Author Interview - Hayley Walsh

Hayley Walsh @taylesbyhayles

Welcome to my blog for 2023. I have so many wonderful writerly things planned this year, and what a way to start the year - interviewing Hayley Walsh, @taylesbyhayles, one of my author friends straight from Twitter.

Hayley Walsh, Author

Hayley is an Australian author of light-hearted fiction and a great storyteller. She was born and bred in Sydney and lives in far western Sydney with her partner, two stepsons, and two adorable cavoodles. She loves animals (don't all writers?), is a coffee addict, and has a wicked sense of humour. Hayley’s sense of humour is brought to life in her storytelling. She loves to make readers laugh, by writing fun stories they can relate to.

Hayley's self-published books are a hoot!

Hayley and I have bonded over Twitter (and met in person a few times) with our love of books and writing. I have read Not Dead Yet and Marking March and can attest to their laugh-out-loud qualities. After reading her books, I decided to have a more in-depth chat.

1. What genre do you write in?

I write light-hearted fiction. I love to write stories that give people a good giggle and are relatable. My characters are flawed like the rest of us, and that’s what I love about them. They often make mistakes and end up in awkward or funny situations.

2. Where and how do you write and what surrounds you?

Wherever I happen to be when one, I get time or two, inspiration strikes. I am old school and scribble on a notepad first, before then typing it up on a word document. I have notepads all over the place. On my desk at work, in my car, and sometimes by my bed. A writer can never own too many notepads, right? So, my surroundings maybe my living room, my bedroom, a car park, a café, the hospital I work at, or maybe the toilet. I’m joking…. or maybe I’m not.

3. How do you feel about the ‘write what you know’ mantra?

This mantra has worked well for me so far. My first book titled ‘Crayons and Chaos’ is based on my real-life experience of becoming an instant stepmother to two boys with no kids of my own. Lots of Kate’s shenanigans in ‘Making March’ either happened to me, or someone I know. ‘Not Dead Yet’ was inspired by and loosely based on a story one of my older patients told me at work. The best part of being an Aged Care Clinical Nurse Consultant is the stories you hear every day from people with both great wisdom and an abundance of life experience.

4. What has becoming a published author done for your self-confidence?

I’m not sure if it’s helped my self-confidence as I have always been a confident outgoing extrovert. It has given me an amazing sense of achievement as I had always wanted to write and publish a book. I published my first book in 2020 at the age of 44. It’s never too late to follow your dreams.

5. Do you interact with other authors? How?

Absolutely. I interact with other writers and creatives daily on social media, with Twitter being my favourite platform to connect with others. Writing can be a lonely endeavour and networking is so important. As writers, we need to support each other and celebrate each other’s wins. I have a blog on my author website where I interview other authors, post book reviews, and post my own advice. I started ‘The Write Words Podcast’ in 2021, where I interview other authors, and so much more.

6. So, what’s next for you and your writing?

I currently have two books I am working on. The first one is titled ‘Tis Not the Season to be Molly’. It’s a humorous novella about an overworked exhausted wife and mother who is sick to death of doing everything at Christmas. The second one is something a bit different for me, but one close to my heart. It is titled ‘Scattered Scones’ and tells the story of fifty-two-year-old Penny who receives an unexpected diagnosis of younger onset dementia. She sets off on an impromptu road trip from Adelaide to Sydney to try and reconnect with her estranged daughter. Working with people who have dementia is a passion of mine and I wanted to tell a story that shows someone with dementia can still live a meaningful and engaging life if they have the right support around them.

If you're interested in Hayley's books, contact her here -

Hayley Walsh

Book titles: ‘Crayons and Chaos’ ‘Making March’ & ‘Not Dead Yet’

Genre: Light-Hearted Fiction

Website: hayleywalshauthor.com

Buying link

Social Media links:

https://twitter.com/TaylesbyHayles

https://www.facebook.com/TaylesbyHayles

Thanks, Hayley for taking the time to chat, I'm happy to know you better now. And I agree, a writer can never have too many notepads.

If you are an author with a book about to be published, an author who wants to chat, or even an author with ideas to chat about, then contact me at mariapfrino@gmail.com and I will schedule an interview with you.

Happy reading,

Maria P Frino