Here comes the bride...

I feel I've accomplished so much this last week or so. My book, oh let me say that again... My book, is just about to hit the world. I'm so proud of myself for that, even if no-one ever reads it, I did it! Also this week my Beast had a heart transplant. A new engine battery actually, but it felt like a heart transplant to me. He was very brave and is now performing better than ever. Milo and me are hoping to take him off exploring very soon. But the best bit this week, for me, was I got to be a bride! Yes a bride! OK I didn't have a groom but I don't care, I got to wear a wedding dress. Three wedding dresses to be precise.

I was asked to participate in a bridal fayre at Northop Hall and I jumped at the chance. I've never worn a wedding dress before and I didn't want to take it off, they had to pin me down, kicking and screaming, and peel it off me. I also got my hair and make-up done and pranced up and down that catwalk like a true prima donna. It was such a wonderful day for me and all videoed by Pip.

I did sneak off at one point, wearing the wedding dress, hunting for an eligible bachelor. I could only find a rather handsome, but rather young, barman named Guy. I asked him, ever so nicely, if he'd look into my eyes, adoringly, without seeing me as his mother, and pose for a photo. He duly obliged. So, I might never get married but at least I've got a photo for the family album of me in a wedding dress beside an extremely handsome man, who looks like my son. Oh happy days...


No I don't look like your mother, but yes I will autograph that book for you...

All kindly photo-shopped by Pip :)

Milo, Me and The Beast (and Milo loves it!)
amazon.com/author/niccitaylor

How to publish a book in five minutes, Hahaha...

I've never eaten a big mac or a subway. I've never played on a play station or x-box. I've never watched Game of Thrones. Just a few things I've never done. But, I've published a Book! An actual book. Me an Author. And boy what a journey that's been. To be honest writing the book was the easy bit, publishing it has been a nightmare. 'Self publish on Amazon KDP, its fast and easy' they said. 'It takes five minutes' they said. After about five days, rather than five minutes, and many tears, tantrums and headbutts on my screen I finally hit the publish button. Erring on the side of caution, I chose a release date of 6th April. This year!

So I'm sitting here, surrounded by an abundance of post-it-notes, still completely baffled by the whole process. The e-book is sorted, now onto the print version. Arghh! Front covers, back covers, bleed or no bleed, size, format, html, pdf, text wrapping breaks, etc. What is this language they speak? I want the idiot guide. But I will figure it out, although certainly not in five minutes.

Even though this whole process has aged me by about 20 years I'm still feeling chuffed. I've loved writing my blog and I've loved writing my book even more. I may be ignorant to the whole process of self publishing but at least I can say I did it...

Book one; Milo, Me and The Beast ~ The Beginning... 
available for pre-order now :))))))

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C8L3X4D

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C8L3X4D

To be followed by #2 The Middle... and #3 The End?...

I've heard of you, said J K Rowling...

I've actually gone and done it! I've written a book. OK, I haven't physically pressed the 'publish button' yet. I'm too scared. I just keep hovering my finger over it, like it's the nuclear button. What if nobody reads it? Or worse, what if people read it and don't like it? Maybe I've just been kidding myself that me, Nicci Taylor, can really write a book. I was led to believe, at school, that I'd never really amount to much, so what makes me think I can be an author? Isn't that what clever, accomplished people become?

Well, I need to just pull myself together and publish. I need to dig deep and find that self belief. A few years ago I would never have believed my life could have changed so much from one tiny idea, but it did. And I think it's worth telling that story: 'Milo, Me and The Beast' by Nicci Taylor. I have to admit I've never read a Harry Potter book but I'm well aware of who J K Rowling is. Maybe she will say the same of me one day? Hmmm...

So, hopefully, the next time I write my blog I will be an 'accomplished author' (maybe minus the clever!). My dear friend Jefferson Merrick is editing the final tweaks and it will hopefully be available on Amazon early April. Even if only one person buys it I will be able to say "Me? Oh, I'm an author."...

My book cover, designed by Pip...

Come on Nicci...

Waiting to exit the petrol station yesterday I spotted a man dressed in high-vis orange boiler suit. Whilst a lady sat in the driver seat, he was filling up her car with petrol. I commented to my sister, Pip, that I didn't realise this garage had pump attendants and I wished I'd seen him before I stood in the cold, filling up our tank. Then I watched him replace the cap and jump into the passenger seat next to his 'wife' and I was so glad I hadn't shouted over "if you could just do me next please!" Haha.

This weather is pretty crazy just now but Milo and me are loving it. Our only gripe is, as I leave his tennis ball in the car overnight, it takes about ten minutes to defrost itself from the ball chucker. But Milo is just loving bouncing in the snow and skating on the ice. I do think this weather is causing me to be a bit lazy though, I seem to be putting my PJ's on earlier every day and am seldom leaving the house. But on a good note this has encouraged me to practically finish writing my book one and start on book two, happy days.

Had a funny weekend involving my bright idea to have a 'disco dance competition' with an eleven year old little girl. I was given the song Come On Eileen and was video'd in slow motion! I've chosen to post the video, even though I know this will ruin whatever street cred I might have once thought I had...

Fun in the snow...