From the Editor: Welcome and Enjoy!
Today we're talking to Nicole, the editor, AND author of The War Stories Chronicles! That includes bestseller, Addictarium: Asylum of Anarchy (Part I in the War Stories Chronicles).
Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?
I was born in Niagara Falls--a small town bordering Canada, and moved to Florida when I was 16. I relocated back to NY several times, then to Kansas City, then back to South Florida, and finally to NYC, then back to upstate New York. We settled in the Hudson Valley though, which is not close to Western NY--where I grew up, but reside currently. I really enjoy it, it's so different from everything I've seen. I have been fortunate enough to live NYC life (big city), Western / Mid-West City (KC, MO), South Tropics (FL), and Niagara which was more like living in Canada than NY, so this area I'm in NOW is very rural and different from all of those locations, and I feel like I've tasted a bit of almost everything here in the US. If I can check Cali, and/or Hawaii off one day, I will feel fulfilled in my travels here. Then it's time to make broader moves out of the US, hopefully.
How and when did you become a writer?
I have been writing little lyrical poems since I was 7. I started really writing at 12, mainly poetry and articles, as well as pen-palling to over 30 people! When I was in my early twenties I contributed volunteer articles for a paper, and realized I wanted to do more than just write poetry, and be an enthusiast of the art practice. I wanted to do it professionally. I started my first novel in my early twenties but ended yup scrapping it. When I was 27 I started Addictarium, and also began working for another author. It was then my writing career really started. I was getting paid for blogs and other pieces, and penned my memoir. I also started refining my poetry prose.
What genre do you write?
Literary Fiction Memoirs Journals Erotica Psychological Thrillers Bizarro Fiction
How would you describe your writing style?
I have been compared to my writing heroes Janet Fitch (White Oleander) and Anais Nin. I would love to say I agree, but while they have influenced me tremendously, I could never say I am quite THERE, just yet.
What makes you different from other writers?
I put a contemporary spin on old-fashioned style writing by combining grit and raw details of every day life, for those suffering from the human condition(s) or what they've been conditioned to-- intermixed with new-age philosophies, yet the actually oeuvre has an 'old fashioned' tone.
Who inspires you?
I like authors who broke barriers, of course--who doesn't? I respected Anais Nin AND Henry Miller for deciding to write the anti-novel or really, memoirs more or less. They were the original memoirists / diarists, and it was a very brave thing to do. Particularly, with Nin because female artists were not really 'accepted' in society at that time. She wanted to 'leave the female scar' on the world with literature, and her prose was and is, the best I've read. Miller, while technically-speaking not as strong a writer as Nin, was a fascinating man who understood the importance of the artist's metamorphosis. He was a street-prophet, a rebel.
What are you most proud of?
I'm proud that I have the courage to write the way I do. My work is very candid, raw, gritty, dark, honest, unbiased, and authentic. Nothing I pen is from a place of deception. There is no facade when it comes to my writing. I can perform--don't get me wrong--and I love to entertain and perform--but, my work is from the heart. That's truth, 100%. I'm proud that I could stand brazen and bold, after releasing Addictarium. Touching on topics that EVEN TODAY are not entirely acceptable for women--addiction, mental illness, feminism, racism. Societal issues, sexuality, all of those things that we say are okay, because we--Americans--are liberated, but we aren't. Not really. We are completely neurotic about those things, hating some of them and then at the same time, being completely obsessed with them. More over, touching on issues such as death or suicide which are always points of interests for true artists, but some are very delicate with the way they present these issues.
How did you come up with the title of (your book you want to talk about)?
I love combining words, so I wanted to combine the focal points = addiction + mental illness, because my therapeutic community dealt with the co-occurring issues, the most. So sanitarium+addiction=Addictarium! The War Stories Chronicles {the series title} came with it, because when we are active in addiction they refer to our stories as war stories, so I figured it was very fitting.
How did you come up with the plot?
The plot came with my experiences! I was in a very unruly environment, but it taught me so much about human nature, love, addiction, recovery, mental illness, and more. I took all that and gave it back to the world!
Who is your favorite character in (your book you want to talk about) and why?
I don't have one. I loved writing August's character because she was very colorful, and in real life as well. I also loved writing Castita, and Angel, because these are people I really love, and painting the most beautiful portrait I could for them was like giving them a gift from the heart!
Does the character do something you always dreamed of doing? Is it your most realistic character?
Danielle, the main character was based on me and my experiences, and she represented one part of me. A very damaged part of me--but also resilient. Creative. A dreamer. And, she never gave up.
Do your religion/politics influence your writing?
People accuse me of spreading left wing philosophies, however never did I write to try to manipulate the public or use overt tactics in my work. It was REAL--my true experiences with different people, and how I interpreted those experiences and peoples' lives and personalities.
What are you working on now?
NARCOTARY - a prequel to Addictarium, but designed as a stand-alone. Names and characters have been changed but it does serve as a prequel in a sense. It's about my boot-camp-phase of treatment before the Addictarium, which was very militant, hence the title. I am also penning my fifth poetry collection, a new series dubbed "Mother Nature". The first in this collection is Earth Bleeding Tears.
Anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
I am doing a lot of press for my work, and you can find my entire tour guide download on addictarium.com. You can also download my free bi-monthly digital tribune, Voyage Addictarium. That provides a lot of tour dates, an exclusive interview each edition, plus it's chock full of other info--columns about recovery, addiction, art, creativity, writing, and more.
