Meet our New Author: Hayley-Jenifer

We are delighted to introduce our new author to you! The amazing Hayley-Jenifer has written a fantastic cosy fantasy book titled Kingdom of the Moon. We are so excited to be publishing this book next year. In this interview, we get to meet the writer behind the book and also get some exclusive sneak-peaks into what the enigmatic Kingdom of the Moon story is all about.

1) Hayley-Jenifer, how did you start writing?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember! I remember being around five years old and writing Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Kenan and Kel fanfiction – haha! Granny recently gave me a photo of when I was around seven years old where I’m writing in a notebook while everyone else is looking out onto the ocean on a boat.I guess I started writing at a young age because I loved reading so much and I’ve always had a very vivid imagination. One of the very first stories I ever wrote with my own original characters was about a pink-haired fairy. It looks like I haven’t changed that much!

2) What difference has it made to you studying creative writing at university?

It’s definitely helped with the technical aspects of writing which, of course, is to be expected but, even more than that, it’s given me a really close-knit group of friends who understand what it is to be a creative writer and support every piece of writing I get the opportunity to showcase! They’re wonderful people and the master’s course was easily some of the most fun I’ve ever had. It got cut a bit short because of the pandemic, but it was such an amazing experience. 

3) Tell us a bit about the concept behind The Kingdom of the Moon.

Kingdom of the Moon came about because there is one person from my real life that I included in a character who I wanted to give a happy ending to. I also wanted to set a story in Ocsette, which is a fictional Kingdom my friend Amy and I created all the way back when we were in school. The characters came about on my bedroom floor, with my friends Erik and Orna, as we ate our weight in Dairy Milk bars and listened to K-Pop while the rain pelted down outside. Aside from those things, I’ve just always loved magic, mayhem, and a dash of the macabre! I’m a Disney Princess, Labyrinth, and Charmed fan so daring sword fights, magic spells, (and a prince in disguise!) come naturally to me – haha!

4) If you could describe your book in five words, what five words would you choose?

That’s a tough one! Hmm… After careful consideration – and trying to avoid cliches! -  I think I’ll go with: Chaos. Madness. Betrayal. Shenanigans. Passion. But, like… in a cosy way…

5) How did you find the submissions process with Asteria Press?

It was great! I found Asteria Press through a Google Search and I saw that they were looking for cosy fantasy submissions. I felt like that perfectly described Kingdom of the Moon in a way I had never been able to put my finger on and so sent in the first three chapters. Asteria Press were so wonderful with their response time – I wasn’t left waiting months for a reply, which can be frustrating as a writer when a lot of places don’t accept simultaneous submissions but still expect you to wait 9 months for a form rejection! From the moment I submitted right up until now, Asteria Press has been amazing with keeping me informed and in the loop and haven’t ever left me waiting for a reply.

6) If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self when you started writing Kingdom of the Moon, what would you say?

You can’t edit a blank page. Don’t wait for the words or the story or the characters to be perfect in your head before you put them on the page. Just write it.