Combining her love of reading and penchant for daydreaming, Richmond native Ashley Farley put pen to paper a few years ago and launched a new career as an author. She found early success with the publication of her first novel, Saving Ben, in 2013 and quickly followed with Her Sister’s Shoes only two years later. Now with more than a dozen titles published, Farley is well established in the literary realm and has garnered high praise for her compelling characters and relatable family sagas. The stories she tells are about women and for women, interweaving real-life issues with the familiar threads of mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives.

 

 

For Farley, writing is far more than a job. It’s an outlet for emotions that have ranged from tragic to elated, including the loss of a beloved brother to addiction and becoming an ‘empty-nester’ as her children transitioned to college. Her investment of personal experience and the vulnerability in her writing style are what makes Ashley’s books so absorbing and keep her readers coming back for more.

 

With a loyal following and an active imagination, Ashley is constantly devising new storylines, sometimes thinking through entire chapters during one of her favorite pastimes – swimming. Time in the pool serves as both a ‘think tank’ and stress relief for Farley and she encourages burgeoning authors to find their outlets for creative rumination. So what’s on the horizon next for this local literary star? Her newest title, Life on Loan, debuts this October and her own inspiring story continues to unfold.