BEING told by her son “Mum, all you say is blah blah blah”, was a light-bulb moment for author Aly Walsh.
“It was a crazy morning trying to get everyone ready,” the Yarraville resident recalls.
“My son sort of stopped and looked me directly in the eye and said it. I thought, ‘What a great title for a book’.
About her book My Mum Says “Blah Blah Blah”, she says: “I wanted to write a story to show my son that there are consequences of actions, particularly negative, if you choose not to listen to your parents when they are trying to guide you.”
This is a personal quest for Walsh, who believes, having had a difficult childhood, she could have led a different life if she hadn’t made the choices she did.
Those choices have led to a successful career, working as the office manager for federal treasurer Peter Costello until he resigned in 2009. At that time, Walsh decided to reassess her priorities and decided to take a step back and find work to fit around her children.
She continues to work with state politicians, does public relations and marketing for a mortgage broker and also works at the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma.
On top of this, she looks after her son, Spencer, 7, and daughter Lillian, 4, and has six more children’s books waiting to be published.
Her next book, When I Left, is written for children who have lost someone special and was inspired by the loss of her grandmother when she was young.
“I’m not aspiring to be the next JK Rowling,” she said. “I hope to inspire others and if I manage to inspire someone then my job is done. If I can do it, anyone can.”
