Some of you may not know this, but I not only write fiction, I write non-fiction too. Apart from launching my recent book on writing for kids and teens – Writing Magic: Creating Enchanting Stories for Children and Teens – I also write about writing on Medium. Here’s my latest: No Safety Net – the Hidden Risks of Self-Employment.

Right, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get on with this blog. So how are you all? Hope you’re well and have had a great week.

Mine started brilliantly.

Some friends of mine gave me a ticket to see Lucy Worsley talk about Agatha Christie at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow on Monday. It was fantastic. I went with a friend. We had dinner at Halloumi (small portions, but very tasty) and then went to the theatre. Lucy gave a great talk on Christie, talking about her life, the time she disappeared and her writing. It was really interesting. She also took questions from the audience. Most were really great questions, but there was one guy who just loved the sound of his own voice and showing off “how clever he was”. There’s always one, isn’t there? He’s the type that when he’s in a meeting and it’s about to finish keeps everyone back an hour extra with some long-winded query about nothing. Anyway, she handled him pretty well. So, my review: fab night, fab  company, fab Lucy.

On Thursday, another friend and I had lunch at Red Onion, a fantastic restaurant off Bath Street in Glasgow. It’s not cheap, but the food was excellent and the wine was just yummy.

Then we went to see the Christie play And Then There Were None at the Theatre Royal (I had it in my head it was taking place at the King’s Theatre, but it wasn’t and we had a mad dash to get to the theatre just in time). We arrived puffed out, red faced and sweating. The play had just started and we had to squeeze along a line of people to get to our seats in the stalls. Once again people, sorry about that. The play was excellent, thoroughly enjoyed it. It was beautifully staged and the acting was good. There was comedy, drama, blood and gore. It was fab. We both thoroughly enjoyed it.

So, once it was over (it was a matinee), we decided we would get a quick glass of wine before catching the train home.

Unfortunately – or fortunately – that did not happen.

What happened was I suggested we go to The Anchor Line (another fab Glasgow restaurant and bar) for a glass of wine. So, we did. And we decided we were hungry. So, we had dinner as well. We both had a half lobster and fries – my mouth is watering just thinking of it, it was so delicious. And the wine was heavenly.

I got home just after 8pm on Thursday night. I was a little merry, but not drunk. Unfortunately, the rain was heavy that night and I appeared home soaked through and resembling Worzel Gummidge.

Today, I was supposed to be meeting another friend at Oran Mor in Glasgow’s west-end, but I woke up with a sore throat and achy bones and sneezing and just not feeling well. So, I had to cancel. I hated doing that, but I just couldn’t go. I’m still feeling rough and plan to go to bed early tonight.

Anyway, despite feeling yucky, I’m still doing a bit of work. I’m just catching up on last week’s work – the work I missed because I was off gallivanting to the theatre. It was worth it though.

Right, before I go a quick para on what I’m reading right now. It’s this book:

It’s really, really interesting. It’s war from the home front told in the actual words of the women who lived it. I love history, especially World War II history and this is fascinating to read. Really recommend it.

Before I end today, let me tell you about some more of my products. If you’re a writer and you want a downloadable, printable writer’s planner (it’s 15 pages that will help you track your wordage, plan your book and its launch) from my shop on Gumroad. It’s available in Blue, Pink and Grey. There’s also a six-page home schooling planner.

Okay, that’s me for now. Until next time.

Dawn xx

So, I did a thing. I’ve taken all my experience in writing for kids (including my time teaching at Glasgow University) and put it into this new e-book.

Writing Magic – Creating Enchanting Books for Children and Teens will help you improve your writing, spark creativity and inspire you to write fantastic prose for kids.

I’ll show you how to write that story down and what you need to include within your book, as well as sharing how I went from being a writing wannabe to an award-winning published author. I cover a wide range of writing subjects from plot to characters.

And there’s even a section at the back talking about how to get published and what to expect after your book has hit the shelves.

If you don’t act now you’ll never fulfil your writing dreams. So, what are you waiting for? Turbo boost your writing now and buy Writing Magic – Creating Enchanting Books for Children and Teens.

BUY: https://dawnauthor.gumroad.com/l/writingmagic

https://dawnnelson-46858.medium.com/the-night-we-thought-the-dog-was-dying-7511925c6b37

So, I know I’ve not been great at writing this blog. I’ve been so busy doing everything else that I need to that this poor blog has been neglected. Sorry troops! I’ll try and be better, I promise.

Anyway, moving on. The last month has been really busy. I brought out a new novella, Dance of Death, which is part of the amazing Phoenix Force series.

Cat Beaufoy is not your run-of-the-mill cat burglar. In fact, she’s more of a modern-day Robin Hood. She steals from the bad and returns stolen artworks to their rightful owners.

She’s thinking of giving it all up after a few close shaves with the law when she’s called into action by the Phoenix Force.

Someone in the Chinese Embassy is behind the theft of plans for a new US superweapon AND they’ve kidnapped the inventor, his wife and young son.

Cat is the only one with the skills to break into the high security building, retrieve the plans and find out where the scientist and his family are. At first, she’s not keen, but when she hears there’s a six-year-old boy in the mix, she signs up right away.

But things don’t go quite to plan and she soon finds herself mixed up with a rogue CIA agent and a vicious Chinese General.

https://geni.us/danceofdeath

I’ve also brought out two short stories that you can buy as e-books on Amazon.

The Great Escape: When Sarah is asked to take her sick grandma’s Chihuahua, Pickles, to the park little does she know that her four-legged nemesis will lead her to love. His naughty antics lead her to meeting the handsome Dan and his female Dalmatian, Delilah.

https://geni.us/greatescapeshortstory

Strangers in the Night: When Amy wakes up in a stranger’s bed, her embarrassment knows no bounds. So, when she escapes home, she thinks that that’s it. She’ll never have to think about him again…
…Until she meets her new boss on Monday morning!
Then James, the stranger, gives her a work assignment that is way below her pay grade, so she plots her revenge.

https://geni.us/strangersinthenight

I’ve been busy and it’s made me really tired. So, this week, I’m trying to take it a bit easier. What’s actually happened is that I’ve been catching up on jobs that need done around the house and garden. Well, the smaller jobs plus cutting our enormous hedge. I’ve still to do more in the back garden and the housework – jobs for tomorrow. I have made my way through a whole load of info I’d printed off, gotten rid of stuff I didn’t need and putting other stuff into folders. Nearly finished that.

I also finished watching two superb tv series that you guys really need to get into. The first is the amazing Schitt’s Creek.

I tried watching it a couple of years ago and just couldn’t get into it. I tried again about a month ago and wow! What a series. It’s hilarious. I love the characters, I love the stories, I love the humour. That last episode was superb, Moira really made my day! If you watch it, you’ll know what I mean. Let’s just say it has something to do with one of her ‘girls’ and her chosen outfit for the wedding.

The second superb series that you MUST get into (especially if you’re a fan of historical drama) is the BBC’s World on Fire.

It’s brilliant. It follows the stories of several characters of different nationalities, including Germans and Polish people, through the start of the war. The second series also introduces us to Indian troops, which I thought was great. You never hear of any other nationalities fighting for the Allies except the British, American, Australians and French. It’s great that other nationalities are finally being represented in these dramas. Anyway, the second series has just finished leaving me bereft.  Can’t wait until the next series.

I’ve not finished re-reading all the Harry Potter books and LOVED them all over again. So, I’ve had to find other things to read. Books I’ve been reading:

I’ll let you know if they’re good in a future post.

Till next time,

Dawnxx

Why Denise DT’s Lucky Bitch is a Must Read for Women Entrepreneurs | by Dawn Nelson | Jul, 2023 | Medium

Hey everyone! How’s it going? Hope you’re all hail and hearty. I’ve been taking a bit of a break from socials recently – just needed the break, was a bit burnout. 😀  Was doing too much as per usual and not giving myself enough down time. So I stepped back, took a few days off and re-evaluated what I was doing.

So, here’s what I came up with: I  prioritised my health for a change. I got back into meditation (I used to do it, but fell away from it, now I  make sure I do a minimum of ten minutes every day, 20-40 if I can). I can’t tell you what  a difference getting back into meditation has made. It just makes me feel so much better and much less stressed.

I also now end my showers with a quick blast of cold. I know, I know, it sounds horrendous, but bear with me. I recently read I Took A Cold Shower Every Day for 1000+ Days — Here’s What Happened | by Vinay Mehta | Better Humans (medium.com) on Medium. I’d known about the power of cold showers for years, but living in a cold country it’s not something you aim for. So, anyway, I read the article and was inspired to give it a go. I cheated a bit. I had my hot shower first, washing my body and hair, rinsing off. Then I turned the dial down to cold and made myself stand under it for a few moments. The effect was that I felt much more awake and alive. I felt ready to start my day. I do this every day now (except on swimming days where I shower at the pool under really hot showers, I’m going to seek out the cold one that is probably at the steam room) and it does make a difference.

I go swimming a minimum of three times a week as early in the day as I can (usually after 8am when the kids have left for work and school). I love swimming. It makes me feel great.

I’ve cut down drinking. I don’t drink a lot, but had gotten into the habit of drinking a bottle of wine every Wednesday and Friday.  I’ve cut it down to a Friday and am actually thinking of cutting it out altogether. We’ll see. I’m not definitely doing that. However, by drinking less, I’m less tired and more up for working on my writing. So, it’s better not to drink.

I make sure I go to bed at 8pm and read for 10pm. Yes, it’s so ‘rock n roll’!! But, it allows me to read the three books I’m reading.  I finish the two hours off with a meditation and I sleep so much better. I was an insomniac for years before I learned meditation around ten years ago. I could never calm my mind enough to fall asleep and was often still awake at two or three in morning. Now, I drop off before midnight and waken more refreshed and ready to take the day on.

I stopped looking at my phone the minute my eyes were open. Well, that was the intention. I managed it a few times before having one bad day when I was lost to Facebook for two whole hours. What a waste! I’ve gone back to ignoring my phone except to check for messages. I love social media, but I need to limit it. It’s such a time waster.

Anyway, that’s my routine at the moment. I am determined to stick to it. It really helps. I’m very ambitious where my writing is concerned. I want to sell loads of books and make loads of money. I can only do that if I have the energy and time to do it.

So, what have I been doing recently? Well, I’ve been taken on as a freelance journalist for a local magazine, The Community Magazine, and I’m loving it. They only print positive stories about what’s happening in the local area and it’s been great. I’ve been able to write up some great news stories for the magazine. I forgot how much fun this is!

I’m also still writing Dance of Death. I’ve done a complete plan for it and hope to have the entire book finished by the end of next week (around July 16). If I write 4,000 words  a day I can achieve this. I can easily do 3,000 words a day, so adding another 1,000 should hopefully not be too difficult. My ambition is to write 10,000 words in a day, but I’m working up to that. I’ve been clearing my diary to achieve this. It’s due out on August 4, so I need to get on!

As I said previously I’ve been reading three books. That’s actually not strictly true. I’ve also been listening to a fourth. Those books are:

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling – I’m re-reading the Harry Potter series purely for pleasure and am loving the series all over again.
• Persuasion by Jane Austen – it’s part of my final year doing my OU degree. I love Jane Austen, so it’s not a torture reading this. I hadn’t read it before, but I am loving it. It’s so beautifully written.
• Everything is Firgureoutable by Marie Forleo – it’s a book about how you can figure out your life. That’s it at it’s basic, but it’s so much more than that. I’d really recommend this if you’re at a point in your life where you are feeling overwhelmed or scared to take the next step.

The book I’ve been listening to on Audible was one that was recommended by my lovely friend, Terry Wells Brown (author and all round fabulous person). It’s called Lucky Bitch: A Guide for Exceptional Women to Create Outrageous Success by Australian author, Denise Duffield-Thomas . It’s a really inspirational book and fantastic if you want to make your own luck in life.  I really enjoyed listening to it. Denise is joyous and full of personality and this comes across in the audiobook. I loved hearing about how she made a success of her life. She’s inspired me to do better in my writing career.

So, what else have I been up to? I was round at the neighbours’ the other weekend for a barbeque. It was a lovely evening (still warm and sunny) so we sat out on their decking talking, laughing, eating and (me) drinking ice-cold Chardonnay. It was 2am before I went home. But I was having a fab time. They had Glastonbury on a tv in their kitchen so we could hear the live music out on the deck. When Guns and Roses came on I also went in to watch a little bit. It was a fab night. Fab food, fab chat, fab friends.

Right, so that’s me for now. Till next time,

Dawn xx

We’ve been having some lovely weather this week and it’s been quite warm. It’s been lovely going down to the riverside with the dogs and enjoying the sunshine and the view. The swans are here. They come every year in spring and then again in the autumn. They stay for a few weeks (as if they are waiting for their friends) then move on – north in the spring, south in the autumn. It’s really lovely to see them, they are such beautiful birds. Nobody bothers them and they just hang about, resting until they have to move on again.

So, how have you been? I’ve been busy working again. I’m currently working out the storylines of a couple of novels. I’m also putting the finishing touches to Loch Ness. It’s out in less than two weeks… yay!!

Millie and Casper on the shore.

I was out pottering in the garden today, clipping things and pulling brambles and ivy out. I’ve got a LOT of work to get the garden back to something that’ll be nice to sit in, but that’s okay. I’m going to do a little bit every day. I did attempt to cut the grass today, but failed miserably. Our old lawnmower went kaput the other week so I bought a cheap replacement. It’s not great. I managed to do about a third of the front garden and it refused to work any more. Couldn’t get it working. Started to put it away, decided to test it again and it worked. So, I abandoned the grass cutting in a fit of pique and will pick it up again tomorrow. Sigh.

Books I have been reading:  Grit by Angela Duckworth. It’s a look at how and why people with high levels of grit do better in life. She looks at several examples, including research she has carried out herself. It’s an interesting book, especially if you enjoy reading about the psychology of why people are the way they are, and well written.

I’m also reading: Payback Phoenix Style by Susan Horsnell. It’s the first in a series about a secret kick-ass group of women who act as vigilantes, taking out evil dictators and other nasties across the world. I’ve only just started it and am really enjoying it. I’ve got another couple in the series to read. Apart from enjoying the books, the reason why I’m reading these is because I’m bringing out a book in the series in August. This will be my next book after Loch Ness and it’s called Dance of Death.

Here’s the cover for it. Can’t wait to get started. This will be what I’ll be working on for the next month.

Right, so I’ve brought you right up-to-date with what’s been happening lately. I’m going to go now. Until next time.

Dawn x