Good morning/afternoon/evening to you all. Today we are going to meet a lovely person in my life, Nicole Orr. This woman is not only a writer, but a force to be reckoned with. Let's jump on in and get to know her a little better.
Hey Nicole, what do you write?
A while back, I got my feet wet in the publishing world by having more than 18 nonfiction children’s books released through the Purple Toad Publishing House, but alas, the topics, length, pictures and deadlines were all chosen for me. I’ve been a writer for several online blogs too, including pop culture and travel blogs.My true passion, however, is fiction. One of my favorite quotes of all time is Victor Hugo’s, “A writer is a world trapped inside a person.”
I’ve been writing stories since I was in my early teens, but it really took off when I discovered the worldwide writing event National Novel Writing Month where you write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November. While I have participated in that 18 times, I write year-round and in every genre there is.
In 2020, I wrote “Of Masks and Fangs,” a vampire thriller that takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2023, I am working to traditionally publish this novel.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
When I made the choice to pursue publishing my novel, it was only after the agreement with myself that I would not read a single review left of my works.Okay, so you're not even tempted to peek at one?
Not. A. Single. One.
To be honest, I’ve wanted to be published since I was much younger, but harsh critique groups ruined my self-confidence as a writer. I told myself I obviously didn’t have thick enough skin to be a writer if I couldn’t even handle negative feedback from other writers. [Having my piece beta-read was challenging enough!] This view ended when it occurred to me that, were I to get hit by a comet today and die, every single story, character, and world I’d created would die with me. I couldn’t stand that thought, so I dove headfirst into finding a way to get my stories out there without destroying my love for them. The way to do this is to ignore the reviews, the good and the bad. I’m sure this won’t be true for all writers out there, but it’s the best way to protect what’s most important; my joy of creating.
What was your hardest scene to write?
Oh dear! I take great pride in writing in all genres just to see if I can! [Comedy is the only one I haven’t tackled.] I struggle to write endings, but not because I don’t know how to end the story. I always know that. It’s that I’m terrified I won’t do it justice, that it won’t be like it is in my head, and it’s easier to just keep it in my brain where it’s movie-perfect.As for something more specifically, it’s very important to me to create diverse worlds and this means the inclusion of characters quite different from me. My stories, “Of Masks and Fangs” especially, delve into issues of race, sexual orientation and identity, mental health and disability. With the exception of being disabled, this means I am frequently writing about life in a body I don’t actually inhabit. It takes a lot of research and deep conversations with people who have different lived experiences.
Have you ever Googled yourself?
Yes! Don’t we all? When I research myself, I get a few links to interviews I’ve done and that’s about it.In fiction, how do you select the names of your characters?
This is not a short process! Extras are easy. I just bring up a name generator online and pick something. Beyond that? Thought goes into every single character name. Point to anybody in anything I’ve written and I can tell you where the name came from. Sometimes, I choose it because the word rhymes with something that’s important to the character. Sometimes, the name was from an actor or character from media that inspired my character. Main characters are definitely the hardest!Does your family support your career/passion as a writer?
Alas, it is not a career. Writing stories brings me great happiness and joy. I write first and foremost for me. If people like my stories and my worlds, that’s even better. If I got paid, that would just be a bonus. I’m really just making sure, come the day a comet takes me out, my teeny-tiny universes live on.However, my family has been supportive of my writing every step of the way! The only reason I'm working to publish my first novel is because, when she finished hearing my prologue, my mom said, "You should publish that" and I said, "Okay!" She is definitely my biggest fan.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Initially writing it, beginning to end, takes a year or less. I immediately take a year-long break from it and then edit it. This allows me to read it with the eyes of a reader instead of a writer. The novel then goes out to beta readers and sensitivity readers. Once I have it back, I revise and apply a technical edit. By the end, the entire process takes 2-3 years.Wow, a whole year?! That's impressive. I don't think I'd be able to wait that long, I'd forget what I'd written.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Part of it comes from my mother, who has made a career out of writing. Part of it comes from my love for reading. The biggest and truest reason, however, comes from the trauma I’ve experienced in my life, trauma that resulted in anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder. Writing calms me. Writing gives me an outlet for experiences nobody else understands. Writing takes the sometimes overwhelming world inside me and releases it into a world where others might see themselves and feel a bit more normal.Besides writing, what hobbies do you have?
Before becoming a single mom by choice in 2022, I was a digital nomad, which means you can work wherever you want so long as you have internet access. I’ve worked in Iceland, Indonesia, Canada, New Zealand, and I lived in Australia three times. Australia is still a second home to me, which is why I named my son Brisbane, after my favorite Aussie city there.
Besides traveling, I am on a constant hunt for the best cinnamon roll. I also love taking my son places where I can take too many photos of him!
What’s your favorite food?
Cinnamon rolls. Period, but not sticky buns. Sticky buns are just a donut that never achieved its dreams.Nicole, it's been such a pleasure working with you on this interview. I feel that I know you so much better. I can't wait until you are working on your book edits from the publisher I KNOW you will find! I have faith that you've got this.
Is there anything you'd like to share with the blog, something to whet our whistle a bit? A short piece perhaps?
Lydia’s Letters and Lattes Cafe looked like Valentine’s Day had come, but never
quite managed to leave. It was Lydia’s love for the place that took it over, that invited
kids to cut out paper hearts to dangle from the ceiling and her love that deposited
tiny hearts in the foam of every coffee.
“I love love,” Lydia told whoever would listen. “And I like to think that
everybody that leaves here, leaves with just a little bit extra. Maybe it’s love for their
families or friends, their bosses or their cats or even just for themselves. And if you
don’t know where to find it, just get reading.”
On the outside of the cafe was a slot. Much like the drop box at a library to
return overdue books, this was a metal envelope with a flap that opened and closed.
The envelope had an engraving: What does your broken heart most need to hear?
Write it down and leave it here.
Every morning, Lydia would open each of those already open envelopes and
cover the walls of her cafe with the letters. A bittersweet wallpaper. All were
addressed to someone deeply loved and all were signed simply “anonymous.” The
wall says: Does your heart need a letter? Take one home and feel better.
People drank their drinks with hearts resting in the foam and they savored
their snacks, served warm and fluffy like the very best hugs. Whether mid-sip or mid-
nibble, everyone eventually visited the walls.
Most people read the letters and went home. Some tapped their finger on
them, resonating with the stories. Sometimes though, sometimes somebody would
read a letter and find themselves in it. They’d read those words and feel something
in their broken little hearts let go.
People cried over the letters. They laughed. They snuck them into their
purses like secrets and hugged them to their chests like a hug long awaited.
Lydia lived for those moments, for when some of the love she’d poured into
this beacon of welcome followed people home. When it did, when others left the cafe
with more love for the world than when they came in, she almost forgot how much
she herself needed a letter.
Because Lydia had a secret of her own: she was losing her love for love and
not a day had gone by since she opened her cafe that she hadn’t hoped for a letter
that would give it back to her.
It was a Wednesday when that letter finally came and she found herself in it.
“Somebody finally wrote the words your heart needed,” said one of Lydia’s
regulars. “Imagine you wish you knew who wrote it.”
“Don’t need to wonder,” said Lydia, smiling. “I did.”
Sometimes, Lydia had decided, if the world wasn’t giving you what you
wanted or what needed, you had to give it to yourself.
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