Nicola Hollingsworth - Interview
Q: Please introduce yourself.
A: My name is Nicola Hollingsworth (soon to be Nicola Paszkowski).
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on a crime series called the Patrick O'Leary series. It comprises 4 books: 41 Carats, Painted Faces, Fire and Ice, and Nemesis.
Q: Why did you decide to write your current work?
A: I have always had a love of crime fiction – I read Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Tess Gerrittsen and PD James to name but a few – and have wanted to try my hand at it for a while. My wedding ring designer, Rings Rock, has a workshop in Hatton Garden and it got me thinking about how you'd go about stealing a diamond. I looked into the idea of a criminal mastermind running an empire with his fingers in many pies, and thus the idea was born. I had to narrow it down to a few “major” crimes, or I'd have a 30-book series on my hands, but once I began dreaming about writing it I knew it had to be done.
Q: What genre do you usually write in? Do you typically write novels, short stories, poems, etc.?
A: Gosh, I normally write all sorts. I've written short stories since I was 16, poems since I was 14 … I only started writing novels when I was 22 and pregnant (mainly as a distraction from the morning sickness), so I'm a bit of a latecomer to the novel party!
Q: What have you written in the past?
A: I normally write dark fiction – my debut novel focused on a woman who was driven insane after murdering her husband – but when it comes to poetry, I tend to write whatever is on my head. So if I'm in love, it's all flowers and unicorns and sparkles. When I'm depressed, it's morbid and maudlin.
Q: How long have you been an author?
A: I have been a writer for 12 years, but I have only been published for 4 years.
Q: What made you want to become an author?
A: I have always loved storytelling. I grew up with a lot of folk music in the house (along with other genres) and fell in love with the storytelling aspect of it. Sadly, I'm a horrendous songwriter, so I turned to poetry and novels in a bid to explore other creative avenues. It also allows me to get my feelings off my chest in a manner that lets me express myself without any need for context – it's all relatable.
Q: Have you self-published, traditionally published, or both? If both, do you prefer one over the other? Do you have any advice for authors seeking your chosen method of publication?
A: I was traditionally published by Immortal Publishing for my debut novel. Sadly, the publishing house closed down, so I am now exploring other publishing avenues.
My advice would be to do what is best for you in terms of publication. If you want to be traditionally published, go for it. Same for self publishing. Stick to your guns and do what's right for you.
The only thing I would steer away from is vanity publishing – they ask you for exorbitant amounts of money in order to publish and promote your work, and you very rarely see a return on it. I know of one author in particular who couldn't get traditionally published, so he went to a vanity publisher and lost a lot of money, before eventually settling for self publishing.
Q: Do you have any advice for beginning authors? (Please answer even if you are a beginning author yourself.) For example: How do overcome writer’s block? What marketing tactics have you found to be the most effective? Any advice at all.
A: My advice would be to write. It's something a lot of my author buddies have told me in the past, and it is incredibly true. Write write write write write. Even if it's a shopping list, or a to-do list, or just how you feel at the present moment. Scribble in a notebook, on a laptop, on a napkin....just write! And never stop believing in your dreams. If you want to be a published author that badly, it will happen for you.
A: My name is Nicola Hollingsworth (soon to be Nicola Paszkowski).
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on a crime series called the Patrick O'Leary series. It comprises 4 books: 41 Carats, Painted Faces, Fire and Ice, and Nemesis.
Q: Why did you decide to write your current work?
A: I have always had a love of crime fiction – I read Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Tess Gerrittsen and PD James to name but a few – and have wanted to try my hand at it for a while. My wedding ring designer, Rings Rock, has a workshop in Hatton Garden and it got me thinking about how you'd go about stealing a diamond. I looked into the idea of a criminal mastermind running an empire with his fingers in many pies, and thus the idea was born. I had to narrow it down to a few “major” crimes, or I'd have a 30-book series on my hands, but once I began dreaming about writing it I knew it had to be done.
Q: What genre do you usually write in? Do you typically write novels, short stories, poems, etc.?
A: Gosh, I normally write all sorts. I've written short stories since I was 16, poems since I was 14 … I only started writing novels when I was 22 and pregnant (mainly as a distraction from the morning sickness), so I'm a bit of a latecomer to the novel party!
Q: What have you written in the past?
A: I normally write dark fiction – my debut novel focused on a woman who was driven insane after murdering her husband – but when it comes to poetry, I tend to write whatever is on my head. So if I'm in love, it's all flowers and unicorns and sparkles. When I'm depressed, it's morbid and maudlin.
Q: How long have you been an author?
A: I have been a writer for 12 years, but I have only been published for 4 years.
Q: What made you want to become an author?
A: I have always loved storytelling. I grew up with a lot of folk music in the house (along with other genres) and fell in love with the storytelling aspect of it. Sadly, I'm a horrendous songwriter, so I turned to poetry and novels in a bid to explore other creative avenues. It also allows me to get my feelings off my chest in a manner that lets me express myself without any need for context – it's all relatable.
Q: Have you self-published, traditionally published, or both? If both, do you prefer one over the other? Do you have any advice for authors seeking your chosen method of publication?
A: I was traditionally published by Immortal Publishing for my debut novel. Sadly, the publishing house closed down, so I am now exploring other publishing avenues.
My advice would be to do what is best for you in terms of publication. If you want to be traditionally published, go for it. Same for self publishing. Stick to your guns and do what's right for you.
The only thing I would steer away from is vanity publishing – they ask you for exorbitant amounts of money in order to publish and promote your work, and you very rarely see a return on it. I know of one author in particular who couldn't get traditionally published, so he went to a vanity publisher and lost a lot of money, before eventually settling for self publishing.
Q: Do you have any advice for beginning authors? (Please answer even if you are a beginning author yourself.) For example: How do overcome writer’s block? What marketing tactics have you found to be the most effective? Any advice at all.
A: My advice would be to write. It's something a lot of my author buddies have told me in the past, and it is incredibly true. Write write write write write. Even if it's a shopping list, or a to-do list, or just how you feel at the present moment. Scribble in a notebook, on a laptop, on a napkin....just write! And never stop believing in your dreams. If you want to be a published author that badly, it will happen for you.
Comments
Post a Comment