Author Interview ~ Nicole Baart

Nicole was born and raised in Iowa. A self-proclaimed small town girl, Nicole quickly found that she could also be a city girl and added shopping and Starbucks sipping to her list of favorite activities. Being a stay-at-home mom who substitute-teaches in her (imaginary) spare time gave Nicole ample opportunity to once again pursue her first love: writing.

Plug time. What new book or project do you have coming out?

My debut novel, After the Leaves Fall, hit bookstores on October 9. It’s the coming-of-age story of a young woman named Julia. Her life is filled with everyday tragedy, and throughout the book she struggles to overcome her past and a seemingly predetermined path of failure and destruction.

I love her character because she is so strong, so tenacious and indomitable. But I also admire Julia’s almost romantic observations of life, her love affair with the world around her and her sweetly hopeful outlook that is tempered by her quick wit and subtle sarcasm.

NJ: To read a review of After the Leaves Fall, click here.

How did you come up with this story?

Honestly? I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a manuscript directly into the hands of a very respected acquisitions director. At the time, I did not consider myself a very good candidate to publish in the Christian fiction market. Although I am a Christian and I want my work to reflect the majesty of our awesome God, back then I considered myself more marketable in the secular publishing world. More like Leif Enger or Marilynn Robinson, I suppose.

Anyway, I didn’t feel like I had an appropriate manuscript to send her way, so I wrote the first 50 pages of a new manuscript in my spare time over the course of about three weeks. The first chapter was the result of a writing exercise I had done months before--a graveyard scene that really touched me. So I went with it. I wrote and wrote, and slowly Julia’s story evolved.

Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

I have, quite literally, been writing since I was five years old. Even when I was a very little girl, if someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always say, “an author.” Well, I also wanted to be a nun, but I outgrew that dream!

Though I have been writing for twenty-five years, I have to admit that I have not been writing for very long with the intent to be published. A few years ago I wrote an article that was published in the English Journal, and I have also won local and regional awards for my poetry, but an actual book deal with a major publishing house always seemed like a pipe dream.

So many people love to write and consider themselves authors. What could possibly make me stand out from the crowd? But the truth is, I have sought publication twice and I was accepted both times. I have never received a rejection letter. The rarity of such a gift is not lost on me!

When I sent my first 50 pages off to Tyndale, I never thought I would hear from them again. I was so surprised three months later to get an email requesting the rest of the manuscript! I was also horrified because it wasn’t done. Thankfully, Tyndale was willing to wait for it, and slightly over four months later I sent them the completed novel.

It was a few more months before I spoke in person with Rebekah Nesbitt and she told me that Tyndale was very interested in publishing my novel. I signed the contract only weeks later. It was all so surreal, so unbelievable, that I still think I’m processing it all.

Do you ever struggle with writer’s block? If so, how do you overcome it?

I don’t struggle with writer’s block as much as I struggle with “a sudden inability to write well.” I can always write, but there are definitely times when it comes easier for me. Some days, the words pour out of me as if I’ve opened a faucet--I barely have to do revisions. Other days, I can put sentences on paper, but they are inelegant and forced.

Usually what I do to overcome this awkward stage is just keep writing. As long as I have something on paper to work with, I feel like I’m making progress. It doesn’t have to be the best thing I’ve ever written because I can go back and rework it, make it better. At least the framework is there.

What is the most difficult part of writing for you?

The most difficult part of writing After the Leaves Fall was definitely the plot. Julia’s character (and, actually, all of the other characters in the book, too) came so alive to me from day one. I just fell for Julia, and I think I got so caught up in all the details of her personality that I forgot sometimes to worry about the plot. I was buried in her past, her relationships, her motivations, and I didn’t take enough time to worry about where she was going and the journey I knew she had to make.

How did you overcome it?

I had to give up some of my ill-conceived ideas about what makes a good plot. Although I am a very eclectic reader myself, I sometimes feel like my books have to be action-packed and filled with unexpected twists and turns. In writing After the Leaves Fall and The Earth Below (working title), the sequel, I had to give up that notion and let my plot be very internally motivated.

Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?

I wrote After the Leaves Fall on an ancient desktop computer in a spare room upstairs in our house. Our “computer chair” is one of the extra chairs from our kitchen table set--very hard and very upright. I’d sit on pillows and get up periodically to pace the room and stretch out my aching back. I actually ended up in physical therapy because the muscles in my upper back were so tight that I was losing feeling in my fingers!

After I signed my contract with Tyndale and got my first advance check, my husband and I took a third of the money and used it to create a real writing space for me. We bought a laptop computer and refurbished the extra room. Now it’s painted in soothing blues and greens and decorated with seashells, sand, and beach rocks from all my favorite vacations. I also have a beautiful wine colored chaise lounge that is much more comfortable than the old kitchen chair!

When I need a change of venue, I like to go to the local coffee shop. I’ve sort of claimed a big, overstuffed chair in the corner and the owners are very nice to me. They sometimes bring me samples of their new drinks and features.

Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?

No. Although I admire people with the discipline to adhere to specific daily goals, it’s just not possible for me. I am, first and foremost, a mom to my two young sons. Isaac is three and a half and Judah is one. They keep me very busy! Some days I don’t write a single word at all.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My schedule is different every day! Between Bible studies, playgroups, Kindermusik, and all the other conventional aspects of a young mom’s life (getting groceries, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.), I keep very busy.

But I do also carve out time to write. Two mornings a week I hire a babysitter to watch my kids at home. On those days, I get up early and go straight to the local coffee shop. I sit for hours and just write and write and write. If I get sick of that locale, I can pop into my mom and dad’s house (they live nearby and they both work), or even sneak into the office upstairs in my own home.

At noon, I go home and make the boys lunch and then put them down for afternoon naps. I can usually get a few more hours of writing in before they wake up. Then it’s suppertime and family time. If I’m really on a roll and just have to keep writing, my husband is usually very gracious and will take the kids so I can finish.

Talk us through your process of writing a novel briefly--from conception to revision.

For me, writing a novel usually starts with a character or event that sparks my imagination. I know it’s an idea worth pursuing when I can’t get this person or occurrence out of my mind. The first few days or even weeks consist mostly of mental planning: the idea is constantly rolling around in the back of my mind, gaining detail and becoming clearer and clearer.

Then I reach a point where I have to write something down or I’ll implode. Sometimes this is the first chapter, other times it’s nothing more than a character sketch--although I do usually use at least a portion of the first thing I write at some point in the book.

From here, the process is rather methodical for me. I start to write. I finish a chapter at a time, going over each line and word meticulously until I feel safe enough to send it to my writing partner and first draft editor. He takes it and chews it up, then he sends it back to me with corrections and we talk about it on the phone (he lives in Calgary, Alberta). I make the necessary revisions and move on to the next chapter. It all sounds rather inartistic, but I’m a perfectionist and it seems to work well for me.

What are some of your favorite books (not written by you)?

I am a very eclectic reader and I love everything from Harry Potter to Tolstoy. However, there are a number of books that are my all-time favorites and I reread them every few years. Though this list is not exhaustive, a few that stand out are: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, A Passage to India by E.M. Forester, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (which, strangely, I read for the very first time when I found out I had to teach it to my grade ten English classes), Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, everything by C. S. Lewis, and the entire collection of Jane Austen novels.

I also watch the Canadian and British literary awards very closely. If a book has won the Giller Prize, the Booker Prize, or the Governor General’s Award you can bet I’ve read it--or at least that it is on my reading list.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Write. I know that’s hardly profound, and, actually, it’s more of a command than a piece of advice, but I have to remind myself to do it all the time. Sometimes I just don’t feel like writing: I’m not in the mood, I’m not feeling “inspired,” I don’t feel like I have anything worthwhile to say… But whether or not I’m up for it, I need to keep writing if I want to continue to hone my craft and get better.

One of the best books I have ever read on the art of writing, and particularly on writing as someone who loves Christ, is Walking on Water by Madeleine L’ Engle. In it she says: “We must daily keep wound: that is, we must pray when prayer seems dry as dust; we must write when we are physically tired, when our hearts are heavy, when our bodies are in pain.”

Writing is a discipline. True, it’s also an art form, but without the discipline to continually work at it, to wade through the inevitable rubbish and find the treasure inside, the art that is produced will be fleeting at best, or worse, impossible to ever reproduce.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and frustration in writing? In publishing?

Well, I am very early in my career so I guess I’m still learning! In many ways I feel like a wide-eyed child right now--everything is so new and exciting… people are saying such nice things about me… I don’t quite get it, but it’s wonderful.

The people at Tyndale have been amazing and I’m thankful for their patience and advice. So far, I haven’t really experienced any frustration with anyone or anything other than myself. Although I consider myself rather laid back, this whole publishing thing has wound me a little tight. I check my email a bit too often, worry about what people will think, and overanalyze conversations that I should simply be enjoying. But I’m working on that.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that works particularly well for you?

Marketing is definitely my least favorite part of writing and publishing a book. For someone who hates to have her photo taken, then entire concept of “go out and plug yourself” is absolutely terrifying.

It’s strange: I have no problem whatsoever getting up in front of a huge group and speaking or acting, but I can’t stand the thought of telling even one person, “You should buy my book.”

When my website went live, I wrote an email to about fifty of my friends and family letting them know about the publication of my book. Right before I sent it off I got cold feet and deleted most of the recipients from the address line.

So I guess you could say that I don’t do much marketing. I know I have to be better if I want to sell any books, but I can’t help feeling like I’m also selling myself in the process. It’s very difficult for me. I have a long ways to go on figuring this one out.

Thankfully, Tyndale has (again) been wonderful and I really feel like they are doing everything they can to make my book successful. I am constantly on the lookout for ways that I can join them in marketing without feeling like some smarmy salesman.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

You want me to give advice? Hmmm… I guess my advice for aspiring authors would be: don’t ever stop writing. Even if your book, article, poem, or whatever never sees publication, your act of obedience in continuing to develop the gift that God has given you is a continual worship offering to him. He makes an awesome audience of one.