
Jane lives with her husband, just outside of Lincoln and has a grown-up son.
Full Biography Jane Taylor
Jane Taylor has spent the better part of her professional life in the heart of the NHS, working in roles that placed her close to both the remarkable resilience and quiet vulnerability of people at some of the most pivotal moments of their lives. That experience — the listening, the observing, the sitting with people through difficulty — is woven through every page of her debut novel.
Growing up with a deep love of books and storytelling, Jane always wrote. Journals, letters, short pieces that never quite became anything bigger. But the story that became It Started with a Fire had been taking shape for years — in the observations she carried home from long shifts, in the friendships she had formed, in her own experience of grief and new beginnings, and in her belief that the people who change us most are often the ones we never expected to meet.
When she finally took the step of setting aside her career to finish the novel, Jane says it felt less like a leap of faith and more like coming home. The characters of Jess, Lottie, and Sian — who feels so present and alive in the book — had been waiting for her to sit down and tell their story properly.
“I write about the things I know to be true: that friendship is one of the greatest loves, that grief changes shape but never disappears, and that life has a way of sending exactly the right person at exactly the right moment. I hope readers find something of themselves in these pages.”
JANE TAYLOR
About Her Writing
At the Heart of Jane’s Writing
- Authentic characters whose inner lives feel real and recognisable
- Settings and communities brought to life with warmth and detail
- Themes of loss, recovery, friendship, and unexpected love
- The quiet power of women who keep going, keep showing up, and keep each other going
- A belief that the best stories are the ones that make you feel less alone