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Nicola J Rowley

Author Nicola J Rowley

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Children's Authors Walton-on-Thames

It’s OK To Be Tired…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

It’s ok to be tired…

Right now everything feels as if it’s quite hard going.

But I believe that it’s in these moments when you’re feeling run down and tired, that you just have to step away, rest, re-focus and start again.

Because having no energy for anything isn’t going to help anyone; least of all yourself.

I know it’s hard if you’re anything like me, as I’m so used to running here and there at breakneck speed. But in the end, something has to give and it’s much better for everyone if that’s not you or your health.

I love the below quote by Banksy because it’s so true.

“If you get tired, learn to rest not to quit.”

Giving up isn’t an option, so taking a bit of time away from everything and regrouping is a much better choice.

And then with a renewed focus and energy, amazing things can start to happen once more.

Things like starting to work with a publishing genius to pull together a proposal for a new book for instance. But for now, that will have to wait for another day… x

Writing & Running…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

Writing and running…

I often think that writing is a bit like running, especially when you’re facing a longer distance,

You begin with the best of intentions, but then sometimes when you get going, something doesn’t quite feel right and it starts to feel really difficult, as if everything isn’t quite coming together.

The way I’ve managed to get around this with running, is to break everything down into time segments. Telling myself I only have another five minutes to go, and then once I reach that point, I re-start and do it all over again. The amount of times I have managed a mile and thought I couldn’t do any more, but have somehow achieved it – by using the above mindset technique, is astonishing. It also helped me run three half marathons too.

It’s like anything.

If you’re thinking about starting something such as writing a chapter book, the expected word count can feel quite daunting when it’s stretching out in front of you.

But if you break it down into how many chapters you need and then concentrate on writing one at a time, it’s amazing how much easier everything feels.

Setting yourself goals for any part of your life, personal, work, business is really key for you to be able to get to where you want.

Start with the bigger stretch goals for the year, then break them down month by month and then week by week, day by day as to what you intend to achieve.

By getting intentional it’s amazing how much you can do.

When I look back at the whole of my author journey so far, sometimes I have to pinch myself about what I have managed to achieve.

Two books published, a third being previewed by a panel of targeted Beta Readers and now I’m writing my fourth, something I never would have said would be possible.

But somewhere along the line, I got intentional and gave myself permission to achieve all of this. And this is what you can do too if you want to and indeed choose to.

You see we have a choice with everything.

Either put those trainers on and take those first initial steps or stay put where you feel safe and most at home. But the thing about the latter is that at some point you will be left wondering about what if you had taken those steps after all… x

Being Guided By A Nine Year Old…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

Being guided by a nine-year-old…

The writing of my new book is well and truly underway and although things will definitely need to be tweaked, I’m up to about five-thousand words.

Which, considering everything that is going on at this end, is no mean feat.

I carved out the time last night and I wrote and I learnt more about what made my nine-year-old hero tick. Described how he feels when he runs, cheered him on as he made new friends, and found his way in what is quite a difficult situation and story (which does have a happy ending I hasten to add).

You see, every child has a story and some are more difficult to tell than others.

I even doubted whether this was the right path to follow, but met with a long-standing friend last week, whose opinion I really value. Not only is she a mum, but up until recently was a Teaching Assistant so has been immersed into the ways of school life and children of the same age.

And she assured me, sometimes the difficult stories are the ones that resonate the best.

So I have continued and I’m really glad that I have, as I do believe it’s a heart-warming story that needs to be told.

And I really, really like him. Everything about his struggle and how he’s going to overcome it. So for now my days are being guided by a nine-year-old and a pretty brave one at that… x

This Week…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

These last few days have been peppered with some of the loveliest messages from my Beta Readers who are now starting to receive their copies of their Middle-Grade books.

Tales of how they are taking my instructions very seriously and squirrelling their copies away in their rooms, through to the children who are now reading the book as one of their class texts.

Each and every one of these messages is incredibly special, as it just shows how far I’ve come and what I’ve managed to achieve in a relatively short space of time.

And then there are the photos I’m being sent of my lovely readers with their copies of the book. It’s such a lovely thing to see. I’m really looking forward to hearing their thoughts on the story – warts and all and hope that they will be really forthcoming with any feedback.

You see, by putting yourself out there, things do come back in a really special way.

From getting to experience magical moments during school visits, or being able to make a difference to a child one book at a time, it’s such a privilege. And one for which I’m truly grateful.

It would of course been very easy to have skipped this stage, but then I would have been none the wiser about any improvements that could be made,

So if you’re thinking about starting a new project or taking on a task that scares you, please remember this. What is it they say, fortune favours the brave? Don’t you owe it to yourself to give your dreams a chance, one small step at a time? x

Taking That First Step

by Nicola Jane Rowley

Taking that first step…

Now that my second book has been published, I get approached all the time by aspiring authors who want to know how I have done and achieved what I have.

What is the magic formula for being able to sell books, to promote them and to be able to reap the rewards?

One of the hardest things for me was to actually get started.

Let’s face it, there were moments in my life where I had time, but instead, I chose to fill them by doing something else when I could and arguably should have concentrated on my writing.

There were also times when I had ideas for books, and even on one or two occasions started them, but then somehow never really saw anything through and thought better of it.

And it was only when J came along, many many years later, that everything started to click into place.

I believe that we all have a purpose and that is often borne out by what you’re most talented at and what lights you up.

It’s this thing that we should be concentrating on more than anything else.

But it’s also the getting started, and taking that action in the right direction that can be tricky.

But you will find, as I have done, that once you do start, then everything somehow feels right. It’s not necessarily easy, but things definitely feel as if you’re not wading through treacle all the time either. And the more you put yourself out there, the more you’re likely to get back too.

So if this is you and you’re thinking about writing a book, or would like to get started remember that everything begins and finishes with you. If you choose to get out of your own way to make something happen and take that initial leap – who knows what could happen?

I’m willing to bet that exciting things are just around the corner for you when you do… x

An Odd Week

by Nicola Jane Rowley

I’m sure for many of you who are UK based in particular, it’s been a bit of a strange week with snow days and juggling childcare and the like.

At this end it has been no different, but it’s also been a defining week in terms of me knowing exactly what I don’t want.

You see on one of the days that nursery was shut, there was a point where J told me, “Mummy I don’t love you any more…”

It’s not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear on any level. But he’s three and while it broke my heart, I completely understood where he was coming from.

In his defence, I was knee-deep in work, which couldn’t just be switched off or put down, and he just wanted some quality time with me, which at that point I couldn’t give him. It didn’t help that his Dad was also knee-deep in work, and also couldn’t just stop what he was doing.

And so more now than ever it makes me want to get to the place that I need to be, because whilst I’m sure those words will come from him when he’s a teenager or as part of an argument somewhere further down the line, it stung just that little bit more, because we’re usually so close.

It’s been a reminder too that my dreams are sitting there waiting for me to take action and make them happen. If I allow myself to procrastinate and not get anywhere then I only have myself to blame.

Moving forward, one step at a time, no matter how slowly is vital if I’m to keep the momentum going.

And so I sat down last night and I made a start on an outline of a new book. A new story this time for 7-9-year-old’s. The main character is incredibly special but I already really like him, and the world that he is surrounded by, even if he’s unsure about it all right now.

Most importantly, it’s a step in the right direction.

And after I’d sat and written that outline and the first chapter – almost 1,000 words were written. I may well look at it again and think better of it, but it’s a story I’ve been thinking about for a while, and if you have an idea no matter how small, you never know where it can take you.

So I’m back to writing another chapter book. Because I know where this one ends – that was the easy part. Now I just need to work out all the rest in between as the story unfolds.

And so from a somewhat odd week, has come something new and exciting. A 9-year-old boy just imagined, is helping me to get to where I need to be.

Keep moving forward, whatever you do – one step at a time. Amazing things will happen when you least expect them to… x

Making Your Dreams Come True – A Reality Check…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

Last November the best storyteller I know (second only to Roald Dahl) passed away.

My dad used to tell me the most fantastical bedtime stories and in one of them, he created an incredibly special character. At the time and for many years afterwards, I pleaded with him to write it down and capture the story.

On one occasion when I was much older, he tried, but many years had passed and the magic of those bedtime moments had somehow gone.

It’s not that I grew up, because I know for sure that it was a truly magical world that he created. It’s that he didn’t seize the moment and take action.

As a child I even drew an image of what the character should look like and he pinned it to a board in our garage. It stayed there until we moved home a couple of years later.

I was nine years-old.

And I’m sad to say he never got around to writing that book.

Because as is the case for so many of us, the busyness of life got in the way.

There was too much else going on to find the space to create.

He worked full time in London, then had his hands full with myself and my brother when he came home afterwards.

But to me it feels like such a waste.

Now that I’m a mum I can’t help but think I don’t want my little boy to be disappointed in the same way.

To think that, “Wow my mum’s really creative, but what has she created?”

So I’m sharing this with you now because it means that I have to follow through with it.

There is no way that I can re-capture that amazing magical world imagined by my dad.

But in his memory, I am going to try to honour the character through name if by nothing else.

And it is this book that I’m going to dedicate myself to write next.

It’s a story for older children – ages seven to nine, because this is around the same time that my dad inspired me. The same time I discovered Roald Dahl, and the same time I fell head over heels in love with poetry.

I hope that it will prove to be as magical as the original story was for me.

It’s going to be a lot of work, but as it’s in honour of a very special man, it will be a true labour of love.

The reason for me telling you all of this – is that if you have a dream you have to follow it.

Take action and make it happen.

Even if you take small steps.

Every. Single. Day.

Don’t let anything or anyone steer you from your chosen course.

Your dreams are precious and there is a reason that you have them.

And when it all feels as if it’s getting too much just remember that IMPOSSIBLE actually spells out I’M POSSIBLE.

Because you know that you are.

And so are your dreams.

Nicola x

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The Children’s Book Launch for James and the Amazing Gift

by Nicola Jane Rowley

I have woken today so full of gratitude after what can only be described as an amazing book launch at London’s Ham Yard Hotel.

When I first came up with the concept for James and the Amazing Gift, never in my wildest dreams could I imagine the journey that I would begin.

Like any story, this one very much has a beginning, middle and end. I know that I’m very much at the beginning, and that so much more is yet to come.

There are two hopes for the story; that it inspires a generation of young readers to love books, and that it reminds us how a small act of kindness, can make a big difference.

Something as simple as a smile can have a great impact on those who are feeling isolated or lonely, or are just having a bad day.

Last night, as I realised my childhood dream to become a published author, I was reminded how lucky I am.

I am beyond grateful for everyone who has supported me in this journey so far, but most of all to Matt and James.

Thank you James for being my daily inspiration and I’m so glad that you enjoyed being ‘guest of honour’ at the launch. Matt, I don’t know how I would do all of this without you by my side.

As most of you are aware, £1 from every copy sold goes to Contact the Elderly. It was great to have them there last night, especially Maria, one of their beneficiaries whose life has been transformed by the charity. If you too would like to support the amazing work they do, you can buy a copy of the book HERE.

In the meantime, here are the beautiful images from last night’s launch of James and the Amazing Gift… x