I'm a 27-year-old YA author who currently lives in Orlando with my sister, two dogs and a college friend who never stops singing show tunes. I'm a proud member of the Gator Nation and have a BS in Mechanical Engineering (That’s a “BS ME” for those of you keeping track) with a minor in Sales. Volunteering and non-profit work is important to me. (I'm also looking for a job since getting laid off so if y'all have any leads, let me know! <-- shameless)
Could you tell us a little bit about your work in progress?
I'm currently querying THE DEMONS YOU KNOW. It's a YA urban fantasy about a 16 year-old Fire Mage named Miranda who must partner with a young Holy Warrior when all the adult Mages are kidnapped by supposedly-extinct demons. Miranda grapples with the seductive knowledge in a pair of ancient books from her outcast aunt’s attic, while discovering most of what she’s been taught about her magic is a strategic lie. An intimate betrayal and public demon attacks complicate matters when all Miranda wants is her mother and the other Mages safely back at home.
I'm also writing another YA urban fantasy titled DRAGONS ARE PEOPLE TOO. It's about a teen weredragon who has to decide where her loyalties lie when her entire species is exposed to the world.
What is the first story you remember writing? What was it about?
I'm sure I wrote before this, but the first story I remember being proud of was a retelling of the Atlantis myth for a freshman English class. I combined it with Greek mythology and in the end Hera sinks the entire island because one of Zeus's hussies lived there.
Are you more of a “plotter” or a “pantser”?
100% pantser. In high school when I was required to submit an outline weeks before a paper was due, I would just write the whole paper THEN write the outline. I think I'm allergic to plotting.
All writers need encouragement. Who first encouraged you to write, and who is it that encourages you today?
I don't really know who was the first to encourage me to write, but my grandma was definitely the first to encourage me to read. I was reading Hardy Boys books in Kindergarten thanks to her. These days, I'm blessed with encouragement. Everyone from my family and roommates to local writer friends and Twitter writer friends who I've never actually met IRL.
Which authors have had a significant influence on your writing?
I know it's not a popular stance, but Stephanie Meyer really got me into writing seriously. You can argue about sparkly vampires and repetitive sentence structure all day long, but there aren't many writers who capture as many hearts as she did. As far as quality of writing, I admire Laurie Halse Anderson a great deal. And Maureen Johnson rocks the house when it comes to reader engagement.
What music, if any, do you enjoy listening to while you write?
I like to listen to music that fits the mood of the scene I'm writing so I'll listen to just about every genre through the course of a novel. Damien Rice and Glen Hansard are fantastic for emotional scenes. Some alternative rock with driving rhythms really helps me keep the pace up in my fight and action scenes.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
Craft-wise? My strengths are action scenes and dialogue and my weakness lies in description. I also can't pick a title to save my life. My roommate chose the title DRAGONS ARE PEOPLE TOO for my current WIP and I love it.
What do you hope to achieve with your writing?
My first aim is to entertain people. If you don't entertain teens with your story, they're going to set the book down, walk away and start playing a video game. Everything else is gravy.
What was once traditionally a print medium is now rapidly branching out into many digital formats. What do you think of this trend?
I think it's awesome and a bit scary. I'm a techie so I love digital technology as much as anyone, but branching out into digital format has already greatly increased the amount of piracy going on, which is bad for an industry where most authors already don't make enough to support themselves.
What was the last sentence that you had to re-read over and over again because of its awesomeness? What struck you about it?
"If your heart is bleeding
Make the best of it.
There is heat in freezing
be a testament."
It's actually from the poem "How to be alone" by Tanya Davis. I was single for a long time - but I enjoyed it - and this was the first time I'd ever read/heard anything that wasn't trying to tell me how wrong I was for feeling that way. I have plans to burn the quote above into a wooden bangle bracelet for me to wear.
What book(s) have you recently read that you would recommend to the readers of this blog?
Well, I'm a little late to this particular party but I was just blown away by IF I STAY by Gayle Forman - which I totally didn't expect because it's not my usual type of book. I also LOVE Janice Hardy's books and am not-so-patiently awaiting the release of the third one!
What advice do you have to other aspiring authors out there?
I think the best advice I've ever received is to just keep trying. Writing is truly a hard road and sometimes it's heart-breaking but you have to keep trying if this is what you really want to do.
An apocalypse destroys the entirety of human literature, apart from the work of three authors that you can magically save with your wizardry – what do you save from imminent destruction?
Oh please don't make ME choose! I've never been good at narrowing these things down! Isaac Asimov for sure. Can I say Joss Whedon? Does that count? It's not technically literature, but his writing blows me away.
Our time is at an end. For our curious readers, how can we follow your progress?
I blog occasionally at www.sarahnicolas.com, post twice a month at YAtopia, and I LOVE twitter so please follow me @sarah_nicolas. I also have a new project: Sift Book Reviews. Myself and four other amazing people review self-published science-fiction and fantasy.
Thanks so much!
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