Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Glenys Nellist of Rockford

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Glenys Nellist. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Glenys, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: When was the last time you felt true joy?
It was actually just a few days ago! Back in May, my hubby bought me a bird box with a camera inside. I knew that it could take a while for birds to trust a new box and use it for nesting, but to my surprise, I just discovered that a little chickadee is using it to sleep in overnight! She isn’t making a nest. But regular as clockwork, and to my delight, she flies into the box at 7.30 each evening and leaves it at 7.30 each morning. I do not know where she goes or what she does during the day, but it is an utter joy to welcome her ‘home’ each night, to know that as I settle down for the evening, she is also curled up in her box nearby, sleeping as I sleep and waking as I wake. How wonderful is nature and these privileged little glimpses we have of it!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a children’s author of over forty titles, writing mainly, but not exclusively, for the faith-based market. My first book was published in 2014 with Zonderkidz (HarperCollins Christian.) I didn’t know it then, but Love Letters from God: Bible Stories would go on to become a series of four picture books, swiftly followed by ‘Snuggle Time,’ a series of seven board books for littles; contracts from Beaming Books with the popular Little Mole series; Paraclete Press with the Bedtime Blessings series; and two brand-new titles from a soon-to-be-announced publisher whose name shall remain top secret … for now!
My next book, God’s Great Love, from Paraclete Press, releases in December, and waiting in the wings from Zonderkidz is my Love Letters from God Devotional: 52 Interactive Devotions for Growing in Faith and Feeling God’s Love. I’m really excited about those new titles!
My goal, as I write, whether for the secular or faith-based market, is to help children discover joy and hope in the world.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
A long, long time ago, in a British Primary school across the ocean, one day a week I was one of the lucky few withdrawn from the classroom to sit in big, comfy armchairs in the teachers’ lounge. There, in front of a roaring log fire, with pencil and paper at the ready, I would write. Sitting in that room, crafting stories, is one of the happiest memories from my childhood school days. I did not know why I was there, or what my teacher, Mrs. Kelsall, had seen in me that I could not.
But at eleven years old, my final day in that red bricked building, when the bell clanged for the last time, and the doors flew open to release excited children to the High school, Mrs. Kelsall was waiting for me at the gate, with a gift of five little words that I would never forget:

Glenys. don’t. ever. stop. writing.

I never did.

Mrs. Kelsall clearly saw me LONG before I could see myself. She will never know the impact she had on my life or how she inspired me to be an author.

But I do.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
It was 2010. My first attempt at a children’s book sat on the shelf, a half-completed manuscript, quietly gathering dust. It had been there a long time. Love Letters from God: Bible Stories was a project I’d started with genuine excitement and unprecedented motivation. Each morning I would eagerly grab my pen, pour out my soul on the page, and be swept away by the beauty and mystery of the creative process. What began as an empty, blank sheet of white was somehow filled with life.
And then I stopped.
I quit because a little voice came whispering in my ear. “What are you DOING, Glenys? You’re wasting your time. You can’t write a children’s book. You’ll never get it published. You should just give up.”
And so I did. I quit. And if it hadn’t been for my hubby, stepping in and encouraging me, I would never have finished that book. Neither would I now be the author of forty more titles.
So, don’t give up.
Whatever dream you’re pursuing, whatever goal you’ve set, whatever aspiration you have, no matter how lofty, chase it down! Because the only sure, certain way to PREVENT that dream from becoming a reality is to quit.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I hope so. I think, when anyone is in the public eye, they are naturally ‘on their best behavior.’ And so, it’s probably true to say that the public version of me is the best version of me. I don’t think I pretend to be somebody I’m not when I’m in public (I’d be far too afraid of being found out as a fraud!) but it’s perhaps true that I only share the happy, positive side of my life when people are watching or listening. Like any human, I do have some negative feelings or mood swings, but I keep those private.
The most important thing for me, when talking about transparency, is to be a person of integrity, to be genuine, open and honest. To that end, one of my most frequent prayers is, ‘Help me be the person people think I am.’
I do hope I’m that person.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. When do you feel most at peace?
I have always felt most at peace when I’m out in nature. Put me beside woods and water and I’m a happy girl (or a happy grandma!) To me, each season has astonishing beauty all of its own…. the sheer energy and surprise of new life in spring; the beauty of summer sunsets over a lake; the golden leaves in autumn as they fall, and the quietness of walking in white, winter woods. Being outdoors, away from the busyness, sounds, and stresses of everyday life is like breathing in peace for me.
(It’s also the place where I feel most inspired to write.)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.glenysnellist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glenysnellist/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenysnellist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlenysNellistAuthor/
• Other: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8066123.Glenys_Nellist