Port Macquarie author Hayley Lawrence is achieving highly within the world of Australian writing.
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Her book The Other Side of Tomorrow has been shortlisted by the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) for Book of the Year (older readers category).
Hayley has published four books and The Other Side of Tomorrow was the first novel she wrote.
She was advised to hold off on publishing it until 2022, due to another novel which was going to be released at the time (2015), which would have impacted her book's marketing.
Hayley said it was a shock and a thrill to discover the book had been shortlisted.
Another of her novels, Inside the Tiger, was listed by the Children's Book Council of Australia's notable books for 2019.
The Other Side of Tomorrow was inspired by Hayley's work as a lawyer, and in particular, a young client she worked with during her early years of employment.
She set about writing a story exploring how it feels to think you have forever getting started in life, then having that forever snatched away.
"How do we process changes in our plans and our timelines for reasons outside of our control?," she said.
"How do we process the grief of others and still find hope in ourselves?"
The CBCA judges have praised Hayley's writing saying she handles the intense emotions of the story deftly and without artifice.
"Every laugh and tear the reader experiences is earned," the statement says on the CBCA website.
Hayley writes books for the Young Adult genre.
However, she said the Young Adult genre in the Australian market is facing a number of challenges.
"Australian writers are getting pushed out by the international writers," she said.
Hayley said unfortunately international writers are dominating the shelves of airports and book shops.
She said there's also been another challenge with motivating young adults to read, when there are competing factors at play, including social media.
In turn, this impacts literacy of youths in Australia, attraction of the young adult genre to publishers and the ability of new Australian author voices to enter the industry.
However, she said awards including those run by the Children's Book Council of Australia, provide a very important platform for Australian authors to get recognised.
Hayley is currently working on her fifth novel which is due to be launched in 2024.
She also works as a lawyer in Port Macquarie, has five daughters and a husband.
Hayley said her daughters keep her writing relevant with the issues they face on a daily basis.
"Being a teenage girl is no easy feat in today's world," she said.
Despite having a busy life, Hayley said the pen will never leave her hand.
"For me, being a writer is not a choice. It's a need."
Winners of the CBCA Book of the Year Awards will be announced in August.
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