Bly Forsythe was often disciplined in school for writing short stories on notebook paper when she should have been studying or working on homework. She felt confined by restrictions on writing assignments in class and dreamt of diving into the stories of adventure and magic she concocted in her mind.
Forsythe, a Yelm resident who grew up in Illinois, is now an independent author who writes novels based on those very intricate worlds that she daydreamed about. Her books vary in genre and target audience, as she has released two fantasy romance novels for adults, four young adult novels, one standalone young adult novel and a science-fiction dystopian young adult novel.
She splits her work into two pen names while keeping her real name a secret. Bly Forsythe is the name she uses for her mature books while she releases her young adult novels under the name B.T. Sinclair so that younger readers don’t accidentally buy a book meant for a more mature audience.
After moving to Yelm three years ago, Forsythe was inspired to write her first book, “The Lost Library,” because of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She always had an interest in writing fictional novels but had never taken stock in the idea until her move out West.
“I had never lived on the West Coast before, so everything was a beautiful surprise. It rains so much here that we were always stuck inside, and I am not a very outdoorsy person,” she said. “I was like, ‘Well, now I have this time. Why don’t I sit down and actually try to write and create something?’ I was really happy with it. I was proud of myself for doing it. I got the bug, and I can’t stop writing.”
Forsythe’s ideas often come to her right before she falls asleep or from places that she visits or explores online. She even built a book series based on a Pinterest post featuring photos of Maryland.
“An idea will come to me and it’ll be very vague, but I take off from there. It can be artwork that I find, but for the most part, I try not to research the artwork too much because I don’t want it to affect what I think of it initially,” Forsythe said.
She began writing books for herself to scratch her creative itch, but she realized that her stories could satisfy audiences of all ages, including her 3-year-old daughter. As a child, Forsythe loved when her parents would read books to her every night before she went to sleep. Her mother read “Nancy Drew” books to her while her father read “whatever sci-fi book he was reading.”
Now, Forsythe enjoys reading to her daughter at night, and while her books are meant for older audiences, she said her daughter likes to listen and stare at the books. Forsythe appreciates how her love for literature came full circle and how her name is now on the cover of books that she would have wanted to read as a child.
“I think about that all the time, especially having a daughter of my own. I wonder if maybe she’ll feel the same way when she’s my age,” she said of her family’s passion for books. “I really think my parents reading to me all the time when I was younger is the reason that I am the way that I am and love doing this so much.”
Forsythe also works in web design, marketing and search engine optimization. She uses her education in business administration and public relations for clients as well as for her own brand as an independent author in order to reach new audiences.
“I moonlight as an author but I daylight as someone that does SEO, web design, marketing and stuff like that. I like doing giveaways to local people when a new book comes out because even if they don’t win, they still follow you and are interested and like your work,” Forsythe said. “I’ve been doing the SWAE Night Market in Lacey, and I’ve been having great luck there. I’ve sold out every single time I’ve done an event there.”
Forsythe is currently working on the third book of her fantasy romance series “Secrets of Silver Grove” following the July 21 release of the second book, subtitled “Legacy.” She is also starting a new fantasy romance series about a siren and a pirate king.
Forsythe’s books are available on her website, https://www.realmweaver.co/category/all-products, Amazon, Audible and Barnes & Noble.
