GUY SIGLEY is a writer and podcaster. His novel Anxious Hearts is a tender modern romance that explores love, mental health, and the pressures of living up to impossible expectations in today’s fast-paced world.
We caught up with guy to find out the inspiration behind the novel and what the most challenges parts were to write.
ABOUT THE BOOK
ABOUT THE BOOKIf crushing anxiety and an all-consuming drive to succeed rule your life, can there still be room for love?
Kelly O’Mara is relentless in her pursuit of excellence. In her late twenties, she’s an outstanding junior doctor preparing to sit her specialist paediatric exams. She will sacrifice friendships, a social life and romance to be the best among her peers. But this self-imposed pressure means she’s constantly on edge – an explosion waiting to happen.
Finn Walsh understands Kelly better than anyone. On the surface, he’s a successful actor, but behind the television smile he’s battling an overwhelming fear that every move he makes could lead to disaster. Anxious, self-loathing and plagued by a sense of impending doom, away from the camera Finn struggles to hold back the darkness of everyday life.
Kelly and Finn have been inseparable since childhood; two broken souls with a powerful bond. Through their shared struggles and quiet understanding, they’ve always been each other’s safe place, source of healing and strength. Until now, when the oppressive weight of their own fears and expectations has begun to overwhelm them both. A rift opens in their relationship, gradually sending each of them into a toxic spiral.
How much will these flawed but fiercely loyal friends be willing to sacrifice to save each other … and themselves?
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MEET GUY SIGLEY
MEET GUY SIGLEY
What inspired your novel Anxious Hearts?
I started writing Anxious Hearts in December 2020; the middle of the pandemic. Through those terrible years, my mental health deteriorated and I began seeing a psychologist who recommended some academic texts that dealt with similar anxiety disorders to my own.
Reading about other people’s experiences helped to improve my state of mind, and writing about it was both therapeutic and rewarding. I conceived of a story about the hidden fight with anxiety that was not always obvious and did not always target the people you might expect. I also wanted to write a love story about two people who had loved each other since childhood but could not be together. From there, Kelly and Finn were born.
Are there any parts of you or your family that have shaped the characters of Anxious Hearts?
Kelly’s world is based on my wife’s experiences during her own Basic Physician Training. I had seen the insane hours, the need for a single-minded focus on studying, the night shifts, and the inherent sexism in the medical profession (especially when she was pregnant). I built all of this into Kelly’s world, albeit in a different decade that also includes social media, cancellations and never-ending surveillance. And, while my wife is a powerhouse, she is far more stable and measured than Kelly!
In the book we see how Finn is silently struggling with his mental health. Why was it important to you to explore this?
As someone who experiences anxiety, I know how challenging it can be to speak openly about its impacts. When your life appears successful from the outside looking in, the idea that you could have ‘anything to worry about’ can seem ridiculous. But Finn’s anxiety is not based in rational thought, and so his response – to struggle in silence – is not rational either. I think there’s a level of guilt attached to experiencing anxiety ‘for no good reason’, so trying to battle it alone can feel like the only way through.
Both Kelly and Finn have long shared their struggles. How did you go about developing their friendship and bond?
Exclusive vulnerability is the bedrock of their relationship. Because they are so open with each other, they share a level of trust that can only be built through raw honesty.
What was the most challenging part of writing this novel?
I’ve never talked in detail about my own experience of anxiety in any public way. So to use it as the basis for Finn’s character and to model his thought process on my own was both challenging and terrifying, but I hope it makes him a more authentic character.
Have you always wanted to write? And where did you get your passion for writing?
I wrote my first two manuscripts while completing my law degree in the late ’90s and my third following a solo drive from Melbourne to Darwin after my graduation. I was inspired by John McDouall Stuart’s journals and wrote a fictionalised account of the explorer’s journey through the centre of Australia in the 1860s.
I went on to write more manuscripts before embarking on the perilous self-publishing route for my romantic comedy novel, Barney. I made no money and then did the only sensible thing; write and self-publish two more books in the series! It took me around three years to write Anxious Hearts as I juggled full time work, a young family, and my own mental health struggles. I believe it is my most raw and heartfelt story that captures the emotions, difficulties, and triumphs of life and love in the modern world.
What do you hope readers carry with them after reading Anxious Hearts?
Anxious Hearts is a love story, but it’s also a statement to anxiety sufferers that you are seen and understood. From personal experience, I know that anxiety can make you feel completely alone and bereft of hope. But there is always a way forward, and there will always be somebody to support you. Life is hard, and we all need someone to stand by our side. We all need a Kelly or Finn.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Guy Sigley was born to parents who were both in the entertainment industry. Guy studied Law and Arts at Deakin University but soon found out that excessive study really got in the way of reading fiction. After eventually graduating with a double degree, Guy started writing after being inspired by his favourite authors. As well as being a writer, Guy is a podcaster.
He experimented with two seasons of the music and 90s-themed, The Guy Sigley Show, and is now in his fourth year of hosting The One-Eyed Dog podcast with his twin brother, Dave, and great mate, Smitty, all about the Western Bulldogs AFL club.
Guy has coached junior soccer and netball, having never played either game, was a committee member of the local soccer club, dabbles in goal umpiring, and enjoys an occasional stint on the boundary.
He lives in Melbourne with his wife, who is a doctor, three children and a ragdoll cat.
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