Looking Back To Inspire Future Adventures

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Blogging community, England, Friends, Hiking, Inspiration, Mountains, Pen Y Fan, Wales

After a few weeks of pretty decent winter weather, February has hit us with heavy rain in South East England. With Storm Eunice due to hit us on Friday with 40 mph winds, I thought it was time to gain motivation for this year’s hikes and adventures.

So, I’ve been looking back over some old photos to gain inspiration, and I thought it might be worth sharing one adventure here. These photos are from when my mate and I walked up Pen y Fan, the highest point in South Wales, in 2019. It has to be one of my favourite mountains because the hills roll up along the track, meaning there are no real steep drops.

This was perfect for someone like me who has a considerable fear of heights. When we got to the top we were blessed with unspoilt views of rolling hills. The sun was trying to break through a thin fog, making it feel like we were in a mystical dreamscape.

There were plenty of pathways for us to explore the other mountains, but our tummies were rumbling heavily. Reluctantly, we headed back down and satisfied ourselves instead with a big fried breakfast!

Phone Box Reminder: The Importance Of Talking

Tags

Alone, anxiety, blogging, Blogging community, Family, Friends, Happiness, Inspiration, Life, Listening, Loneliness, Mental health, phones

Last weekend I was out on a hike, and I saw this lonely looking phone box in a village. It evoked in me the sense that we have to stay connected. Moreover, how it’s important to make the time to chat with one another.

I’m going through my phone contacts and making a list of people that I haven’t spoken to for a while. It’d be good to catch up.

Sometimes life just takes over and people move on – it’s a natural occurence in life. It’s also natural (and important) that we want to reconnect. Going through the names on my phone filled me with memories of times with specific people, and that filled me with joy.

The pandemic may have robbed us of certain things, but one thing that seeing that red phone box reminded me of is the importance of being there for one another, and to listen.

Reaching out to a family member, friend (old or new) or a stranger really can have a positive impact for everybody involved.

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you have a great weekend with the people you love. (And give an old friend a call too).

😃😃😃

‘Cold Snap’ by Codi Schneider – Gifted Book Review

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Book, Book Review, Cats, Codi Schneider, Colorado, Fantasy, fiction, Humour, new author, Vikings

With big thanks to @lovebookstours and @codi_schneider for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. What a great book it is!

Blurb

Tucked in the cold Colorado mountains lies the remote village of Gray Birch, a place where outsiders are frowned upon. In this village lives a cat named Bijou. But she’s no ordinary house cat; her ancestors were mousers on Viking longships, and their blood runs through her veins. Since her battle skills are hardly needed in this modern age, however, she spends her energies running the Fox Burrow Pet Inn with her human, Spencer, and her assistant, Skunk, a mentally negligible Pomeranian. Together, the happy trio has created a safe haven for their four-legged guests.

But when Eddy Line, a handsome baker from California, comes to the inn—along with his piglet and pit bull puppy—everything changes. Spencer falls for Eddy, Bijou is unhappy with the sudden changes to her clan, and the townspeople are anything but welcoming; in fact, threats are made against Eddy when he buys the town’s historic firehouse in order to open a bakery.

Then a shocking murder/dognapping occurs on the night of the bakery’s grand opening, and Bijou finds herself thrust into a tangled mystery. To solve it, she will have to summon her inner Viking—and fight tooth and claw for her new clan.

My Review

I was super intrigued to read a mystery novel told from the point of view of a cat called Bijou. Her crime-solving powers are aided by her innate Viking abilities, and her animal friends.

This honestly has to be one of the best books I’ve ever read. Codi Schneider is a very talented writer with a mastery of word play. This novel is such fun – I didn’t want to stop reading. The book has a good dose of humour and an engaging plot full of suspense. The cast of characters gives the story depth and diversity.

I really look forward to reading more from the author.

The Power Of Nostalgia

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Childhood, Comics, Creativity, Dreams, Fantasy, Fun, hobbies, Subbuteo, writer's block

The last few weeks had been a bit odd for me. My creativity had been stifled. Sometimes life gets in the way, and I need to reset. Thankfully, I had some holiday due from work, so I used it to visit my brother in Cheshire. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

My brother surprised me when he got out his old Subbuteo set from his loft. I spent hours on end playing this tabletop soccer game in my bedroom as a teenager. Now, here I was again revisiting my youth. My brother beat me 1-0 in the game we played, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that we were kids again having fun.

On another day, we visited the town of Stockport. Here, I found a comic book store that stocked old copies of my favourite comics I’d read growing up. Normally, the comic book stores I visit are full of Marvel and DC Comic titles, as well as manga and other publications. They’re all great, but here for the first time ever I found titles such as ‘Buster’ and ‘Whizzer and Chips’ – firm British staples of my childhood that are sadly no longer published. Suddenly, I was transported back to Saturday mornings in the mid-80s when I’d run down the local shops and buy a big pile of comics and read through them again and again before school came round again on Monday.

I bought a few copies, and have been laughing my head off ever since.

Comics were so instrumental in me wanting to become a writer as they opened up endless worlds of storytelling and possibility to me. It was good to reminisce about this.

The result of all this is that the power of nostalgia has fuelled my creativity again. I’ve now got a pocketful of ideas for short stories that I’ve begun working on. Plus, I’ve also got a new tactic if I get writer’s block again.

If you’re creativity is lacking, remembering the hobbies you had a child could be one way to help you.

I hope you all have a great and creative week. ☺️

Adventure Photo Story: Northern Ireland Mountain Weekend

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Coast, Friends, Hiking, Motivation, Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland, Travel, Walking

Northern Ireland is a spectacular place. Outside of Belfast, there’s lush green countryside, rolling hills and breathtaking coast. The recent visit I did with my friends was to the Mourne Mountains where we took on the highest peak, Slieve Donard, at 850 metres.

On a bright and clear Saturday morning we headed out of Belfast passing through remote villages and deep green countryside. After about an hour’s drive we arrived at the seaside town of Newcastle – not to be confused with the city by the same name in the North-East of England – then began our journey from the car park.

We trekked up a rocky path that cut through open grassland with rich vegetation. A boulder-strewn river wound its way alongside us and provided a natural water slide for a number of day trippers in wetsuits. Soon, we were about halfway up when the path steepened and the mountains grew in stature.

And that meant one thing…

…My fear of heights kicked in!

On previous mountain explorations nerves had always gotten the better of me. But I was determined for this not to be the case this time. My friends took it in turns to drop back and motivate me to keep going as I tailed off the pace.

As we approached the Mourne Wall – which runs the entire length of the range – we noted the jet black surfaces that occasionally appeared in the side of the mountains. The tin huts dotted to the side of the track confirmed this had once been an area for slate mining.

Around a final corner, and then the final ascent to Slieve Donard presented itself: three hundred metres or so of awesome steepness! We met a man who said it would take us no more than thirty minutes. Secretly, I knew that would mean an hour for me.

Previously, I’d have taken on such a feat by stopping every so often, shutting my eyes and re-centering myself before taking on the next stretch. I’d repeat this as often as I needed. This time I had a few new tactics to battle the heights: I’d count fifty steps then stop for a bit; I’d zigzag up the mountainside instead of going straight up as it was less strenuous on my legs; and instead of melting down as before, I’d deliberately soak in the countryside to absorb it’s calming beauty. Plus, I made full use of the wall by holding onto it to help me climb as I went – making use of whatever is available is important to getting the job done. And my mates did a cracking job of keeping me going with banter and words of encouragement.

My mates waited for me thirty metres from the peak, so that we arrived together. The clouds suddenly formed around us like a thousand misty ghosts come to greet us. We took a few photos, then hastened our exit as conditions became more dense.

The descent was the most enjoyable I’ve had on a mountain. The first section required careful navigation down rock steps. At times my mind went into a vortex where the greens and the greys swirled and merged into one. Once this tricky part was completed, we trod a well used path, skipping over streams and through boggy sections. Before entering the forest path that led back into the town, I took in my surroundings: the powder blue sky had now reappeared; the mountains formed a horseshoe valley that towered over us, cascading waterfalls giving this place a more majestic quality; the chattering river snaking its way down the emerald hillsides. And all this abundant beauty overlooking the town and the Irish Sea below.

Heaven is a place on Earth!

And so was this afterwards…

Thanks for dropping by and reading this. Please feel free to leave a comment – they’re always appreciated. I hope you all have a great weekend filled with adventure 😊

Back Again! Self-Publishing Update And Other Stuff

Tags

Adventure, Author, blogging, Blogging community, Book, book marketing, Creativity, Self-publishing

Hi Everybody,

I hope you’re keeping well in your part of the world. It’s a good couple of months since I was last here. I’m so sorry for the delay. I’ve been focusing on a few projects that had taken me longer due to my level of dyspraxia only making it possible to take on one project at a time. This can hamper in sticking to other tasks (like putting up regular posts) but these last couple of months have helped me to work at a possible solution around this.

I’ll come to that solution at the end of this post. Suffice to say here that it means that I should be posting up more regularly, and able to focus on all the wonderful blog posts that I enjoy reading more.

NEW PROJECTS

Website

My new author website is up and running now. I’ve got to make a few edits to the text and replace some of the stock photos still, but I’m reallly happy with it. I’ve struggled to merge this blog with the website, but I’ve got a good friend looking into this problem now. So, hopefully it’s just a matter of time before it’s sorted.

Please feel free to have a peak at it: http://www.waynemullane.com

It’s been a real education in learning how to get a domain name and build a website. I really felt out of my depth at times. But when all is done, I can appreciate that I had some good people to teach me and I’ve gained lot more knowledge.

Social Media

I’ve found the likes of Facebook and Twitter a minefield. Thankfully, I’ve been able to hire some very reasonably priced freelancers on Fiverr to help me to get my author accounts on social media going. It’s now focusing on putting out good quality posts that’s the next challenge. I’m learning all the time, and it’s good for me as it’s helping me to connect as well as grow as a person.

I’ve included my social media handles in the ‘About Me’ section of this site.

Marketing

This has been really tough. Normally, I’m the kind of person who’s happy to sit in front of the keyboard and write away for hours on end. But writing a self-published book has so many other aspects that take up time. Plus, I’m quite shy by nature, so having to promote my book to magazine editors and other groups (even via email or telephone) can play havoc with my brain as I think endlessly about the right things to say.

I’ve had a few magazine editors say that they’d kindly promote the book. Such things do give you a boost as there’s a constant stream of people to contact including podcasts, charities, social media groups, libraries…the list keeps growing. Pitching a book can mean that you’ll get rejections or no replies. This means sending two or three rounds of emails. So, for the ones that do reply and do offer you an outlet for promotion, it makes the whole experience so worthwhile.

What’s Next?

As well as continually working on the things above, I’ve got a week long book blogger tour coming up in the middle part of October. I’ll do a separate post or two about that nearer the time.

I mentioned at the top of this post that I had a new strategy to commit to doing more posts and following other bloggers here more regularly. One thing I’m going to do is write a few posts in advance, spending a day here or there just dedicated to this blog. Dedicating whole chunks of time to this is better for my dyspraxia as it means I’m still focusing on just the one thing.

I’m at a level now with developing my website and social media skills that makes dedication to my blog easier as well. Plus, at times when I’ve been focused on other projects and not written for a while, this blog has assisted me in refocusing my efforts and reconnecting with so many lovely people.

Next Up is a post about my recent hiking holiday in Northern Ireland!

Thanks for reading, everybody. Stay safe and well. Peace and love to you all!

SELF-PUBLISHING UPDATE: FULL STEAM AHEAD WITH MARKETING

Tags

Adventure, Author, blogging, Blogging community, Book, Discover Prompts, Hiking, marketing, Self-publishing, WordPress

Hi Everybody,

I hope you’re all keeping well.

I knew that when I published my book, Adventure Dayze, last month that the marketing side of things would keep me busy. Just how busy, though, has been a complete surprise to me!

Taking a different route to market

As I was writing, the advice I’d researched about marketing a self-published book told me that I should do the majority of it before publication, including reaching out to established book reviewers. However, the gut feeling I got when I told others that I was writing a book was that it’d be believed when seen. So, perhaps somewhat counterintuitively, I decided to wait and do the marketing after the release date.

Family And Friends First

Once the book was up on Amazon, I put the word out to my nearest and dearest via social media. Whether people offered kind words, bought the book and maybe left a review, I was humbled by the response. The reviews I’ve received have provided me with an important step in the next stage of my marketing strategy.

The Importance Of A Marketing Mentor

I discovered Hollie Anne Marsh via the freelance website Fiverr. Hollie has a background in marketing and she is an award-winning author with her Sweetbriars book series, which is set in the world of horse-riding. Hollie has supported me to get the book published, and has sorted the advertising campaign on Amazon. This week the Facebook advertising campaign will start.

Working with Hollie has taught me a lot that’ll benefit me in the future: how to navigate Amazon Author Central and my Facebook Author page; how to write a press release statement; how to actually get a book live on Kindle; the ins and outs of marketing.

From the start, Hollie showed me the importance of having reviews for when the time comes to reach out to organisations.

Hollie has helped me brainstorm a list of hiking magazines, podcasts and websites to contact. Libraries, local newspapers, charities and bookshops are on the list too.

The Next Step

After much brainstorming and research, then, I now have a list of contacts that I’m working my way through. It’s an enjoyable process magnified by the hope that something will come of it. It takes a lot of perseverance – there’s a lot of phone calls to find a named person to contact in an organisation followed by a lot of emails – but hopefully the fruits of the labour will show soon.

Lessons Learned

Although I’ve taken a different approach as to the order of publishing and marketing the book, I can see the importance of following the much suggested route to market for my next book.

However, as a self-published author I can see that marketing is an ongoing thing and can take place any time after a book is published. So, all I’m doing now is giving me experience for the future.

Having an experienced hand to guide me has been so important. It’s made the whole experience more navigable and rewarding.

Thanks for reading this. I hope to come back soon with some positive news about who I’ve reached out to.

If you have any comments or advice, it’d be great to hear from you.

Peace and love for now 😃.

MY HIKING BOOK IS OUT ON AMAZON

Tags

Author, blogging, Blogging community, Book, Britain, Hiking, Novel, Self-publishing, Travel, UK, writing

Hi Everybody,

My self-published novel, Adventure Dayze, is now out on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

• 

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Hiking is the gateway to adventure.

Being in the Great Outdoors is great for the mind, body, and soul. And the even better news? It needn’t involve much more than putting on a pair of trainers and heading out your front door.

In Adventure Dayze, author Wayne Mullane recounts his hiking experiences in Britain and Ireland with his friends, including overcoming limitations walking at altitude and having a dodgy sense of direction!

This book aims to help you get started… or, if you’re a seasoned hiker, to encourage you to hike with renewed vigour. This story shares insights and discusses the benefits of hiking, including fitness, friendship, courage, mental health, and…err…the joy of eating.

Adventure Dayze will inspire you to overcome your limitations and get outdoors to enjoy all the unique beauty that is on offer. Even pandemic lockdowns won’t be able to suppress your exploration, as the author found out, there are many ways to bring the outdoors inside when there’s no other choice.

AMAZON.CO.UK LINK AND PRICES:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventure-Dayze-Overcoming-limitations-Irelands/dp/B096LKHGLN/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=adventure+dayze&qid=1623688944&sr=8-1

Prices: Paperback is £7.99; Ebook is £2.99 (FREE on Kindle Unlimited).

AMAZON.COM LINK AND PRICES

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096LKHGLN?pf_rd_r=7VAYZBC327SQZRJDSEXX&pf_rd_p=9046d300-28af-4c4d-96e2-e418322f9056&pd_rd_r=1a404fe0-0ce0-4d62-adc8-013c023033bd&pd_rd_w=Bndgg&pd_rd_wg=OSlj0

Prices: Paperback is $7.99; Ebook is $2.99 (FREE on Kindle Unlimited).

WHAT’S NEXT?

I’m really focusing on the marketing side of things from this week. I’m learning a lot of new stuff and enjoying the journey.

I’m also looking to get this website revamped in the next few weeks to give it a fresh look, add a mailing list link and more.

It’d mean so much to me if you were able to support me by purchasing a copy and leaving a review. Thank you ☺️.

Peace and Love, Everybody. Thanks for popping by. See you next time.

PHOTO POST: HIKING BOOK COVER REVEAL

Tags

Adventure, Author, blogging, Blogging community, Book, creative writing, Discover Prompts, non-fiction, Self-publishing

Hi Everybody,

I hope you’re all doing okay.

I’m very excited to reveal the cover for my first book, Adventure Dayze, which charts the adventures of my friends and I. The book covers my progress to overcome a fear of heights and a dodgy sense of direction as we attempt the highest mountains in each of the countries of Britain and then Ireland.

• 

The cover shows me wandering off in a completely different direction to my friends even though I’m holding the map. That’s a very common theme on our mountain hikes! The cover is mostly green for two reasons: this is a nod to my Irish roots and because my favourite colour is… you guessed it…green!

The cover was designed by Laura Antonioli, who I found on Fiverr. Laura was so patient and kind, and very supportive of any changes I needed. She also did the internal layout of the book – and I am really pleased with that too. I look forward to working with her on future projects.

In the next post I’ll reveal more details about the book’s release!

Thank you for stopping by and reading this. If you’ve got any comments, it’d be great to hear from you. I’m looking forward to reading your posts as well.

Peace and Love for now 😊

MINI POST: A VERY SHORT GUIDE TO THE POWER OF POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

Tags

anxiety, blogging, Blogging community, Coronavirus, Hope, Humanity, Inspiration, positive affirmations, Well-being

INTRODUCTION

Positive affirmations have the ability to help us think more favourably about life. They even have the power to make us think in a more reasoned way about difficult situations we find ourselves in.

There are many videos with positive affirmations on YouTube. The narrator will read a series of life affirming statements which the listener is encouraged to listen to every day. Over time, these are absorbed by the subconscious and can have a beneficial impact on our day-to-day well-being.

BENEFITS OVER TIME

The advantages of sustained practice includes a calmer mind in facing situations, being able to handle past events or concerns about the future better, developing a sense of gratitude and positively impacting on others lives.

Thoughts and emotions are inextricably linked. Being calm and peaceful has an impact on how others are to us in return. What we put out there is what we get back.

Positive affirmations won’t make the issues we face go away; they will, however, give us a toolkit to
cope with life’s challenges better.

MY GO TO YOUTUBE CHANNELS

http://www.youtube.com/user/PowerThoughtsclub
http://www.youtube.com/c/YourUniverseChannel
http://www.youtube.com/c/RisingHigherMeditation

FURTHER ADVICE

If you’re interested in doing positive affirmations, I suggest doing ten minutes a day to begin with.
It takes time for long-term changes to take effect, so sustained practice is needed.

Within a few weeks you’ll be able to quote your own feel good mantras. That’s when you know that the messages have truly sunk in to your subconscious.

I hope you enjoyed this article. It’d be great to hear any comments you have.

Peace and love, Everybody .