Updates:

Hallo & Welcome! I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and doing well. Every time I write our world has changed so much! We all see the changes, slowly & surely with some coming in very quickly. I really feel for our youngsters. Today their future is the brightest star in our night sky. They are so precious. Producing my first children's book and aspiring it to be an exquisite book to bring joy, entertain & inspire our kids, has been a long hall, complicated & delayed by the virus. Finally, it is ready. My hope is that children everywhere will be able to see & enjoy the diversity of the amazing animals and places that share our incredibly beautiful planet Earth. At the age of seven I was lucky enough to have had a teacher who with her husband had filmed the animals of Kenya. I vowed that one day I would go there. Luckily for me I did.
In Freddie's Toy Tales the colourful illustrations of some of our favourite animals were 'born' in the USA thanks to Jossam in Louisiana, while the exquisite cover was designed by local kiwi artist Emma Gustafson. Believe it or not there are three versions of Freddie's Toy Tales. We have made a very special "Special Edition" right here in New Zealand. It is gorgeous with even brighter colour illustrations and a cover the children will delight in.
You will also see that I chose a new pen name for the children "Lulu Walters" I hope you like it! The 3 versions of Freddie's Toy Tales, e-book, soft copy and a very Special Edition can be found here: https://www.louisehaywardbooks.com/Product.html
Thank you for being a part of this and sending lots of good wishes your way.

- Lulu Walters | Louise Hayward

'Everyone is saying how fast time is flying!' Well, that's how I opened my previous set of 'thoughts' here! Somehow with lockdown, most of us have found that time has slowed down in ways we never imagined. I do hope that you and your loved ones are safe and continue to be safe. During this time, I locked myself away from my family so that I could take time out with the wonderful surrounding nature that is here. I have neighbours to talk to over the fence and a beach a few hundred meters away. I found that with all the technology available, I did not get lonely. Fortunately, this time alone has inspired me with my poetry so in turn of course, I hope to inspire you. I have changed tack with my children's nursery rhymes. I had a good long think about it and I felt that the poems I had written for the manuscript last year were not really for the younger children that I was aiming for, so I am saving them for another time. I do love them though. I have a new poem called The Kangaroo Boxer' and there it is in audio form (above) to see what you think. Let me know if you'd like the words plus as always I would love your feedback! Music has been inspiring me and on a regular basis I have loved the live streaming by Fangradio (neilfinn.com & family) plus Passenger Music on Youtube.Definitely part of the reason I don't feel alone. I have included some photos of the beach here so you can get an idea of the freedom it gives. It always looks amazing no matter the weather- sometimes it looks lonely, sometimes moody and sometimes glorious!! Stay safe and thank you for being here too.

- Louise Hayward

Everyone is saying how fast time is flying! And it really is isn't it!!? Since last writing to you, I've moved into a new flat (more conducive to writing!) Am still in Takapuna, close to the water, nature and the Auckland Harbour bridge. We've had some lovely family times and I've enjoyed more time down at the Port. Spring was beautiful and I found a lovely nest of four fledgling thrushes in my pohutukawa tree. It was very noisy with them for a few days as they waited for their Mum to feed them! I felt honoured that they had built their home so close to mine!! I have been to some great shows: Neil Young Supergroup and Bob Geldof and Mick Fleetwood were standouts for me. More to come to inspire! My manuscript for the Children's Book was ready earlier this month. I excitedly presented it to my writing guide and she said "Requires more work Louise!!" So, I'm working away on amending and adjusting it... Thanks to those of you that emailed to give your opinion on 'What children's age group one of my poems belongs to.' If you would like to do this too, please email me louise@louisehaywardbooks.com and I will be in touch! I'd love your opinion! I've enclosed a few photos for you; one is of my family at my sister's birthday, there is one of the thrush fledglings boldly standing up in their nest and a pohutukawa tree so you know what tree they nested in. 😀 I'm also enclosing a pic of me at gorgeous windy North Head, Devonport! I love it up there, going through all the tunnels and having picnics on the grass... with the sea and yachts far below. Almost holiday time! Thank you for your time & interest here. Every good wish to you and your loved ones, Louise

- Louise Hayward

"Hallo and welcome back!! It seems as though summer here is only just ending! It has been wonderful, warm and full of sunshine. Now as it comes to a close, I love seeing the autumn colours breaking through and at the same time the pictures I see from overseas, of gorgeous spring scenes with blossoming trees and colourful blooming flowers. What a world we live in! I had a trip away to beautiful Napier recently, to visit a dear friend I'd met in the bank many years ago! I fell in love with the place and even looked at a few houses down there!! I soon realized that my Mum is too important to me and I'd rather be in Auckland for now! With 'As It Was' the article for The Times/ South Magazine was published as a double page spread! The reporter (Angela Kemp) has written a fantastic very full article - even longer than the one in this magazine HERE(turn for 4 pages in) so I've attached the original longer version too (PDF) for you just in case! It's hilarious really 😄 I have been busy writing and it's all coming along nicely for the children's book! I would love your opinion on what age group one of my poems is..if you're up for it just email me louise@louisehaywardbooks.com and I will be in touch! I'd love your opinion! Thanks very much for your time and interest and I am looking forward to hearing from you 😄 The photo of 'As It Was' & I is taken right on the beach at Port Waikato - hence the big smile. Great photographer too - very experienced on a windy day!"

- Louise Hayward

Kiwi Summer 2019 Hallo! & Welcome! We are having a fantastic summer here and I have been busy with the book as well as starting on a new one! People have said to me that I should write one for the children and so that's exactly what I'm doing. So far writing down at the beach has been very fruitful - somehow its easier to write there. I guess when we are more relaxed most things are easier! I have a photographer coming around on Saturday and even though the photos will probably be taken inside, I feel compelled to tidy up the garden and have the lawn mown again! This is for a magazine a dear friend told me about so I'm quite excited! Very good reviews of 'As It Was' and 150 people rated with 4 or 5 stars at Amazon's Goodreads HERE.
Another lovely thing happened. 'As It Was' is dedicated to Chris Cornell. One of my friends went to his Tribute Concert in Los Angeles last month (Even Metallica played !!) and sent me not one but two wonderful commemorative T-Shirts!! Oh how I treasure them! Thanks Mano! Very special. It's almost Valentine's Day and my birthday, so of course I am taking my wheelbarrow in to work on Thursday! I hope you are thoroughly spoilt and enjoy this very special day of love. Louise

- Louise Hayward

Well! What a year it has been and thank you for being part of this amazing time. I am so thankful that 'As It Was' is out there in the world, online too! To think that this time last year I was looking for an illustrator and 'As It Was' seemed a long way away! So many of you helped the book along the way- thank you and I hope you LOVE it!!
I am so grateful to you all. Such a long list of friends who helped out in some way - we've had the radio interview, the book launch (which was so much fun!) the interview with David, the video and the two readings of the poems.
Having Gray Bartlett at the launch was wonderful and I'm so happy that he attended. It was while I worked with Gray that I started writing poetry and we found out more recently that we both had a very famous and wonderful 'influencer' in the great writer Ernest Hemmingway! 'The Old Man and the Sea' was a huge influence whilst at school, have you read it, incredible story.
Since the launch we've been in the North Shore Times and completed the famous 'Elsewhere' questionaire with my hero music writer Graham Reid. An interview with a Rural Magazine is also scheduled. Alot of my writing was done on the West Coast in a small rural town only metres from the coast. In fact a few miles away, were some of the 'Lord of the Rings' movie location shots.
So beautiful and quiet enough that you can actually think (and write) and have good old fashioned fun. Next year I will start on another 'book' project so we will see how we go :)
Thank you again and I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and the Happiest of Holidays.
P.S. If you enjoyed the book or a poem, I would love it if you wrote a quick review in the 'review section on my facebook page':) www.facebook.com/pg/LouiseHaywardBooks/reviews/

- Louise Hayward

We had our book launch with a fabulous turnout, a reading of two poems by Louise Hayward. Gray Bartlett provided music and it was a lovely atmosphere.
You can view the reading at Ode to Chris Cornell

- Louise Hayward

We've been getting ready for the book to emerge from the printers. We've had a photoshoot, our first review and we've had a radio interview with Tematera at the RedRoom Sessions Radio Show https://soundcloud.com/tematera/ep-41-ft-built-louise-hayward (We are 10 mins from the end at 53mins:) The radio show was so much fun and I hope you enjoy it too.

- Louise Hayward