Ask the Author: Nicole Bailey
Answered Questions (6)
Nicole Bailey
Hi Charlize!
First of all, thank you so much and I’m so glad you enjoyed the Apollo series! I always love to hear they were hard to put down! 😁
I always wanted to write. I actually wrote my first fantasy novel when I was around 10/11 (and I’m considering writing the story again because I still think the concept is good!)
In January of 2020 I read Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert with a friend. For me, that was the turning point between wanting to write and becoming a writer. I highly recommend reading it!
As far as learning craft goes, the two best things are—brace yourself for this revolutionary knowledge—writing and reading. 😅 I know those sound obvious, however the best ways to learn to write is to write some everyday. (I recommend the book Mini Habits and that approach. Writing 5 minutes every day > writing an hour if the latter causes you to never write.)
Reading frequently in the genre you want to write in will help you see how others do it, what tropes are popular, what makes a novel compelling (or not.) Not that you have to stick with tropes—I love to subvert them myself, but knowing the rules so you can break them is a philosophy that works for me with writing :)
As far as craft goes, I’m always learning and growing. I always hope the next book I write is my strongest one yet.
Some writing craft books that have really helped me are:
The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
The Anatomy of Prose by Sacha Black
The Anatomy of a Bestseller by Sacha Black
How to Write a Novel that Will Sell Well and Satisfy Your Inner Artist by Harry Bingham
On Writing by Stephen King
2k to 10k: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of what you Love by Rachel Aaron
I always take what resonates for me and leave the rest.
In short, my advice is write, read, and learn. Preferably some of each every day :) I also think Ms. Frizzle’s, “take chances, make mistakes, get messy” quote tends to work well for writers as well. 😂
I hope that was helpful!
-Nicole
First of all, thank you so much and I’m so glad you enjoyed the Apollo series! I always love to hear they were hard to put down! 😁
I always wanted to write. I actually wrote my first fantasy novel when I was around 10/11 (and I’m considering writing the story again because I still think the concept is good!)
In January of 2020 I read Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert with a friend. For me, that was the turning point between wanting to write and becoming a writer. I highly recommend reading it!
As far as learning craft goes, the two best things are—brace yourself for this revolutionary knowledge—writing and reading. 😅 I know those sound obvious, however the best ways to learn to write is to write some everyday. (I recommend the book Mini Habits and that approach. Writing 5 minutes every day > writing an hour if the latter causes you to never write.)
Reading frequently in the genre you want to write in will help you see how others do it, what tropes are popular, what makes a novel compelling (or not.) Not that you have to stick with tropes—I love to subvert them myself, but knowing the rules so you can break them is a philosophy that works for me with writing :)
As far as craft goes, I’m always learning and growing. I always hope the next book I write is my strongest one yet.
Some writing craft books that have really helped me are:
The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
The Anatomy of Prose by Sacha Black
The Anatomy of a Bestseller by Sacha Black
How to Write a Novel that Will Sell Well and Satisfy Your Inner Artist by Harry Bingham
On Writing by Stephen King
2k to 10k: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of what you Love by Rachel Aaron
I always take what resonates for me and leave the rest.
In short, my advice is write, read, and learn. Preferably some of each every day :) I also think Ms. Frizzle’s, “take chances, make mistakes, get messy” quote tends to work well for writers as well. 😂
I hope that was helpful!
-Nicole
Nicole Bailey
Hi! Thanks so much for the question and I’m so glad you’re enjoying the Apollo series!
I actually love worldwide mythology. I grew up enchanted with folklore and myths from different parts of the world. My great grandfather was a seanchaí so I’ll argue I’m walking in his footsteps. In college I was a credit short of minoring in Asian studies which was all mythology and folklore classes.
Of course for the western world, Greek mythology has heavily influenced so much of our stories and culture. For example, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is based on Pyramus & Thisbe. Greek mythology has had us all enthralled for thousands of years but I love taking a fresh look at the myths and blending them together.
As to why Hyacinth and Apollo, I was flipping through a book of Greek myths a few years ago and came across a painting of Apollo absolutely shattered as he held the dead Prince Hyacinth in his arms. The emotions in it moved me so much, I knew I had to try and use words to capture it.
I hope that answers your questions and thank you again! :)
I actually love worldwide mythology. I grew up enchanted with folklore and myths from different parts of the world. My great grandfather was a seanchaí so I’ll argue I’m walking in his footsteps. In college I was a credit short of minoring in Asian studies which was all mythology and folklore classes.
Of course for the western world, Greek mythology has heavily influenced so much of our stories and culture. For example, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is based on Pyramus & Thisbe. Greek mythology has had us all enthralled for thousands of years but I love taking a fresh look at the myths and blending them together.
As to why Hyacinth and Apollo, I was flipping through a book of Greek myths a few years ago and came across a painting of Apollo absolutely shattered as he held the dead Prince Hyacinth in his arms. The emotions in it moved me so much, I knew I had to try and use words to capture it.
I hope that answers your questions and thank you again! :)
Nicole Bailey
Hi Sean! Thanks for the question!
The answer is a bit of both. I wrote the first book in this series about nine months before its release and I had the first three books written around the time I published A Veil of Gods and Kings.
I am pretty disciplined with my writing and I do type quickly (thank you for summers spent going with my dad to work and using a typing program to fill the hours lol.) As long as I stay in my routine, I'm able to write the first draft of a book in a couple of months.
The last book of this series actually threw me for a loop because it was both longer and more complicated to write than I expected. I wanted to make sure I did it well, though. So, it took about double the time I had planned to write it. Luckily, I built in some wiggle room, but it definitely left me feeling more time pressure than I'm used to.
I am actually currently writing my series that will release next year for this same reason. I like to release quickly so readers don't have to wait too long on the sequels.
I hope that answered your question and thanks for reaching out!
-Nicole :)
The answer is a bit of both. I wrote the first book in this series about nine months before its release and I had the first three books written around the time I published A Veil of Gods and Kings.
I am pretty disciplined with my writing and I do type quickly (thank you for summers spent going with my dad to work and using a typing program to fill the hours lol.) As long as I stay in my routine, I'm able to write the first draft of a book in a couple of months.
The last book of this series actually threw me for a loop because it was both longer and more complicated to write than I expected. I wanted to make sure I did it well, though. So, it took about double the time I had planned to write it. Luckily, I built in some wiggle room, but it definitely left me feeling more time pressure than I'm used to.
I am actually currently writing my series that will release next year for this same reason. I like to release quickly so readers don't have to wait too long on the sequels.
I hope that answered your question and thanks for reaching out!
-Nicole :)
Nicole Bailey
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Nicole Bailey
Thanks for the question! There are four books total in the Apollo Ascending series and they will release in June, August, and October! I'm so glad you enjoyed the first book :)
Nicole Bailey
Haha! First, let me say I'm glad you are enjoying the second book so much! Writing this series has brought me a lot of joy in an otherwise tough year! And having other people love it as well has doubled that! Thank you, Salem!
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