AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I’m Rebecca Scarberry (@Scarberryfields on Twitter) and Indie author of Messages from Henry and Rag Doll. I have interviewed another multi-published author, Rick Nichols (@RickNichols3 on Twitter). I’ve enjoyed learning more about him and I think you will also.

Scarberryfields: Can you tell us a little about your nationality?

Rick Nichols: I’m mostly Scotch-Irish with a little English thrown in.

Scarberryfields: When you finish a novel, do you miss the characters?

Rick Nichols: I do, especially those in my Logan series. It’s strange, but they seem very real to me, which is why I love writing them so much, I suppose.

Scarberryfields: While writing, if you need help with punctuation, grammar, etcetera, where do you turn?

Rick Nichols: Well, there is always the function on Word but we all know it’s not always right, so I have my Strunk & White The Elements of Style to help me out.

Scarberryfields: With the number of hours spent writing, do family members support you or complain about the time spent away from them?

Rick Nichols: My family is the best! My kids are grown now, but they used to understand when I was writing and supported me, and my wife has always managed to put up with my writing bug. Since I have a “real” job outside of writing, the demands of writing, especially when things are going well, can keep me pretty busy, but my wife is a craft person so she will usually grab her yarn or quilting hoop and let me do my thing.

Scarberryfields: Does writing benefit you in any way and if so, how?

Rick Nichols: I’ve always said that writing is much cheaper than therapy; in actuality, writing relaxes me and I forget about the stresses of my other job when I’m involved in creating stories. I get a great deal of satisfaction seeing an idea of mine come to life on paper.

Scarberryfields: When you’re writing, do you shut-off all social networks?

Rick Nichols: Absolutely! I prefer nice and quiet when I write with no distractions and social networks are a big one for me. If I do listen to music when I write, it has to be soft like classical or smooth jazz.

Scarberryfields: Did you use any family members as Beta readers for your debut novel?

Rick Nichols: My daughter read the first draft of Survivor’s Affair and gave me some good advice and insight on the story. Other than that, no. I find that family and friends are usually more kind than they should be. I used fellow writers from a writer’s group that I attended for those first few reads.

Scarberryfields: Do you feel social networking as a marketing tool, is beneficial?

Rick Nichols: It can be I suppose if you know how to harness it. Unfortunately for me, I’ve never been a great salesman and promoting my own stuff is still hard for me. I hate having to go on Facebook to my friends and say “Hey, my new book is out, buy it!” But that is part of the business these days and I’m trying hard to find a balance between promotion and being a pain to everyone. I admire those who do it well.

Scarberryfields: What is the last book called that you completed and published?

Rick Nichols: It’s called Into the Magic Night. It’s the fourth book in the John Logan series and has just been released by Seven Realms Publishing.

Scarberryfields: What are all of the books you’ve published called and where can readers find them?

Rick Nichols: I have four books in the John Logan series: Survivor’s Affair, The Affairs of Men, The Sheltering Tree, and the latest, Into the Magic Night.  In addition to those, I have two Ebooks out, part of a fantasy series that I’m doing called the Eastlander Chronicles. Part I is called Wintertome and Part II is called Winterwall. Part III, The Hounds of Winter, is being worked on as we speak.

You can always check out my website at www.ricknicholsonline.com

Here is a link to INTO THE MAGIC NIGHT on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Night-Logan-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00DIDAFYC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0