Thanks Nicole so grateful you are gracing my page this month!!
Nicole Ryan: I am a mother.
Suzy Ayers: Who is a mentor or someone that you look up to/inspires you?
Nicole Ryan: Most of my fellow authors indie and otherwise, inspire me greatly. There is so much talent and beauty in the world... if you can't find inspiration in the world around you, it can be very difficult to write.
Suzy Ayers: What is the biggest piece of advice you find that you give most often to aspiring writers?
Nicole Ryan: The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to write every, single, day. Even if it's only one word. Write something. Re-write something. Edit something. Whatever it is as long as it get's you a step closer to your goal.
Suzy Ayers: Tell us the book you’re excited to share with us.
Nicole Ryan: I'm very excited to share the full length novel Castles Burning. It was originally published in three parts, but now I've combined them all into one book, and have also added bonus material!
My heart started to race and I hurried into the bathroom, splashing water on my face. It felt light and not quite cool, a strange detail I’d never noticed before.
I looked up and stared at myself in the mirror. I leaned in very close, my nose nearly touching it and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and remembered something I’d read in a book, or seen in a movie once. If you can’t even stare at yourself in the eyes for one minute, the problem you’re seeking to fix might be within. I forced my eyes open and looked in the mirror, really looked. My heart thundered in my ears as I leaned in, examining the reflection before me.
Have you ever really looked at yourself in the mirror, leaned in very close and searched the depths of your eyes? Have you ever had a picture in your mind of what you saw when you were looking in the mirror… and dismissed it? It’s tough to lean in close and just examine yourself, not posing, or smiling; just being you. Have you ever stared so deep into your own eyes that you could make out the menacing hills and valleys that make up the vibrant color, deep beneath the clear surface?
I hadn’t. In that moment, stuck somewhere between dreams and reality, I realized I never had really, truly seen myself.
Suzy Ayers: Where are you going next? What is your next project/book?
Nicole Ryan: My next project is actually still brewing. It's an apocalypse story, there will be at least two parts, both books will be from opposite ends of the experience so that the readers can get a broader view of the story as a whole. It's definitely scifi! I'm very excited about it.