Author Interview with Sally Hewitt

Welcome to the blog, Sally. Let’s start with five quick questions to get to know you: 

Long black or flat white?

Flat white, and only one a day, otherwise I’m jittery!

Kiwis or koalas?

Koalas. My first stuffed toy was a koala which is particularly unusual because I am English, growing up in the UK. One time, I had an uncle travelling to Australia and I asked my Dad if this uncle could PLEASE bring me home a live koala bear. After all we had eucalyptus trees in our garden. All credit to my Dad – he appeared to give this the consideration I required and then advised me gently that perhaps we didn’t have enough trees and that it would not be in a koala’s best interest to live in our backyard. My uncle brought me home a stuffed toy instead which I loved so much that all the fur wore off. Probably as well it was a toy…

Mangoes or kiwifruit?

May I choose both???

Cricket or rugby?

I grew up spending Saturday afternoons forced to watch my brother play weekly rugby matches. Given a choice I would rather watch tennis!

Books or TV?

I can never have too many books.

A little bit more about you, Sally: 

What’s something interesting or unusual about you that not everyone knows?

When I was in my late thirties I took up Zen Do Kai karate and Muay Thai kickboxing. I continued for several years and progressed through the ranks until just before my black belt grading. I chose to give up then because of the time commitments required. It clashed with time spent with my young family and a business that I ran with my husband. I really enjoyed how empowered it made me feel, as well as super fit.

Where are you from? [city and state or country]

I was born in the beautiful South-west of England. When I was a teenager, my family moved to the gorgeous Island of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It was there that I met my husband and moved to Western Australia at the tender age of 21 years.

What is your town or city most famous (or infamous) for?

The part of England where I was born is famous for its scrumpy, a highly alcoholic and apparently, delicious, cider.

What books are set in your town/city?

There have been many books associated with the Southwest of England and many literary greats too, from Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy to RD Blackmore. But my absolute favourite association has to be Jane Austin’s Sense and Sensibility, set only four miles from the city of Exeter.

About Your Writing

What do you write?

At the moment, I write non-fiction articles specifically focused on being grateful for ageing. I want to challenge the warped perception that being younger is better and growing older is to be avoided. Ageing means we are alive and we only avoid growing older if our life is cut short. Ageing Gratefully is a philosophy; a way of living that allows us to grow older with grace and joy. It’s a choice to live this way regardless os setbacks and struggles.

I am also working on a book called The Art of Ageing Gratefully, which I hope to release later this year.

Who or what are your main writing influences?

I am really blessed here, in Western Australia, to be part of a writing community. The support I receive from these fellow writers is invaluable. I am quite new to serious writing so the solitary aspect of writing can be quite daunting at times.

In researching for Ageing Gratefully, I read papers and books focused on healthy longevity, but my spiritual influences come from such people as Richard Rohr, Brother David Steindl-Rast and Henri Nouwen.

Do you have any books published?

I do! Just recently I launched a small book with quotes from my writing and stunning images taken by my son on his past travels.

How long have you been writing?

I have spent my whole life journaling and was a prolific letter writer before the advent of social media. I wrote a couple of novels in school for the fun of it. I have only recently begun what I would consider ‘serious’ writing. By this I mean, writing for an audience.

What inspired you to start writing?

The desire to challenge the prejudice of ageism that is, sadly, prevalent in our society and to encourage people to embrace ageing. Life is a gift to be lived fully; it is not an entitlement. Being grateful to grow older liberates us to enjoy deeply our joyous moments and brings hope through our challenges. I refuse to be a victim of ageing; I’m a champion of embracing life to the full and encouraging others to do the same.

What’s your favourite part of the writing process?

When something I have written resonates with readers, encourages or empowers them and brings them pleasure.

What’s your biggest writing challenge?

Being disciplined and organised. I have so much that I want to share so I have to be firm with myself about blocking time out for writing and then being organised about whether that time is for blog writing, book writing or public speaking creation.

How does your faith impact your writing?

Several years ago, when I seriously began to focus on gratitude, I had a moment when I realised that it is impossible to be truely grateful without acknowledging God’s grace that lies at the heart of thankfulness. I recognised that all my healing from the trauma of my husband’s premature death began when I focused on being grateful for what I had rather than on what I had lost. It is this grace within gratefulness that led me to hope for my future and that of my children.

And it is this grace that influences all my communication now.

Finally, where’s the best place to find you online?

www.ageinggratefully.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/ageingwithgratitude

www.instagram.com/ageinggratefully/