Meet Stacey E. Haught | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacey E. Haught and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacey E., how do you think about risk?
I have a knack for picking careers that involve risk with little reward. Career’s that involve a lot of personal investment, Careers that involve a lot of the word no, rejection and loss. In these Career’s be it in the Entertainment industry or in the Literary world the risk is a risk more of the heart, soul, and mind than of that risk that involves your bank account. Risk to me is evidence of trying something that might feel scary, or impossible. Risk is when someone is willing to give their dreams a chance.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Well most people know me from my fourteen-year stent working as an Acting instructor, and film coach, and I’ve spoken with Voyage previously about my career shift, and navigating what that looked like and felt like, coming out of it and walking into this year being a published author. You see during the great pause of twenty-twenty I faced the most anxiety I had ever faced in my entire life. I had always been a friend of anxiety from the earliest age of four I had felt the bristles of anxiety creep around me. But this new breed of anxiety was different. I was isolated and had nowhere to channel my thoughts. One night sitting in bed with my husband, and out of desperation I told him I needed to get these thoughts out of my head, he gifted me a brand new computer and within two weeks I wrote my first full-length novel, I thought that it would just stop there that I had gotten out my pent up frustration, and channeled this locked up creativity. But it didn’t stop there, I kept writing and by September I had written five full-length novels. I had built myself a career in the middle of a time of silence, and I started submitting my manuscripts to literary agents and publishing houses and received my fair share of rejections. But then on November third twenty-twenty, I got a letter from a publishing house offering me a contract to publish my novel “Good Hope.” the pandemic affected the publishing industry, and I settled on a hybrid contract, which was terrifying, as my husband was the sole financial contributor in our household, but it happened, and this year, along with Olympia Publishing company I will be releasing my debut novel, and have been put on retainer for three more novels. I found healing inside my novels, my characters are flawed, human, and facing life situations. I found healing within the pages of my books, inside the words, and conflicts, their relationships, and triumphs.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well first of all. The St. Pete Pier! It has everything we need and more. We’d go for a lovely walk first thing in the morning, then we’d drive to Hogg Batch coffee, because #supportlocal. While we sip on our fresh brew we’d drive around with the AC blasting and go see as many murals as we could find! Then we’d stop off at Tombolo Books, because… We know why, and take some amazing photos in the garden of Black Crow. For lunch, we’d drive all the way to St.Pete Beach and get ourselves some take-out… Your choice and eat it on the beach. For dinner, we’d go back dress up, and go to Copa for amazing apps and drinks!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Yes! In Twenty-Twenty I started working with the St.Petian, a local organization focused on equity in all policies, alongside Meiko Seymour, and a team of amazing women, like Simone Seymour, Alyssa Beddard, Bianca Mieses, who all in their own lanes advocate for equity. When I started working with the St.Petian we had a team meeting, we were asked what our dream would be, I answered, “To be a published author.” they all interrupted me, and said, “You are a published author, we speak life around here.” I held onto their words, through all of the rejection, and even through the self-doubt. So I recognize all of them, for their support, and their mentorship.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacey.e.haught/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.stacey.e.haught

Other: Tiktok- staceyehaught

Image Credits
Garden Photo by: Allessia Calandra