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Nicola J Rowley

Author Nicola J Rowley

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Surrey Author

Getting Excited about my Middle Grade Book…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

For the most part of today, I sat at my computer writing. Not in the creative sense, but answering emails, writing press releases and the like.

But then, something magical happened. An email arrived telling me that by the end of this week, a proof copy of my book would be delivered to me by courier.

Now I can’t even begin to tell you how happy that made me. I was almost so excited that right then and there I went into excited chatter mode. On days like today, it’s such a great thing that I was working from home!

You see, it means that even if it’s not perfect, a first bound copy of something that should have been written more than three decades ago, will be with me. Physical proof that I have managed to get this far.

It all began in the early eighties with a little girl and a bedtime story.

It has culminated in the creation of a magical world, far beyond my wildest imaginings.

The lucky few of you who have come on board with your children to become beta readers, will also be able to get a glimpse into what I’ve created.

After spending the whole day hardly moving (which I really didn’t enjoy), I walked to collect J from nursery. Sure it was cold and windy, but I needed to stretch my legs and get a bit of perspective on everything.

During that walk I thought about how lucky I am, firstly to be able to have my health, but for everything that I have been fortunate enough to do, see and achieve.

Not a day goes by when I don’t want to remember this and be incredibly grateful for everything and everyone in my life.

Many of you, are I’m sure, facing challenges of some sort or another at the moment. Curve balls that have come at you, sometimes out of the blue. But I’m a firm believer that everything works out in the end. And sometimes with a bit of perspective, it’s easier to see how everything fits into place. I hope that this will be the case for you.

As for the book, I’d like to think that Dad would know that I’ve finally managed to write it. In all fairness it’s what he should have written, if he’d ‘gotten round to it’.

I’ll never know whether he would be proud that I’ve taken his imaginings of a character described in such brilliant bedtime glory and come up with the story that I have.

Perhaps some of us are storytellers, and others provide the essential ingredients to inspire others to do the writing.

Either way, the moment when I get to hold that proof copy of the book, no matter what it looks like, it’s going to be incredibly special… 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

My Amazing Gift by A Mum of One…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but when I first became a mum two years ago, overnight I lost my sense of worth and identity. It was as if I no longer mattered, as my entire world was turned upside down and inside out, with no room for the person I’d been before J arrived.

My Health Visitor picked up on it quite succinctly when she said, “You know that you’re still Nicola, don’t you, and not just J’s mum?” It was one of the many wake-up calls that I needed to try and get myself back on track.

I was determined to shift the four stone that I’d gained whilst pregnant. I’m usually petite, and went from that to my ‘Jabba the Hut’ phase whilst I was pregnant. Afterwards, I had the will power of an Ox, and because I was on maternity leave and had no money, I did a swap for services with a personal trainer, in return for photographs. She really helped me on my journey to lose the weight and slowly but surely I started running again.

It was whilst I was out running one day that it occurred to me how special it was that my four month-old had recently stopped a little girl from crying. Just by reaching out, holding her hand and then smiling to her. It was incredibly powerful.

It also made me think, what if there was such a boy who could do that all the time? Through small acts of kindness, what impact would he have on the world?

Not long afterwards, I sat down during a two hour lunchtime nap, and I wrote the first draft of James and the Amazing Gift.

It’s about a boy who loves to spread happiness and joy wherever he goes. His amazing gift is that when you come into contact with him, he will smile, and you will feel instantly happy.

It’s a simple premise but when you consider that children smile almost ten times as much as adults, there is a big take away in there for us adults too!

I always thought that I would be a writer. It’s the most natural thing in the world to me. But somewhere between school, university and life, I explored other paths; Broadcast Journalism, Communications, Photography. Always though, it’s been the writing that has been at the core of everything.

Being able to write, has definitely given me back my sense of worth and identity. It’s not something that just happened overnight, and there have been a lot of hurdles to overcome along the way.

But if I’m really honest, I’d have to say my ‘Amazing Gift’ is my son.

Without him, I wouldn’t have been inspired to write. And without him, I wouldn’t be a published author. The story is dedicated to him, and I’m grateful every day that he’s here, and has been able to show me the way back to being me, without even realising it.

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

Why we must lead by example and inspire children to be kind to others…

by Nicola Jane Rowley

There I was, sat on a packed Piccadilly tube train at the height of rush hour. All of a sudden as I looked down, I saw an A4 brown envelope wedged between my leg and the glass partition. It contained what looked like important documents. On closer inspection, there were some travel papers including flight tickets. The person who had just vacated the seat, was now long gone but their envelope remained behind. I turned to the passenger next to me and queried what they thought should be done?

Their reply was “just leave them there. It’s nothing to do with us.”

But the tickets were for a flight that was due to leave the UK that same week. I could have ignored it, but I wanted to help. In the moment before I arrived at my destination, I put myself in that person’s shoes. How would I feel if I had left those documents containing my name, email and flight tickets on the tube?

So I took those documents, and when I was home I contacted them, to let them know that everything was in safe hands. We arranged to meet at my workplace and I handed everything over. It was a small act of kindness, which was met with overwhelming gratitude. Did I realise what I had done? And I was “an angel”. I wouldn’t have gone that far, but it struck me, that whilst I had taken this path, others wouldn’t have done.

They would have kept their heads down, denied knowledge of the envelope’s existence, and not reached out to help that person as I had done. But if we opt for the former, what is the message we’re passing on to future generations?

My efforts made little to no difference to me, but changed someone’s day in a way that was unimaginable to them. His smile when he met me, said it all. And I have to say, it made me feel good and also put a smile on my face too.
Doing something unselfishly for someone else felt like the right thing to do. I believe that kindness can be addictive. Once you start reaching out to people, you realise how rewarding it can be. A simple smile as someone goes about their day can have an incredible impact.

World Kindness Day a blog by Nicola J Rowley on the importance of leading by example as we pass things on to children
Illustration from James and the Amazing Gift

Go on, try it. As this Sunday is World Kindness Day, why not use this occasion as an excuse to look up from your book, to see what is going on around you, and just smile at someone. It is a way of saying hello and reaching out. Who knows what type of day that person has had, or what reaction you will get? You may well be pleasantly surprised.

I have been heartened by the news of 4 year-old Norah Woods in the US, who reached out to an elderly gentleman whilst grocery shopping with her mum on her birthday. It’s funny how uninhibited we are as children, but as adults we become so wary of letting anyone know what we’re thinking, or are able to act in the same way.
As a result of Norah’s inhibition and her reaching out to Mr Dan, she and her mum now visit the recently widowed pensioner on a weekly basis. That simple act of saying “hello, it’s my fourth birthday today”, has made a world of difference to both of them.

So as we approach World Kindness Day, let’s use Norah’s example as a way to reach out to each other, to not be afraid of the consequences. Help that little old lady who is struggling with her shopping, smile at the taxi driver, or just be kind to someone you know. But most of all, let’s try and extend being kind to someone, every day of the year. We’re all here together, and wouldn’t it be much better if we can have a child’s eye view of the world and simply spread some happiness?

Publication date for my book – James and the Amazing Gift

by Nicola Jane Rowley

It seems like a long time ago that I came up with the idea of writing my book – James and the Amazing Gift.

I’d been saying for years that I needed to write one, and whilst this isn’t what I initially had in mind, it was an idea that came to me whilst I was out running.

That was early 2015, as I was trying to shift the excess weight caused by my copious cake eating in the latter stages of pregnancy.

Fast forward to now and James and the Amazing Gift has been given a publication date of Friday 28th October.

It’s perfect timing as we head into Christmas, not least because of the messaging behind the book.

I’d love it if the story helped to inspire a young generation of book lovers.

But more than that, I’ve teamed up with a very special UK charity called Contact the Elderly, which helps to combat loneliness among older people.

The charity element isn’t something I planned, but if James and the Amazing Gift as a book, can have a wider impact on others, then all the better.

For every copy sold, I’ll be donating £1 to Contact the Elderly to help raise vital funds for the work they do. I’ve been fortunate enough to see how the tea parties that they arrange can impact, and really change lives.

So whilst I’m busy behind the scenes, getting everything ready for what will be an incredibly busy few weeks, I’d just like to say thank you.

Thank you for being with me on what feels like an already long journey.

Though I know that in publishing terms, 20 months is a mere drop in the ocean…

Nicola x

Children's Book James and the Amazing Gift by Nicola J. Rowley
Front cover of Children’s Book James and the Amazing Gift by Walton-on-Thames author Nicola J Rowley