Ngaire Elder: Working by candlelit may conjure up quaint images from the Dickens era, but it isn’t much fun. Especially, when you have deadlines to meet and The Ed is breathing down your neck and waggling his bent wand at you!!!
Anyhow, by the grace of someone-who-cares-about-me, Senor
‘Leckie’ reappeared and brought a delightful glow to my lamps, and planted a
huge, contented grin on my face.
Living the dream has its downsides, of which
there are many. But on a plus, where I live the sun fills the Spanish skies
normally 300+ days of the year.
Enough of my ramblings, today’s guest at the Wizard’s Cauldron is author, Nicola Palmer.
Enough of my ramblings, today’s guest at the Wizard’s Cauldron is author, Nicola Palmer.
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| Oxford penmanship from Nicola Palmer |
Nicola, is a marvellous writer. Her articulate and fresh
writing style mixed with snippets of humour has created a popular series
amongst the young and old alike (I’m a fan).
Settle down Wizardwatchers and
read what Nicola has to say about rotten reviews and hedgetrimming!
_____________________________
Hiya Nicola
Hiya Ngaire, how are you.
Not so bad. So, tell us a bit about
yourself, Nicola?
Which bit hahahaha? I studied Modern Languages at Exeter College,
Oxford, with the intention of becoming a teacher. I changed my mind! I tried law and found it mind-numbingly
boring. I took another degree in Garden
& Landscape Design and did a brickwork course. We built gardens, we won awards, but after a
few years my back and hips decided they’d had enough. So here I am writing fantasy stories instead
of building fantasy gardens! (Of course,
if anyone has questions about plants, or aspects of Medieval German, feel free
to ask ...) |
| Nice place to study - Exeter College, Oxford |
What genre do you
write in? And what work are you doing at the minute? 
I’m pretty sure I can
only write for children - my brain doesn’t appreciate functioning in an adult
manner. The Alice Parker series is for
ages 9-13, while my Christmas book was aimed at 7+. I’m currently working on a book written from
a boy’s perspective, which should be a refreshing change from Alice. Assuming I can wriggle out of her head, and
into his. (Book 4 in the Alice
Parker Series – Alice Parker and the
Sound of the Silent) |
| Book 4 of the Alice Parker Saga |
What is your writing
process? Do you follow a regular routine?I’m afraid I don’t
have a routine, and the story for any particular book does not appear in a
logical fashion in a notebook. Over a
period of time, I accumulate ideas and attempt to make sense of them. Sometimes what I think will be one book
becomes two – in unrelated series, thankfully!
I also seem to work better late at night and into the early hours.
You have a number of
titles published, did you suffer writers block with any on them? If so, what did you do about it?
Book 2 in the Alice
Parker series was difficult. It’s a good
idea to get away from your desk and see something different when the ideas just
aren’t flowing. Usually the inspiration
comes when I least expect it – and if I don’t write it down there and then,
it’s gone!
(Some beautiful covers here, Nicola. My compliments to the designer - ED)
What keeps you motivated
to write?
The thought of going
back to my previous career! Who wants to
work outside during the winter?
 |
| The fate of Oxford Borough Council gardening workers this annus horribilis - especially since the tea shed was one of the first victims of the cuts. |
What do you do to
relax, to get away from work and writing?
Go for a walk with the
dog, do some gardening and eat chocolate.
I’d like to say that my cake-making hobby helps me relax, but it doesn’t
really. I usually lose my temper with
the complicated ones!
 |
| Nicola demonstrates skilful stirring in some of her early handiwork. Allegedly. |
Any advice for new
writers starting out?
Broaden your
shoulders. Obtain the most brutal
criticism possible and act on it! Don’t be
offended when you can’t please everyone.
Luckily, having worked as a designer, I know that anything creative is
subjective, so you need to be prepared for the odd bit of negativity. It’s the opinion of the majority that
matters. Just read a few slating reviews
of famous authors to reassure yourself!
Has your
self-publishing experience been what you expected it to be? Would you change
anything?
It has been pretty
much as I imagined. I didn’t expect
instant wealth, and that certainly hasn’t been the case! The feedback has been a surprise,
though. I’m amazed (and delighted) that
so many readers have enjoyed something that began as a bit of fun in my spare
time.
Who is the first
person you would allow to read one of your completed novels?
My editor. No one else can read it before it has had a
thorough overhaul.
How would you react
to a bad review of your book?
Or how do I?! I make a mental note of the criticism and try
to avoid it in the next book. More often
than not, the reviewer has only read the first book in the series and their
queries would be resolved if they continued.
Occasionally people don’t notice the recommended age in the blurb, or
even ‘for children’ in the title – there’s not a lot I can do about that!
 |
| A delightful place to relax off the effects of a trollish comment or two - Nicola's terrarium style garden retreat |
How do you market
your work? What routes have you found to work best for your genre?As the months have
passed, I'm afraid I do less and less to market my books. I've come to the conclusion that my time is
better spent writing than marketing. If
readers enjoy Book 1, they move on to the others. I'm also conscious that too much advertising
can irritate followers and potential readers. I think as writers of
children's books we have a difficult job to reach our readership.
Forums and Facebook don't reach young children,
so I just do the occasional free day and a daily tweet if I remember!
Is anything in your
book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
A little of it is
based on real experiences, but I'm not going to tell you which bits! Obviously, I don't have magical abilities and
I've never met a unicorn. Yet ...
Is there any
particular author or book that influenced you in anyway either growing up or as
an adult?
As a child my
favourite author was Enid Blyton - I still have shelves full of her books! As an adult, I still enjoy children's books,
but I also love the work of Sartre, Camus and Hugo. I have to blame that on studying French. I suspect those authors influence my writing
in my slightly cynical view of the world and an obsession with anything
grotesque or extraordinary!
Okay, Nicola, you
were imprisoned in the Windmill Restaurant by the Mind Magician, and to ease
your boredom and distract you from munching your way through the cake counter, Hugh the Mind Magician allows you to choose 3 books, 2 dvds and 1 cd from his
collection …. What would you select?‘The Lion, the
Witch & the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
Dvds would have to be:
The Shining
‘Dinner for One.
The Shining
‘Dinner for One.
CD: U2 – ‘Achtung
Baby’ – (showing my age now!)
If Hugh had all these
in his collection, I’d be very impressed.
And a little disturbed – if we shared the same interests, would that
make me a weirdo too?
Hahahahahahahah...it probably would, Nicola! And finally, where
can fans of Nicola Palmer find out more.
Fans new and old can find out about me and my work here! I'll be happy to see them....
Fans new and old can find out about me and my work here! I'll be happy to see them....
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcanum-adventure-children-Adventures-ebook/dp/B008WF7R2O
Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Nicola-Palmer/e/B006NWW246/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1362909565&sr=8-2-ent
Nicola, thank you for that. It has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and I wish you every success with your new books.
Thank you Ngaire. I've really enjoyed it!
Contact:
Full contact details can be found HERE:
http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/an-interview-with-ngaire-victoria-elder.html
Nicola, thank you for that. It has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you and I wish you every success with your new books.
Thank you Ngaire. I've really enjoyed it!
Contact:
Full contact details can be found HERE:
http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/an-interview-with-ngaire-victoria-elder.html
Millais' - "Ophelia"
Nicola - when you were at Oxford did you ever run into Inspector Morse or Inspector Lewis? Only kidding. Great interview.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, thank you! They filmed a lot of Inspector Morse at Exeter College. In fact, while I was there, they filmed the last episode where he had his heart attack on the grass outside our chapel! We were all very upset that day. Er, guess why my dog is called Lewis ;)
DeleteLovely catching-up with Nicola Palmer and I am looking forward to Book 4 ... I'm thoroughly enjoying stirring the cauldron! Thank you Wiz n x
ReplyDeleteNicola - John Thaw was great in the role - I was working in Manhattan when the filmed the wedding scene from Arthur - watched from the 67th floor out of my boss' window :-) Good choice for your dog's name.
ReplyDeleteNgaire - you're doing a great job helping the wizard :-)
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you, Nicola! :-) Thank you Ngaire - you're an absolute natural and thank you also, Mary Ann, for your continued support of the Cauldron and it's rascally Wizard!
ReplyDeleteWonderful Ngaire, enjoyed your interview!
ReplyDelete