WHY I WRITE by Hilary Coombes

by Natalie key | 19 April 2025

Hilary is a women’s fiction author with a passion for powerful storytelling, heartfelt characters, and the occasional 3 a.m. rewrite.

Hilary Coombes

I write because it’s as essential to me as breathing. Even if no one ever read a word, I’d still write - because I have to. It’s how I make sense of the world, how I explore emotions, and how I bring characters to life.

I’ve written since childhood, and there are plenty of awful early stories hidden away in my loft - each one part of the journey toward becoming a published author. These days, I write women’s contemporary fiction: emotional, gritty, and rooted in real human experience. Before fiction, I wrote academic books and articles, but now I much prefer the freedom of storytelling - where I can imagine, create, and step into lives far removed from my own.

My most recent work is SIBLINGS: Emma’s Story, coming out in June 2025 with The Book Guild. It’s part of a series inspired by my own adoption experience. I was adopted as a baby - handed over a pub bar at just nine days old - and reunited with my birth family almost fifty years later. The stories are fictional, but the emotions are deeply real.

As for how I write - well, physically, straight onto a computer. Mentally, it’s a chaotic mix of plotting, improvising, and panicking when my characters go rogue. I start with a plan, but it rarely survives. Some nights, I’m woken by characters demanding a rewrite. Resistance is futile - they won’t let me sleep otherwise.

I don’t keep a strict writing routine. I used to write at stupid-o-clock in the mornings before the school run or work meetings. Now, I write whenever it’s quiet and inspiration strikes. Writing isn’t just something I do. It’s part of me. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.