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Nicola J Rowley

Author Nicola J Rowley

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Children's Books

Random Acts of Kindness and a Balloon…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day – as with all of these days, it’s a chance to take stock and look at what we can do to make things better. In this case for others.

ey Author of James and the Birthday Balloon on Random Acts of Kindness Day
Children’s Author Nicola J Rowley


My story for this week begins not with what I’ve done for someone else, but the impact that an act of kindness, has had on me.

Many years ago when I was six and McDonalds was a new thing (I know I know I’m showing my age), mum and dad took myself and a group of my then friends on an outing to Southend to celebrate my birthday.

I was so excited. It involved a train journey, a behind-the-scenes visit to the Maccy D’s branch in question, where I was able to make milkshakes and was treated to a visit from Ronald McDonald himself, where he gave us enormous balloons each as a memento.

I loved every minute of it. But whilst on the train back home and playing with my enormous balloon, it burst. I was understandably gutted. It was my pride and joy from an amazing day. I sat and cried.

But one girl who was on the outing with us, called Susan, without any hesitation, gave me her balloon.

It was an incredibly kind thing to do, as every one of us loved our balloons. As it does, when you’re six, immediately put a smile on my face once more and birthday happiness was restored.

Now here’s the thing – in that moment, that lack of selfishness and simple giving had a profound effect on me.

So much so, that this is what inspired my second book, James and the Birthday Balloon.

Little did six-year-old Susan or my six-year-old self realise just how far-reaching a simple yet profound act of kindness could have.

So, on this Random Act of Kindness Day, I want to thank Susan – because what she did was really special.

And please know that you too, just through the smallest acts of kindness.

A smile, a simple hello to an elderly person in the street, a heartfelt message to someone who reaches out to you, can make a world of difference.

Not only on awareness days like today – but always.

Be kind everyone – for you never know the impact it will have on others… x

ps If you would like to help spread the kindness message with your children – James and the Birthday Balloon and James and the Amazing Gift can both be purchased from Amazon

My Journey As A Children’s Author From Hersham, Surrey

by Nicola Jane Rowley

We moved to Hersham, Surrey in January 2013 from Greenwich in South East London, where the cars passed the end of our road 24-hours a day and I felt as if I hadn’t slept properly for five years.

My photography business was in its infancy and I was working full time as a Group Publicity Manager in Hammersmith. At that time, the drive into work was great – especially as I would quite often work long hours, starting early and finishing late so I missed all of the traffic.

And then in August 2014 everything changed.

Our son J was born and I realised very quickly how foolish I had been to assume that I would want to return to work full-time just nine months later. Thankfully my photography business was starting to go from strength to strength and it enabled me to stretch my maternity leave out to a full 12 months.

During this time off, I used to make the most of the area by running as much as I could. I was also in need of losing lots of baby weight, so it was a win-win to get me out of the house and stay fit at the same time.

During one of my many runs (there was a lot of weight to lose) I thought about what had happened at the swimming pool earlier that week. After his lesson, I was getting J changed and there was a little girl around the same age (four months or so) who was crying uncontrollably. Nothing her mum said or did would comfort her.

That lunchtime whilst J napped, I went to my laptop and I wrote a story about a little boy who liked to spread happiness through small acts of kindness. His name was not surprisingly, James.

J was just lying there kicking about and smiling. Then all of a sudden he looked at the little girl, reached out to her, and held her hand. He then followed it up with a very wide toothless grin. The little girl immediately fell silent – looked at J and then she too smiled back. To say that her mum was grateful was an understatement, but on my run that day, what struck me was the impact J had managed to have on someone else, with the power of his smile.

I’d always intended to use the time of my maternity leave to write a book. It’s what I’d always wanted to do and why I’d originally trained as a journalist, but life had somehow always got in the way. My plan though had been to write a fictional one, so it came as a bit of a surprise that I’d written a children’s picture book instead.

On returning to work full-time, it became apparent very quickly that I was miserable. I missed being with J – and was struggling with the transition of going back to the office. The traffic on the A3 was horrendous too, now that I was governed by nursery pick up times.

It was during this time as I sought solace in my photography business, that I met a business coach online. We talked about everything and anything and as part of one of these sessions she asked me, “Why do we keep coming back to the writing?”

The answer came, “Well I’ve written a book.” And after asking me what I was doing about it, I realised I owed it to myself and J to get it off the laptop and into print.

That is the background to how my debut children’s picture book James and the Amazing Gift, came about.

As part of the re-drafting process I decided that I wanted to also pay it forward and help others, which is why it made sense for me to team up with the wonderful charity Contact the Elderly so that £1 from every copy sold would go to them.

With my PR /Communications hat on – I successfully managed to become a Huffington Post blogger, secure coverage in Woman and Home magazine, Female First and in the Daily Mirror and stage a VIP launch in central London. Locally I was featured in the Surrey Advertiser, on BBC Surrey and BBC Sussex and Brooklands Radio.

And as the success of the book grew, more and more people asked me about what I was doing next.

I knew that I already had a formula that worked with James at the heart of any story so it made sense to have another James and the story. Now I just had to find a way to enable me to take the next book to a different level.

That is when I came up with the idea of having a well-known personality narrate an audiobook for me. Because the story looks at children being scared of going to hospital, I approached Dr Ranj (CBeebies Get Well Soon and ITV’s This Morning) and I’m delighted to say he came on board.

So for every copy of James and the Birthday Balloon sold, Evelina London Children’s Hospital will receive a £1 donation. And best of all – the paperback contains the free audiobook narrated by Dr Ranj.

Since the book came out it has gone on to win the Red Ribbon Prize in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards as well as being named Children’s Book of the Year 2017 by the Online Book Club.

And my reason for doing all of this?

It’s never wavered. I just want to be the best mum that I can be and for J to grow up knowing that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

Nicola J Rowley will be visiting schools in and around Hersham throughout the year, but particularly around World Book Day in March. If you would like Nicola to visit your child’s school please contact her HERE

James and the Birthday Balloon is available to buy online at Amazon UK

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

There’s Something Special About This Book…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

Something happened this week, which made me incredibly happy.

As you’re aware, if you have been following this blog for any length of time – the first draft of my Middle-Grade book is now finished.

This week, I received the comments back from my Editor and…

There is still much to be done – but she thinks the story is really strong. Cue a little happy dance at this end!
I so easily could have set aside six weeks of my life to write it and the first person who read it think it wasn’t up to scratch.

I can’t even begin to tell you how happy it made me feel.

Now I don’t know why or even how but as I’ve mentioned before, there’s something about this book that’s special.
And as soon as I started going through the comments, I found myself being sucked back into the world of my main character.

I can honestly say it’s one of my favourite places to be. That and spending time with my two boys of course :-).

The really special thing about this book is that one of the main characters was dreamt up for me by my dad.

He used to tell me stories about him when I was just nine years-old.

And I begged him to write them down. I even sketched out in my limited artistic ability back then, what he would look like.

That drawing stayed, taped to the wall of our garage at our old home for years until we moved.

I can still see it now but sadly can’t remember exactly what the stories were about – other than they were magical and had this character and one other at their heart.

Sadly, my dad was very creative but never got around to writing that book.

And I guess this is the reason for this post.

It was a missed opportunity, and if you have something you are thinking about doing – don’t just let it pass you by until it’s too late.

Thankfully becoming a mum made me realise how precious every single moment is.

It’s made me want to set an example to my son so that he grows up knowing that you can follow your dreams and you should never give up.

I have however chosen to look on this missed opportunity as something else.

I see it as my dad’s gift to me because, without the name of that character, I never would have started writing the story.

And once it’s re-drafted and is in as good a shape as it can be, I hope that a literary agent will see it for what it is.

A special story and a tribute to someone who I loved very much.

Happy weekend all whatever you’re up to and never stop believing in yourself… x

ps the image above is where I wrote most of the book so I thought it the most apt to accompany this post x

Announcing My Second Book – James and the Birthday Balloon…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

I’m really excited to share with you the front cover of my new book James and the Birthday Balloon.

As you can see from the writing in the balloon, the other piece of news is that I’ve teamed up with the fabulous TV’s Dr Ranj (CBeebies Get Well Soon and ITV’s This Morning) who’s recorded an audio version of the story for me. 

A FREE copy of the audio book will be available with every purchase of the book.

James and the Birthday Balloon is due to be published on 1st November.

And as I did with James and the Amazing Gift, I’ve teamed up with another wonderful charity – this time Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Here’s a special video filmed on the day we completed the recording…

http://bit.ly/2t69ZYK