My Midlife Career
I didn’t set out to become a women’s fiction author. As with most things in my life, I happened into it. I’ve always been an avid reader and often wondered whether I had at least one novel in me. My brother died of a drug overdose in 1999. Several years later, when I was still struggling with my grief, I turned to writing as a means of releasing my pent-up emotions. I signed up for an online memoir writing class.
My original intent was to tell the story of my brother’s addiction and the hardships my family faced during those difficult years, but I felt like I was betraying them in sharing such personal details about our lives. So I decided to write a novel about a college-aged boy with addiction and anger management problems and the sister who saves him from himself. Four fiction writing classes later, I had a solid draft of Saving Ben.
I was a closet writer at the time, embarrassed to tell my family or friends that I’d taken up this hobby for fear they wouldn’t take me seriously. I hired an editor, who turned out to be a wonderful mentor and is still my editor today, and a cover designer, and with the encouragement of a good friend, I uploaded the novel to Amazon. I never expected anyone to read Saving Ben. Writing the novel provided the therapy I needed to move on from my brother’s death, but in the process of learning the craft of writing, I discovered joy in creating characters and manipulating plot lines.
For my second novel, Her Sister’s Shoes, I revisited the salty marshes from my childhood for my setting and chose middle-aged women as my characters. I sold a few more copies of Her Sisters Shoes than I had of Saving Ben, but I was by no means a success. My husband refused to let me get discouraged. “What is your ultimate goal?” he asked me, and I replied truthfully, “To enrich the lives of women who love to read as much as I do.”
So I kept churning out books. I was content just to earn enough money to cover the costs of editing and cover design. I figured the more books I had on the market, the better chances I had of reaching more readers. Before long, my readership grew, agents started contacting me, and now I’m living a meaningful life as a writer.
As a stay-at-home mom, I often felt like an extension of my children instead of the other way around. I desperately needed something that belonged solely to me. And I found that in writing. Now, as an empty nester, having my own identity is more important than ever. Because I’m extremely high strung, focusing on something tangible is vital to my happiness. And my husband’s, LOL.
I wear many different hats as an authorpreneur. I’m a writer, graphics and website designer, social media expert. The combination of my tasks satisfies my mercurial temperament. When I tire of one task, I switch to another. Every morning, I ask myself, “What do I feel like doing today?” Aside from writing, of course. I have a daily word count goal that I adhere
to like glue. Have computer, will travel. I can write anywhere. In fact, a change of scenery often sparks creativity. But when I’m at home, I spend a lot of time at my desktop creating movie trailers and graphics for promotions and tinkering with my website. I challenge myself to learn new things. YouTube offers tutorials on everything these days, and I’ve taught myself how to use Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, iMovie, and WordPress.
I’ve never been happier. Ten years ago, I would never have envisioned this life for myself, but now I can’t imagine it any other way. One of the things I enjoy most about being a published author is interacting with my readers. I have an active Facebook author page where I host weekly giveaways and themed launch parties for new releases. Many of my readers are also writers, and I encourage them to follow their hearts. I encourage all women to pursue their passions with gusto, to never ever give up on their dreams. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Find that thing that brings you joy and be the best at it that you can be. And keep an open mind. You never know when and where opportunity might strike.
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Ashley Farley is the bestselling author of the Sweeney Sisters series as well as the stand-alone novels Sweet Tea Tuesdays, Magnolia Nights, Beyond the Garden, and other books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life situations, and her goal is to keep readers turning pages with stories that resonate long after the last word.
In addition to writing, she is an amateur photographer, an exercise junkie, and a wife and mother. While she has lived in Richmond, Virginia, for more than two decades, part of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry where she grew up. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folks with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information on the author and her work, visit www.ashleyfarley.com
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About Nell And Lady
A heart-stirring novel of family and forgiveness from bestselling author Ashley Farley.
In her grand home in Charleston, Willa Bellemore raised two girls during the tumultuous 1970s. One was her daughter, Lady. The other was Lady’s best friend, Nell—adopted after the sudden, heartbreaking death of her mother, the Bellemores’ beloved maid. Willa showered Nell with love and support, all the while ignoring the disdainful whispers of her neighbors. After all, they were family. Nell and Lady were sisters at heart—sisters who vowed to never let anything come between them.
Then, on the night of Lady’s sixteenth birthday, something went terribly wrong, sparking painful secrets and bitter resentments that went unspoken for three decades.
Now Willa is dying, and Lady and Nell—each with a teenager of her own—are brought together after all these years. It’s Willa’s last wish. The time has come to confront what happened on that fateful night. But it may take a tragic twist of fate to reconcile the past and come to terms with the true meaning of family.
Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips
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