About Me

My name is Nellie K. Neves. I am an independent author, a wife and mother, a California country girl, and an MS Warrior. I spend my time writing, baking, kickboxing, and creating. I have a fascination with psychology and start most sentences with the phrase, "I recently read an experiment about...". I'm passionate about research into Mulitple Sclerosis and other auto immune diseases and look forward to the day where we can say we have a cure. I'm a small town girl with big dreams.

I'd love to say that I always wanted to be a writer. But if I'm being honest, there was a short stint where I wanted to be a horse trainer. I was 6 or 7, I believe. I remember because I told my sister and she informed me that I'd "break every bone in my body". Writing was my second choice after breaking a whole lot of bones. I've gone on to break seven or eight (if you count the three times for my nose), so she might have been on to something since I'm rather accident prone.

The first story I have a clear memory of was Mrs. Eastwood in the second grade asking us to write a two paragraph story about the vaqueros of early California history. Well, three pages later I had an epic tale about a vaquera and her horse with all the fledging trappings of feminist struggle and outrage.

High school was a long line of fan fiction scrawled on note paper when I should have been working on French homework. College years involved writing stories for my five roomates and a ritual of "storytime" when I had something to add to our epic tale. But ever looming in my future was one word:

Rejection.

It was always there, mocking me, haunting me, letting me know it would be waiting like a bully after school if I ever dared to take the risk. A year after marriage I turned in my first manuscript and got the sucker punch to the jaw within two weeks from my bully. A year later I turned in another manuscript and got the sneak attack after two months of waiting and even getting hopeful. Bills needed to be paid and young, in love and broke don't mix well with chasing my dreams.

I worked odd jobs, much like Einstein in the patent office, it offered me the chance to let my mind wander to different storylines. I wasn't writing them, but I let the characters run wild. But it wasn't until my life changed forever that I actually started putting words to paper again.

It all went down in a Zumba class. I was teaching and what started as a numb arm when I woke up that morning, spread through the left side of my body as I did a salsa step. It took a couple weeks of testing, but five days before Thanksgiving I was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). My life would never be the same.

No Regrets

Those were some dark days, but trials make us stronger and I'm grateful for what this disease has given me. If nothing else, I doubt I would have ever had the courage to let anyone read what I was writing. When I looked at my life and what regrets I might have if it ended sooner than anticipated, there was only one. My Writing.

A friend introduced me to Nanowrimo. I was writing religious pieces before and I tried my hand at something mainstream. This new style of writing had me hooked from the first chapter. And the Nano challenge lit me up. One book in a month-50,000 words in 30 days. I finished in 12. I couldn't stop writing either. Now I never miss a Nanowrimo challenge. I cringe to think of all the years I wasted being afraid.

Country Girl

My days are spent taking take of my family, our 4 cats, 13 chickens, and garden, likely in that order. I bake when I'm stressed, or happy, or bored. My friends know me for the fact that I'll do something just because someone told me I couldn't. If I'm not writing late at night, then I'm crafting or punching my bag. I love writing and I love my life.

Thanks for stopping by.

If you have anyquestions, feel free to email me at nelliekneves@gmail.com