Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Nickless.
Hi Barbara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was three when I told my mom I was going to be a writer. I was scribbling in notebooks and making up stories to go with my scrawls as soon as I could hold a pen. But settling down to the serious job of being a published novelist took a few decades more. In between, I worked as an envelope stuffer, waitress, tech writer, piano teacher, sword fighter, and raptor rehabilitator.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A fun road? Yes. Smooth? Not even. Writing can unfold like a miracle; it can also be wickedly difficult. Breaking into publishing requires luck, skill, and perseverance. On my way to writing my first novel, I read all the time and diligently studied the craft. But a solid commitment to write a book didn’t happen until after a wildfire took everything my family owned. That was a wake up call. I decided it was now or never.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write mystery/thriller novels, and I’m known to my publisher as someone whose books feature unusual detectives. A railroad cop in my first series and a forensic semiotician in my second. (A semiotician is someone who studies signs and symbols across cultures; a forensic semiotician studies the signs left at a crime scene by the perpetrator.) I just completed my eighth novel, my first foray into espionage. Fingers crossed!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Good luck: Meeting my agent while waiting for an elevator. He talked me into pitching my debut novel when I thought I was too tired to get the words out. Bad luck: I’ve had plenty of bad luck in my life. But I do believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and that–as Leonard Cohen said–the cracks let in the light. I’m determined to persevere through whatever life throws at me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barbaranickless.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbara.nickless/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbarannickless
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-nickless-81674a50/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbaraNickless
- Other: https://substack.com/@barbaranickless
