We recently connected with Stacey Elise Haught and have shared our conversation below.

Stacey Elise, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

A writer who saw life from a different angle.

The legacy I hope to leave behind is a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a writer, and an author who wasn’t afraid of looking at life through different lenses. Who wasn’t afraid of letting go of the traditional perspective of what an “author” is when life handed her a bowl of lemons when her jug of lemonade was already overflowing.

I hope those that read my writing will see a sense of determination in my constant strive at finding, not just my voice in my words. But others around me. In hopes of capturing just a glimpse of the human experience. Perhaps the human experience that often doesn’t get brought to light.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Stacey E. Haught, I am a writer/author. Before I earned that title by publishing six novels. I was an acting instructor/film coach for fourteen years at Florida’s oldest community theatre and studio. But even there wasn’t where I found my love for storytelling. I grew up among different artists and unique individuals who used various mediums to tell stories. Be it a high-wire strung sixty feet in the air when my dad was the ringmaster for the Wallenda’s personal circus. Or even watching my dad self-produce multiple gospel albums.

I grew up knowing that in order to tell a story you had to find a voice, and like any true artist my voice wasn’t found until I needed to find it. During the great pause of twenty-twenty, like most individuals in our world, I found myself with a new perspective on fate, and honestly, I had a very frank and honest conversation with myself. We all understood on a deep level that time isn’t truly ours to control, and I didn’t want my time to run out without trying something that scared the life out of me, and that was writing down a story that lived in my head.

My fingers hit the keyboard, and like magic, they didn’t stop. Within a year I had sold my first novel “Good Hope.” and like that, I was a published author, opportunities to write seemed to flood in like a steady stream, and three years later I was writing consistent stories for an online serial fiction publishing company. Then life handed me the biggest perspective shift I think I have ever received.

I started falling sick in January of 2023, unsure of what what was happening to me, my stamina for writing was gone, my imagination was weak, and that’s when my story changed.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

This March I received my diagnosis, along with a very serious conversation about my health. If I wanted a chance at a long, healthy life. I needed to pivot. But what does that mean for an author under contract with two novels, expected in a delivery under thirty days each?

It meant my writing, my style, my career. Had to change. Now I’m not going to say I have all of this figured out and tied into a tight, neat little bow right now. What I am saying is I’m on a new road to self-discovery of what writing with Chronic Illness looks like.

What I’ve learned so far is that it means I write when I can. I write what needs to be written. I write about my experience. My story. It’s the biggest pivot I’ve ever had to do. It’s terrifying. But I’m certain it’s going to be the pivot of a lifetime.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Right now it’s when my short-form of writing gets feedback. When that person on Instagram likes a post that took me two hours to write, or that email I helped write gets the feedback desired. Or the social media post I wrote for my client meets the target audience. That’s when I know I made the right decision, and I’m on the path I should be on.

Being a writer, and an author is an echo-chamber of your own intrusive thoughts, battling imposter syndrome is a daily marathon you have to run, and when I was writing long-form that day of publishing was a high, and then it was radio silence, since making the pivot for my health I’m discovering there’s so much more space for conversation, and that’s the biggest reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://authorstaceyehaught.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacey.e.haught/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.stacey.e.haught/
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/author.stacey.e.haught/