When I was 8 years old, I wrote a story at school and it was placed on display in our school library. From that moment on, I told everyone, 'When I grow up, I want to be an author.' Seeing my work on that library shelf lit a fire in my belly that never burned out.  

I continued to write through primary and high school, and went on to study Creative Writing at university. I've enjoyed writing in a range of different mediums over the years – short stories, 10-minute stage plays, poetry – but since becoming a parent, writing for children has been my focus. 

My niece and nephews will often ask me to tell them a bedtime story when they have sleepovers or we are on big family holidays. In January 2025, we were all in Mornington Peninsula together, and my newest nephew, Max, was just a few months old. At bedtime, I free-styled a story for the older four children about baby Max going on a crazy adventure and them having to bring him home. Was the story a hit? Yes! Did it send the kids into a fit of giggles instead of sending them to sleep? Also, yes. 

When we came home from the holiday, I couldn't stop thinking about that story. I spent the rest of the year fleshing it out and refining it and  – to my excitement  – it was picked up by Hawkeye in 2026. 

I am currently working on a second Bella McGee Writes book. I also have an upper middle-grade fantasy waiting in the wings for me to finish – I started it a few years ago but put it down to prioritise the inspiration I had for Bella McGee Writes. I will come back to it when the time is right!

I have always worked in 'creative' roles. For 10 years, I worked in document design for accounting firm KPMG, designing and formatting all their major proposals and bid documents. I resigned in 2020, looking for a change and something more flexible, and set up a home salon, where I spent five years working as a manicurist. I always wrote on the side, though, and knew that I needed to go all-in to wholly believe in myself as a writer. I finally decided to close down my salon and committed to writing full-time, and haven't looked back since. 

I spent so much of my life doubting myself and my writing ability. I always thought that having a book published was something that was out of reach for me, so I never tried to get there. It wasn't until I was 37 that I finally chose to truly believe it was possible for me, and that moment changed the course of my life.  

My advice to aspiring writers is simple, though it isn't always easy: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. 

Believing in yourself is the start of achieving anything. 

At the moment, my biggest sources of inspiration are definitely my children and my family. There are traces of them woven all throughout Bella McGee Writes!

Generally speaking, though, I often find I am just struck by an idea and I run with it. I am definitely more of a 'gardener' than an 'architect' in my approach to writing – once I am struck by a seed of an idea, I plant it, water it and see how it grows. 

I am a HUGE lover of crafts, and our house is often a hub for activity sessions during the school holidays. Resin, jewellery making, embroidery, latch-hook rugs, woven handbags, paint-by-numbers, bedazzling – the list goes on. Name a craft, and I've either tried it or have it on my to-do list! 

I am a big fan of chitty-chatting and welcome readers to say hello through any of the below channels:

Instagram: @ashleighmcleodwrites
Email: ash@ashleighmcleod.com
Online: www.ashleighmcleod.com