About Jane

Jane Bissell Writing
Jane is a published writer, mentor, and workshop facilitator living in Auckland, New Zealand.  

Jane works with writers across several genres,  offering services as a ghostwriter, mentor, editor, workshop facilitator, and eulogy writer. 

She has a particular interest in memoir and life writing, and has helped many writers achieve their goals of publication in this genre. Read some author testimonials here. 

Jane is a long-standing full member of the NZ Society of Authors. 

Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and has written numerous articles and two books describing her own breast cancer journey. Welcome to the Amazon Club was published by Longacre Press in 2004. The second is The Pink Party, published by Klarer Lasserre in 2006.       

Jane was born in Seattle, Washington USA and immigrated with her family to New Zealand in 1963.  
‘Dad wanted to sail over in a small boat,’ Jane recalls, ‘but the crew mutinied. Mom put her foot down and said there was ‘no way’ she’d sail across the Pacific in a sail boat with two little kids.’ 

Career 
'I’ve always wanted to write,’ says Jane. ‘At school I wrote ‘novels’ about heroes and villains and always thought when I did become a writer, I’d write adventure and espionage. Things could not have turned out differently!

'I spent most of my professional life working in the air express industry both in the USA and New Zealand and it wasn’t until I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 that I wrote and published my first book. Welcome to the Amazon Club was not about spies and international intrigue (although a major book retail chain did place the book in their travel section ...) but is a journal about my first year with breast cancer. Breast cancer made me take my writing seriously.’

Since 2004, Jane has worked extensively within the not-for-profit charitable sector in New Zealand, providing communication services to cancer related charities, and currently holds a coordinator/communications role with Breast Cancer Support Aotearoa.

Books and other written work 
Jane has written two books of her own,  and edited Oysters for Lunch, a collection of creative work by Members of Sweet Louise, a charitable Trust providing services and support to New Zealand women and men living with advanced (secondary, also know as metastatic) breast cancer. She completed a book for New Zealander Nick Liefting called The Golden Pliers featuring stories of past winners of the prestigious Fieldays National Farm Fencing Competition.