The Boy Who Went to War - The TRUE WWII STORY of Jim Haynes

 

Jim was a thirteen year old butcher's apprentice in Nottingham when he first decided to go to war and serve his country. By the time he was seventeen he was in Special Forces in Malaya - a famously brutal campaign with details still secret to this day. Jim was an ordinary boy who lived through incredible experiences, like so many of his time. That's why I wanted to write his story and share it not just with his family, but with the world.

 

I first met Jim when I was walking our two Border Collie females around the neighbourhood. His gorgeous, young male dog, Neville came prancing out to greet them and we humans struck up a conversation. Some time later Jim agreed to tell his World War II story and have me write it for him. We spent five years teasing out the details and sometimes struggling with technology and mental health issues, bouts of Malaria and so on. It was at once painful, cathartic and meaningful. His family had never heard anything about his wartime experiences, although they had been affected by its impact upon Jim.  Buy the book here

 

At the book's release we held a big book launch in a beautiful old building and many friends and family attended. It was a very emotional day for us all. When Jim stood to speak and struggled though his tears the room was absolutely silent. In that moment, we all shared a tiny bit of his pain, but he bravely  spoke to the crowd. I think he was proud of himself for finally sharing his story and connecting his children and grandchildren to their heritage.

 

Every ANZAC Day I remember Jim. Both my grandfathers fought in WWII but I never got to tell their stories. Jim was like a surrogate grandfather to me. And I miss him. 

 

You can read all about his life in Nottingham and the various adventures and experiences of his war service, in so many locations. 

 

Buy Jim's book here 

Back to School Anxiety - What you can do

Is Your Child Too Anxious For School?
BUY HERE  print or ebook

 

It's back to school time! It should be exciting, right?But  some parents are struggling to get their child to return. Why does this happen? What can you do to help your child?

It's important you chat to your child, calmly and quietly and get them to express what they are feeling. Feeling anxious is NORMAL and that is the point to make. However, feeling anxious can seem overwhelming, physically, because the brain perceives there is a threat and floods your body with adrenaline, getting ready to either fight back or flee from danger. This makes your breathing shallow and fast, your head dizzy. 

But anxiety isn't always helpful. It begins with a single thought:  I'm in danger! And sometimes that thought is an overreaction, rather than a useful signal. Social anxiety isn't danger, but your brain doesn't know that!

Modern life is supposed to have given us freedoms and more leisure time, and yet kids seem to be suffering even more from anxiety. I believe technology and our obsession with it has contributed to this phenomenon. Kids spend hours a day glued to screens, instead of interacting with real people, chatting, reading facial and body clues, smelling, sensing, touching. This makes them less able to interpret what they see in their environment, causing confusion which results in anxiety. If children aren't physically active, their body doesn't learn to figure out its physical limits through play. Physical activity, especially for boys, releases pent up emotions and energy, helps them process what is happening in their environment and is crucial to self confidence. Play is also important for social skills, as children learn to interact appropriately, discovering what is acceptable in the group, how to play fair, how to resolve conflict etc. Some children need help with learning these things, because it doesn't come completely naturally to them or they might be a little shy. 

The power of this book
Self-knowledge - My standpoint is that children should be empowered by recognising they are prone to anxiety, and accept they will probably always be that kind of person. Stop fighting it, I say!

Managing, not suffering - Learn how to manage it instead. Be realistic about the triggers that set you off and learn how to minimise their effects on your life. I mention lots of different techniques and ideas in the book, as well as the 12 monsters themselves, which represent the unhelpful messages that repeat inside your mind over and over.

Physical effects  - To break free of that, you must first understand the physical aspects of what anxiety actually is, so that even though it feels like you're going to die/pass out/have a heart attack/suffer major embarrassment you know that it is just adrenaline flooding your brain and body, and that if you breathe deep and focus your mind it WILL pass.

What age group is this written for?
I designed it to be read independently by children aged 7yrs+ but it is equally accessible and interesting for teens and even adults. The idea is to take the scariness away and replace it with a humorous take on being an anxious person. Being an anxious person is not the end of the world, or your life, it's just a way of thinking - that you can learn to control.

 Why I wrote this book
When I wrote this book for my clients and their families I had no idea how quickly I would get through the first 100 copies. When I visited schools I took copies with me. They sold out. Everywhere I go people pick up the book and exclaim, "Wow, I wish I'd had this when I was a kid!" Now it sells all over the world.

Review of Epic Fantasy Novel RUNAWAY by Dawn Meredith

I was so pleased to see this review of my latest book, Runaway, the second in my epic fantasy series. You can read the review here: review of Runaway in Buzzwords, an ezine for childrens writers. Here is a sneak peek:

"Runaway: Book Two of the Flight Series by Dawn Meredith (Self Published), RRP $31.08 Young Adult ISBN 9-798303-573949

Reviewed by Susan Hancy

Think the warring factions in Lord of the Rings battling it out for supremacy – these were the images that came to mind reading the fantasy novel Runaway, the second installment in Dawn Meredith’s Flight trilogy...  I can’t imagine the time and attention to detail that has gone into crafting this novel and the trilogy as a whole. The story contains a plethora of characters and subplots, and each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view. I did need to revisit chapters between readings to check who had done what to whom, but at the same time this style of storytelling gave me insight into the various motivations that were on the go and had me turning the pages to see how Rizer’s conspiracy and Sye’s journey would transpire."

 

 

 

 

 

Runaway - young adult epic fantasy novel by Dawn Meredith

 So, it's finally born! I had a wonderful book launch in September, attended by LOADS of people and it was such fun. We enjoyed delicious finger food and I ended up talking about my process for writing a novel, how I put everything up on my studio walls, because the audience really wanted to know! I also talked about how my background, especially my childhood, informs how and what I write about.

About book three...

I have started planning book three in the series, titled Renegade. Its a long way from fully planned out but I am getting there. (I even, Sssssh! started thinking about book four.)

 

 

Elkwood - new edition is HERE!

 

ELKWOOD 

ISBN 979-8310633872 

BUY HERE

 

I'm very excited to tell you that the NEW EDITION of my young adult novel, Elkwood is here! What do you think of the new cover? 

 

So, what is Elkwood about?

Charlotte Emily Campbell is the queen of Harlington High. With her beauty, money and knack for controlling people, Charlotte's future looks golden. Until her carefully constructed world is devastated by the discovery of a secret from her past. A secret she cannot control. Charlotte loses everything she ever thought was important. Her body is betraying her, changing into something she does not recognise. Something very powerful. Something the sinister organisation, Elkwood, are determined to acquire. Only Gabe Murray, a new guy with a mysterious past, is not afraid of her. Once she was surrounded by admirers. Now she is surrounded by nerds, for they are the only people who can help her fight against the omnipotent resources of Elkwood. But her greatest enemy may lie much closer - within her.

 

'The World According to Us' anthology

 

One of the great joys of writing is hanging around and learning from other writers. We share ideas, laugh at our mistakes, edit each other's work and inspire each other to keep going when we're in a slump.

 

My local writing group started producing a very professional looking anthology a few years ago and, most importantly, making it available online for purchase. This means not only can the authors obtain copies, but others can too. From all over the world!

Our last offering was 'The World According to Us' in 2023. It has been my pleasure for the last three anthologies to be responsible for the theme and the cover design. Trying to find a common theme among such a varied group and their writing presents a bit of a challenge, but it has been so much fun!

Here is our anthology for 2023 The World According to Us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Letters from the Dead - cosy mystery for 18+

Just saw these recent reviews of my novel for older readers LETTERS FROM THE DEAD and was blown away!

5.0 out of 5 stars I was not expecting that! Reviewed in Australia on 22 July 2023

Grabbed this book from the authors stall yesterday, thinking it would be a nice little ghost whisperer type cosy read. I did not expect to power through this book in a day, switching between my kindle and the physical copy along the way. The way that the story managed to completely suck me in, to the point I was sobbing for a moment there (if you know, you know). Definitely recommend this read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this cosy mystery story!  

Reviewed in Australia on 15 April 2021

I loved this book! So many interesting characters, interesting cases, some of them connected rather cleverly. Delia is very likeable as a character. And then - the surprise twist really got me! I liked how she finally solved the case of her brother's death. I would recommend this to anyone actually. The paranormal side of it was interesting but not the main focus. Its not the dying that's important, its the amazing and ordinary lives people lived.

4.0 out of 5 stars The writing is beautiful allowing the reader to immerse themselves in a great ... Reviewed in Australia on 7 November 2017

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The writing is beautiful allowing the reader to immerse themselves in a great story. Definitely worth reading.

Want your own copy? BUY HERE