Friday, November 18, 2011

Dishing It Up with N.R. Wick

Today I have the pleasure of dishing it up with N.R. Wick. N.R. Wick writes horror and dark fantasy for young adults. She loves all things horrifying, magical, and supernatural. N.R. Wick currently lives in Southern California with her husband where she completed her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing


JET: Can you tell us about Land of No Angels?


NRW: Of course! When you get down to it, Land of No Angels (LoNA) is really about family, trust, and love. I know, how odd for a supposed horror/post apocalyptic novel. But, LoNA is about an older sister who's alone in a scary, dangerous world with her younger sister and the things she will do to fight to protect her. It's set in the very near future (as in, a year or two from now) after a demon apocalypse wiped out most of humanity. LoNA answers questions like what it means to be human and to be a good person in a world of bad. Here's the blurb:

Ever since the fall of mankind and the rise of demons, Rebecca Ashford and her younger sister, Errol, have remained hidden in their tornado bunker. When Errol is poisoned by demon, Rebecca must work with a mysterious survivor named Fox to find a cure. Together, they confront demons and other monsters while Rebecca struggles to learn magic that will help her find the ingredients needed to save her sister.

JET: What drew you to YA Horror?

NRW: Oooh, I've loved the horror genre my entire life. Not even kidding. My dad and I used to watch Nightmare on Elm Street when I was really little, and now I love to write it. As for YA, I've always been a fan of children's and teen's books. There's just a whimsy about them that I adore.

JET: What’s been your most challenging hurdle on the road to publication?

NRW: Finishing the book. It sounds strange, but that was the biggest challenge. I have a hard time finishing things sometimes and was fortunate enough to earn my MFA in Creative Writing, which LoNA was my thesis project. Having to do it for school helped tremendously.

JET: What was your favorite moment in the journey?

NRW: My first non-family/friend sale. That was pretty awesome. Second to that, or maybe tied, would be how excited my sister was when I showed her that I dedicated the book to her. She squealed and jumped at me with a hug.

JET: Which authors had the most influence over you growing up?

NRW: Stephen King and R.L. Stine. I read them both as a child and still do as an adult. In later years, though, it became authors like J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, and Cornelia Funke.

JET: When did you know you wanted to take the plunge into the writing world?

NRW: Well, I've written stories my entire life, but I didn't really decide to take it seriously as a career path or as something I find myself unable to live without until about two years ago.

JET: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of book research? Most interesting fact you uncovered?

NRW: Craziest thing I've done... ooh, not anything too crazy, but a woman LOOKED at me crazy when I asked about it. LOL I was working in the Labor and Delivery area of a hospital and was asking the head nurse a bunch of things about problematic labours, and where women are taken for C-sections, and things of that nature.

The most interesting thing I've researched, seen, and learned was when I had to research how someone stitched a wound. It was awesome! It was also gross, but watching videos of basic wound stitching was pretty cool.

Oh! And second most interesting bit of information I found: A lot of old Leprechaun lore talks about Leprechauns wearing red rather than the green we are so used to seeing.

JET: Of all the novels and stories you’ve written - which one is your favorite? Why?

NRW: Oooh, that's really tough. I don't think I have a favourite one yet.

JET: Any advice (from a writer’s standpoint) for the novices out there?

NRW: I'm hardly one to be giving advice, but I have two pieces: Just keep writing, and listen andlearn from other's feedback.

JET: All right - now that I’ve hammered you with the big questions, let’s tackle my favorite (and geeky) quick ten. . . starting with Paper or Plastic?

NRW: Paper, so I can doodle on it after.

JET: Steak or Tofu?

NRW: Steak! Mmmmm, so yummy.

JET: Beach or Mountains?

NRW: Ooh, tough. Can't I have mountains right on the shore of a beach? Hehe.

JET: Country or Rock-n-Roll?

NRW: Rock-n-Roll of course.

JET: Leather or Lace?

NRW: Lace, much more comfortable.

JET: Angels or Demons?

NRW: Angels?

JET: Paper or Digital?

NRW: Paper

JET: Silent Film Classics or Cheesy B Rated Horror?

NRW: B Horror all the way! I have amazing life memories with B horror movies (and C and F... I'm talking to YOU Scarecrow Gone Wild.)

JET: Twilight or True Blood?

NRW: *gags* Neither. I'm NOT a vampire lover.

JET: Coffee or Tea?

NRW: Tea! English Breakfast tea for me, please.

JET: Thank you for indulging me. Before we wrap this up, can you tell us what you're working on now? What's next?

NRW: Well, I have quite a few projects in the works, but right now I'm actively working on a Middle Grade book called Cora's Enchanted Pastries. It's been a blast researching, outlining, and writing it thus far, and I can't wait to show it to the world. Also, for those who liked LoNA, I've started working on the sequel, which is called Land of No Salvation.

JET: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat on my blog. Folks, you can find out more about N.R. Wick and her work at the following places: http://www.nrwick.com./

http://www.amazon.com/N.R.-Wick/e/B004Y9O3OM

Next week, I’ve got J.S. Dunn and Martin Lake on tap.

Until then,
Ciao
JET

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