By XAVIER SMERDON
FOR 25 years one Wyndham resident fought crime on the streets of Melbourne.
But today, Pauline Toohey is officially a published author, with a loyal fan base that is clamouring to see what she will come up with next.
Ms Toohey was a police officer for most of her life before she decided to become an author, with the first book in her trilogy, Pull of the Yew Tree, being launched over the weekend.
The book chronicles the life of Ainnir, the daughter of a Gaelic chieftain from 15th century Ireland.
Her book is based on her own research of the country and time, with all the characters reflecting real people that actually existed.
“I’ve always loved that period and I wanted to write about something England during that time, but there has already been so much done,” Ms Toohey said.
“I decided to start researching Ireland and I fell in love with it pretty quick smart.”
Ms Toohey said the characters she had created had since become real in her own mind.
“They’re not fictitious, they’re real. No one can convince me otherwise,” she said.
A second instalment in the trilogy has already been written and is awaiting publication while Ms Toohey is preparing to put the finale on paper.
“You have to take a deep breath when you finish one book before starting another one,” she said.
“I waited about a week.”
She is also in the process of writing a book about a fictitious homicide detective who works for Victoria Police.
Her advice for other aspiring writers was to be persistent, as Pull of the Yew Tree was knocked back by 52 publishers before it was picked up by Indigo Dreams Publishing in England.
