Recently I read and reviewed Trekker Girl - Morocco Bound (you can read my
review on this link). I was pleasantly surprised by the book and by the motives
of the author - Dawne Archer - as well. That's why I asked her if she wanted to
participate in an author in the picture blogpost. Luckily she said yes 😊.
So here are the questions and answers of Dawne Archer in her Author in the
picture blog post on this blog.
A very good
question and one I sometimes ponder. The short
answer is that I am a
61-year-old woman, reasonably fit and
healthy despite issues with thrombosis,
ready to get back to
travelling the world.
WHAT IS THROMBOSIS?
Trombosis is the formation of blood clots. They can occur in
the arteries,often manifesting as
strokes or heart attacks, or in
the veins. I havehad two veinous blood clots,
one in my leg
(Deep Vein Thrombosis) and one in my lung
(Pulmonary Embolism). I
am very lucky to be alive, whereas
my Dad died of a PE.
There can be
multiple causes. In my case, I inherited a gene
mutation called Factor 5
Leiden, which isn't that unusual and often
causes no problems. Unfortunately, I
have inherited this from both
parents, making my risk factor in certain
situations up to 88 times
higher. That is an astonishing statistic and I could fill many
pages
with the information I have about thrombosis,
but the most accurate and
helpful source of facts, figures and
support is Thrombosis UK (www.thrombosisuk.org).
CAN YOU TELL
ME MORE ABOUT YOUR
FUNDRAISING FOR THROMBOSIS UK?
My first
fundraiser was the Sahara Desert Trek which is the
subject of my book, 'Trekker
Girl Morocco Bound'. I joined a
group of trekkers, paying all the expenses
myself so that every
penny I raised went to Thrombosis UK. Was it a step too
far
for a moderately healthy woman in her early 50s? I will let you
answer that
one. It was certainly a tougher challenge than I had expected.
My fundraising is
ongoing, with an overnight walk through the
mountains of Mallorca and I even
competed in a ballroom dance
competition. The dancing was a long way out of my
comfort zone
as I prefer walking boots to high heels, but it was a successful
fundraising event. I am currently trying to plan a challenge that
will attract
both attention and donations because I aim to raise
awareness of thrombosis,
something which does save lives,
as well as much needed funds.
YOU TRIED TO
OVERCOME YOUR HEALTH
PROBLEMS BY TRAVELLING. WHY TRAVELLING?
My health issues
are with me for life. I have tried to live to the full,
despite having to take
care in certain situations. For example,
flying is a risk as is being immobile,
especially after an operation.
In 90 minutes we all lose 50% of the blood flow
in our legs.
I am a restless person and travelling keeps me 'on the go'.
Curiosity drives me forward, itching to learn more about
other countries and
cultures. I may have to change my
mode of transport and adapt my methods but
nothing, including
Covid, will keep me down.
HOW DID YOU
FIND YOUR NAME 'TREKKER GIRL'?
I couldn't believe
this name was not already in use! I used an
organisation called 'Just Giving'
to collect the funds for my trek
and needed a catchy name. I love it.
WHAT IS YOUR
FAVOURITE PLACE/COUNTRY EVER?
That is a
difficult question to answer, having lived in the UK,
North America and Spain
at various times. It is also hard to
pick on only one place I have visited, as
I have had such
amazing experiences in many locations. I will say that Cuba
is full
of special people, Chile has all kinds of dramatic natural
landscapes to
explore and Alaska is just awe inspiring…I
could go on. A part of my heart
belongs to a small rock in
the middle of the Irish Sea called the Isle of Man.
DO YOU HAVE
OTHER INTERESTS OR HOBBIES?
Apart from writing
and travelling? I love to entertain friends and
family and, of course, I walk
most days, preferably somewhere
with a view of the sea. I enjoyed my
involvement with a local
radio station, conducting interviews which gave me the
opportunity
to indulge my curiosity about other people and their motivations.
You can be sure that I am rarely stuck for something to say.
Covid has made us
all less mobile and I have indulged in lots
of reading (especially memoirs,
thanks to the marvellous
Facebook group 'We Love Memoirs'). Tapestry and
jigsaws kept
me occupied during the lockdowns, and I am always keen to try
something new, but it is safe to say that quilting proved disastrous.
Dawne Archer at the Glastonbury Music Festival
WHAT DOES
YOUR FAMILY THINK ABOUT YOUR PLANS?
Covid has made me
realise that there is nothing more important
to me than family. Seeing them
whenever possible has been,
and still is, a priority. However, they know I will
never stop
travelling and that has always been the way. They love to hear
'tall
stories' of my adventures.
DO YOU LIKE
TO WRITE/WORK IN THE EARLY
HOURS OR LATE?
I am very much a
night owl. Peace and quiet in the later hours
of the day suit me best.
DO YOU HAVE
PLANS TO WRITE OTHER BOOKS?
Digging through
some old storage boxes, I found a treasure trove
of diaries written on my
trips. Some short travel memoirs sound
like a fun way to get some more of my
writing out into the world.
I have also contributed to a couple of published
compilations
of travel stories.
WHAT DO YOU
WISH FOR YOU AND THE WORLD?
That is a very
good question and one that needs a lot of thought.
For me, I wish continued
good health with no further thrombosis
episodes. For my family, good health
too.
For the world? A way through the current Covid crisis.
You can find me
here:
www.facebook.com/trekkergirl2012/
www.amazon.com/author/dawnearcher
twitter handle: @DawneArcher19
Email: trekkergirl@outlook.com
Trekker Girl Morocco Bound is available from Amazon at
