WATCH: City nurse releases her debut novel on the humourous side of internet dating

A CITY nurse traded her stethoscope for a pen and paper to write her first novel.
Dawn Martin has had her first book publishedDawn Martin has had her first book published
Dawn Martin has had her first book published

After her marriage broke down in 1997, 55-year-old Dawn Martin decided to try out the emerging world of internet dating.

But after racking up a catalogue of disastrous encounters with men she met online, she drifted even further away from finding true love again.

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Now happily married, the nurse practitioner from Farlington has loosely retold her offbeat story through the eyes of Chloe – the main character in her debut novel, Plenty More Fish.

Speaking after scooping a publishing deal with American firm Words Matter, Mrs Martin said: ‘I’m amazed this has happened. I’ve always loved writing, but one day I decided to sit down and do something about it. I’m delighted someone has picked up on it.’

The tome came to fruition after Dawn was forced to take time out after undergoing surgery in 2015. It hones in on both the dark and humourous aspects of online dating, touching on the mother-of-four’s own experiences.

One of which, Dawn says, ended with police intervention.

She said: ‘I ended up with my very own stalker. I attempted to end a relationship I was in with a man I met online. He didn’t like that.

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‘I then got about 300 calls in one day and he was peering through my letterbox that night. It was scary.’

But while such an encounter may seem terrifying to some, Plenty More Fish keeps it light.

Dawn said: ‘The book is humourous, it’s not all doom and gloom – but it could open a few eyes to the dangers of online dating.

‘Writing it was a therapeutic way of discussing what I’d been through. And while some of it is quite scary, it’s funny at times too.

‘I hope people enjoy reading it.’

To buy a copy of Plenty More Fish – which starts at £3.33 on Kindle – visit nursetonovelist.com.

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