LIVERPOOL, NS -
Elizabeth Hayes is one busy lady.
The Liverpool woman’s time is divided between Lizzie Timewarp Stationery, her publishing company Navarone Books, providing closed-captioning services for TV and video, writing screenplays and pilot scripts for TV and penning novels.
“I'm kind of a workaholic and my brain never stops. I think I've learned how to work with ADD instead of struggling with it,” she says.
Hayes’ career began in the world of publishing. Having been published by Highlights for Children Magazine and by CTB-McGraw Hill, she went on to work for an American publishing company for five years. The next logical step, she says, was to create her own publishing company.
Thus, in 2010, Navarone Books was born. She says there are just so many stories in the world and writers contribute in a way that no other industry does.
“Writers take ideas out of thin air and create something tangible that allows others to experience something brand new,” she says. “Books can change lives, can make long winters tolerable, and transport people to other planets. The power of a book cannot be underestimated.”
Hayes says she is thrilled to provide an opportunity for writers to be able to reach their audience.
Currently, Navarone Books has published spiritual books, children's fantasy books, teen books, and some other nonfiction. Right now, she says, the door is open to any genre. The goal for 2018 is to expand the content and reach.
This past summer, Hayes launched a new business, Lizzie Timewarp Stationery. The idea for a stationery line came from her passion for writing, paper, and notebooks, and she found it cheaper to feed her planner and notebook addiction by publishing them herself.
“I was publishing planners with Navarone Books, which mainly deals with fiction and nonfiction, so I didn't really feel like there was a place for the planners and notebooks there,” she says.
The best solution was to start a separate company to deal solely with the stationery products. Thus, Lizzie Timewarp’s online Etsy shop was created.
Etsy is an e-commerce website that sells handmade, vintage or craft items and supplies. Sellers can showcase their items and sell directly to shoppers. Consumers are able to search Etsy by topic or by location. It’s similar to online giant eBay but focuses on hand-crafted or vintage goods.
Hayes currently sells washi tape (a Japanese-style paper decorative tape) that many people use to decorate their planners or notebooks or use in card-making, scrapbooking or other paper projects. She also designs and sells planner stickers and will be adding those to her shop early in 2018. Hayes has also published a colourful 2017/2018 planners and other notebooks, which are currently available in online shops like Amazon.
Hayes is now working on a dot-grid ringed notebook.
“The dot-grid notebooks are very popular for bullet journals, which seem to be all the rage, and I've actually done bullet journaling this past year,” she says.
Hayes says its a surprisingly powerful way to stay organized.
Through it all, Hayes manages to stay organized, and thrives on her busy lifestyle.
“My goal is excellence and I sometimes have to sacrifice time for quality,” she says. “Things generally take six-times longer to do than I think it will, but I'm always pleased with the result!”
Go online: Learn more at www.LizzieTimewarp.com
