But I digress... I had a chance to chat with Nicole a bit about her book and writing. Here it is!
So Nicole, tell us briefly about yourself and your new book!
Writing has been my passion at least since middle school, and probably longer than
that. I say probably because my memory’s made of Swiss cheese: full of holes!
While studying for my BA in English, I always told myself that ideally I’d get
published but I’d better have another plan in place instead; I actually laughed
at the people who were there getting a degree with the single purpose of being
published novelists. I realize now that they were simply charging ahead on a
trail after their dream and lifelong goal, rather than not trusting enough in
their abilities to put the horns down. Careful Capricorn doesn’t get there
quickly, but we get there in the end. I finished and polished my novel and
submitted it to about fifty agents before I met Dave Lee with Hatton Cross
Steampunk (HCS) Publishing. He hadn’t finished more than the first two pages of
Hollow Thunder before he forwarded my manuscript to his editor-in-chief with
high praise. Boom – the rockets were lit and off we went.
He’s the one who first described Hollow Thunder as a “colonial paranormal.” It’s set in a time period based off 18th century Colonial America, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. To quote off the back cover: “When six rebels – William and Richard Cooper; Lady Claire and Sir Thomas Scott; and Matthew Hatter and Anne Tybbot – set out to assassinate the Royal Governor and take control over the colony, their carefully laid plan disintegrates rapidly into a struggle for survival. But who can you trust when everyone has their secrets to keep and their agendas to fulfill?”
There’re betrayals, blood-shed, strategies, brief flickers of love, brotherly loyalty, questions of identity, a psychic and a werewolf! I’d say there’s something for everyone, which wasn’t the intent necessarily but I love how it turned out.
What was your favorite part about writing your book? The most challenging?
My favorite part was when I’d read back over bits for editing (or to remind myself
what I’d written, since the whole thing took about eight years to compose all
together) and I’d get completely sucked back in. I’d find myself wanting to
know what would happen next – and I wrote it! It was those moments that really
kept encouraging me to not give up on it.
The most challenging part was overcoming procrastination inclinations. I kept saying to myself “I know I need to write some tonight, but I’ll work on it more tomorrow,” but a book never gets finished if you don’t write it! There’s a quote from Jim Butcher (author of the Dresden Files series) that has really helped me out in moments like that: “Put your Butt In the Chair and start writing. Period. No excuses. There is no substitute for BIC time. It's part of the price you pay.” So true.
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Where did you draw inspiration for your book from?
The initial inspiration for my book came from Shield’s Tavern in Williamsburg, VA.
There is a wine/storage cellar in that restaurant where you can sit to eat, and
it’s lit only by electronic candles and lanterns and the wood-burning
fireplaces. It’s full of rough-hewn tables and wood-slat chairs with woven
grass and layers of leather for seats. When my folks and I sat down there to
have lunch while visiting Colonial Williamsburg, I had the notion of a group of
Revolutionaries meeting together in secret to plot a rebellion…readers will
recognize the opening scene and first chapter from Hollow Thunder here. The
whole book was born from that experience.
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Do you have a favorite character?
Hahaha, that’s not a fair question! Do you have a favorite child? All of my characters
have quirks that I love about them and which endear them to me…even when you
just want to smack them in the face sometimes. No, I don’t have a favorite
character, but I encourage my readers to choose their own.
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Is there a special place that inspires you when writing?
I generally am inspired the most when writing at home or parked somewhere in the woods,
anywhere away from people really, but in Hollow Thunder’s particular case the
setting of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, VA, is a big inspiration for
me. There are many little spots in that town which foster a quiet and
inspirational atmosphere for writing about the 18th century.
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Can we expect more books in the future?
Absolutely! I am currently working on several projects all at once: a sequel to Hollow
Thunder; a steampunk novel called Shiprat; a collection of short stories about
shape-shifters from various folklores called All Vox of Life (yep, that’s a
Latin pun); and I’m trying to get my completed children’s book published. It’s
meant to be a picture book, and it’s called Max’s Empty Dish.
Where is your book available for purchase?
As of right now, Hollow Thunder is available through CreateSpace as a paperback novel. In a few days of this writing, it will be available on Amazon.com and I’m also working on creating a Kindle version of it which should be out soon. In about mid-November it will also be available at Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million.
So my dear friends, there you have it! Please check out Nicole's book. You can purchase it directly here and from Amazon here. If you want to keep up to date with Nicole and her writing, you can also find her on Facebook here and her blog is here. Supporting independent authors is a good cause and it's incredibly tough to self publish. Not to mention, Hollow Thunder is great read, I just got my copy a few days ago and I can't put it down!
Oh and last but not least, Nicole doesn't have any dirt on me and isn't forcing me to do this for her, ha! Hollow Thunder is genuinely a gripping novel and Nicole is a talented playwright and author. Praise is given where it's deserved, and this is well deserved here!
Macte virtute! Factum optime Nicole!
Until Next Time,
