Entering her fifth decade was the push that Hazel Cushion needed to return to college, complete an MA degree in Creative Writing and set up a publishing business from her front bedroom – while single-handedly taking care of five-year-old triplets. But turning 40 was not the only event that year that changed her life.

A month before her birthday two planes flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre.

'My husband and I were living in Dubai at the time. It was a scary place to be as George Bush said he would come after any country harbouring terrorists – and Dubai was under threat. We decided that I should take the children and return to the UK.'

Previously the family had lived all over the world, from Bali and Indonesia to France and the Middle East. But in France a tragedy occurred that was also to have a major impact on her future.

'My mother came to visit us in France – the children were young and she had come to help. We went out for lunch one day and, driving back by herself, mum drove on the wrong side of the road and was killed in a head-on collision.'

Her mother had always encouraged her love of writing, dating back to the time when Hazel worked on cruise ships, sending long detailed letters home.

'She really wanted me to be a writer. But of course I didn't listen to her – you never do to your mother.'

She would have been delighted to know her wish was fulfilled when Hazel - using money her mother had left her - signed herself up to a writing course on returning to the UK and settling in Wales. '

'I'd just turned 40, I wanted to do something for me - to get a qualification. As a teenager I suffered from severe depression and had to be hospitalised, so I missed out on going to college.'

Setting up the business was almost an accidental by-product of putting together her MA thesis project – an anthology of all of the writers' work from the course. 'We started out as a committee – but I ended up doing all the work,' she laughs. 'Out of that I decided to put together a book of short stories to raise money for charity, getting well known writers to donate their work and selling the book into WH Smith.'

'As soon as I realised the first one was going to sell I hired a PA. We had to get an office – she couldn't work from my bedroom as well.'

But, through it all, being there for the kids has always been a priority. When her husband returned to the UK he was able to join the company so they could run it as a family – building Accent Press Ltd into a successful publishing business.

'I struggled to have children, and went through IVF treatment. But after having my kids I became depressed. I felt I had lost my identity, everybody referred to me as the mother of the triplets. I felt that's it, that's my life, I couldn't see beyond that. So to be able to do what I do and have my children too, well that's very joyous.'

And though it can be difficult to fit it all in, she is a firm believer that 'you've got to make it all count'. 'To lose my mother that way – we were just out for lunch, then, an hour later she was dead.'

'We don't know what's going to happen in life, I don't want to waste any of it. I don't want to turn around at the end and think, I wish I'd done that.'

'My mother was a fantastic role model. She believed you could achieve whatever you want as long as you are prepared to work for it. Today is her birthday in fact. I had lunch today with my aunt – she said if only your mother could see you now.'

'And I know it. I know she would be so proud of me.'

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