Meet Berlyn Hayes

We were lucky to catch up with Berlyn Hayes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Berlyn, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever head any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?

I don’t think most people realize how challenging or intimidating it is to come up with a book idea and masterfully write down the world you’re creating in your head in such a way that they can envision what’s going on. It’s SO HARD! However, after an abundance of patience, research, and trial and error, I finally cracked the code for how I could overcome writers block.

I’m an avid reader, and I particularly love fantasy. I’ve read more books in that genre than I can count, but while reading, I came to realize how many books contain explicit language and content, and how a vast majority of that content is in books geared towards teenagers. That genuinely bothered and concerned me, so I decided to introduce more clean books into the market. But first, I needed to come up with a unique plot line that would captivate the reader’s interest.

From that point on, for every book I read and every movie I watched, I studied the plot. I took notes on what I liked and disliked, as well as what could’ve made the plot even better/what I would have done differently. After some time spent on that, I slowly began developing my own plot line for a single book that eventually turned into a series because I kept adding more and more ideas that turned the simple plot into a more complex plot. I created characters to compliment the plot, and I made sure to give them weaknesses. Not only do weaknesses enhance the plot, it makes the characters relatable, more believable, and far more interesting to read about.

I hope this method will aid aspiring authors out there to never give up on their publishing dreams, especially when the creativity flow gets disrupted. Because that WILL happen; it happens to all of us! It doesn’t mean you’re a “bad writer” if writers block lasts for days or even weeks; it’s normal. Personally, I need to step back and take a break from writing every once in a while. I’ve noticed that when I do this, once I plunge back into the writing project I was working on, creativity flows easier and I’m able to spot plot holes that I didn’t know existed.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Have you ever read a book with a plot that you absolutely loved, but as soon as you got sucked into that amazing world, you learned that the book contains explicit content and/or language? And it immediately made you not want to read it anymore because you don’t want to lower your standards to read spice?

That’s where I come in. My name is Berlyn Hayes, and I’m a clean YA/NA author. I write fantasy, dystopian, and sci-fi books with unique and intriguing plots without the spice. Don’t get me wrong—there’s still romance in my books—but it’s limited to kissing, hand-holding, and other clean but affectionate ways to demonstrate one’s love. It’s the kind of romance that parents would feel comfortable for their kids to read.

I self-published my debut YA fantasy novel, “Heirs of Secrets”, on May 31, 2024. It’s the first in a series of five, and book two will be releasing in fall 2024. “Heirs of Secrets” is about a mortal with a crippling illness and a prince with dangerous powers forced into an engagement to bring peace between their kingdoms. As they race to accomplish their hidden agendas before their wedding day, they uncover secrets that get them both second-guessing—about everything.

Growing up, I read a lot of books. And I mean, A LOT. I love plunging into new worlds and being enwrapped with the characters therein; I love guessing plot twists and trying to solve a mystery before the end of a book when all is revealed. But it really disheartened me how many books casually threw in explicit content or language. I don’t like reading that stuff, and as soon as I come across it, my heart plummets and I lose interest. It makes it even worse when I adore the book and its witty characters, only to discover that content such as that is included later on or even in the next book in the series. And knowing that my younger sisters were also reading the same books I was really woke me up, and I knew that I needed to do something.

Now, I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember. Pretty cliché, I know, but it’s true. I didn’t start taking my writing seriously until 2020, when after a visit to the doctor, I learned that I’d need a couple of knee surgeries and after each one, I’d have to relearn how to walk. Quite frankly, that was some unwanted and unwelcome news. I was miserable and angry, especially because this was the time of life when others my age went to college and met people. But there I was, stuck at home, unable to walk.

Over the course of the next few months, I received my first knee surgery and went to work relearning how to walk. I felt like a newborn baby; I could hardly get up and move on my own, but my wonderful family was by my side every step of the way, aiding me through this difficult but necessary challenge.

Honestly, I credit them for helping me pull through that dark period of my life. They helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel, and they pointed me to God when all I wanted to do was cry. Because of that, God gave me the strength I needed to rise above this trial and to turn it into one of my greatest strengths.

Looking back on it, had God not stepped in when He had, “Heirs of Secrets” would still be a dream instead of a reality. I wouldn’t have set aside time to write it from start to finish. I wouldn’t have turned it into a series. Being unable to walk provided me with the time and opportunity to fulfill my dream. I owe God everything for how He’s assisted me through the highs and the lows. Publishing my first book was a dream come true—a dream that never would’ve come to pass had I not had those knee surgeries.

It would’ve been great if that was the hardest trial I’d ever have to face, but a year before publishing “Heirs of Secrets”, when I was in the thicket of drafting it, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that absolutely rocked my world. I was told I’d have to get IV infusions for the rest of my life, and there would be things I can and can’t do and foods I can and can’t eat anymore.

Hearing that was DEVASTATING. It shattered my heart into a million pieces, instilling fear and pain. Out of all the people in the world, why was I the one stuck with this disease? Hadn’t I been through enough already?

It’s been a while since those questions plagued my mind, and it’s been a long journey since then, but slowly, I’ve come to accept that it’s okay. I’m a firm believer that God gives trials for a reason, so there’s a reason I’m struggling with this autoimmune disease. I might not know the entire reason now, but I know enough to know that I can get through this. Like the characters in my books who are presented with challenges that they eventually conquer; this is a disease that I CAN conquer. I can deal with it, and I can live with it. Yes, I’m sick more often than I like, but on the bright side, being homebound allows me to develop more stories that I’m excited to introduce to the world someday.

Fast forward to today. I have major plans for my writing career, all of which include containing CLEAN content in every single one of my books. As of right now, I’m also planning on releasing my YA dystopian book, “Dawn of Liberty”, next year in 2025. It’s the first in a trilogy that features a corrupt government, lie detectors, and a secret vigilante. If you love the action in Mission: Impossible and morally gray characters, then you’re going to love that series!

I also have plans to publish more fantasy and sci-fi books, but I’ll reveal the details for those after the above mentioned series are complete.

Currently, I only sell my books on Amazon. They’re available as an eBook or a paperback. I have plans to make them available internationally, as well as in a hardback, but that will take some time. Rest assured that one day, it’ll happen!(:

You can learn more details about the books I’m writing and publishing on my website: hayesberlyn.com

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Believing in yourself is number one. If you don’t believe that you can achieve, then your dreams and goals will remain a figment of your imagination. As Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a German aviator and religious leader, once said: “Believe, love, do.” Believe that you can, love what you do, and do it because the world needs what you have to offer.

If you don’t believe in yourself, then talk to someone who does. Speak with a trusted family member or friend who will give you the moral support you need to succeed! Tell them your goals and ask them how they know that you can reach them. Take it from someone who knows: Hearing someone say something positive about yourself will boost your confidence and motivation.

The second thing that helped me to publish my debut novel was patience. It takes time to read and study the writing in novels; it takes time to craft an intricate plot; it takes time to find and fix plot holes. You’re not going to be a professional overnight. Recognizing that it will take time to accomplish your goals will keep them realistic.

I try my hardest to have patience, especially while writing a series, but wow, there are days that I wish the entire series was already written! It uses a lot of my mental capacity to remember what each character knows and which characters don’t know what. What helps me develop patience is realizing how far I’ve come. To do this, I’ll stop working on my current work-in-progress and reread something I wrote a year or two ago. It’s reassuring and inspirational to see how much better my writing has become.

Lastly, courage. It’s a beautiful, mind-blowing feeling to finally finish a novel after spending months or even years on it, but it’s terrifying to let someone read what you’ve written. It’s like giving them glimpse into your soul and hoping they’ll accept it. It took a lot of prayer, but I eventually let someone close to me read it because I needed the confidence boost that yes, this book is good enough to publish. After my sister read it, I let the rest of my family read it, and the rest is history.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

They never, ever stopped believing in me. They never gave up on me when I got my knee surgeries and was depressed; they never gave up on me when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and couldn’t eat for the longest time; they never gave up on me when I told them my dream of becoming an author. They offer 100% of their support 100% of the time, and I an eternally grateful for that. Not only has it greatly impacted me, it’s laid the foundation as an example of what I want to do for my future kids.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hayesberlyn.com
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  Email: [email protected]