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Christine Nolfi Interview 7/6/2013 5:07:34 PM
Contemporary fiction novelist Christine Nolfi discusses her latest title and the writing life! LTS: Few authors have received as many outstanding book reviews as my latest guest, Christine Nolfi, author of contemporary fiction novels. Her latest title, The Dream You Make, is no exception! I’d like to begin by having you share a little information about yourself with our readers, Christine. What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
CN: Many thanks for the invitation to visit your blog, Lorna! I’m a full-time novelist and recent transplant to Charleston, South Carolina. When not conjuring up my latest story, I wander the beach with my husband and now-adult children, cook, garden and—of course—read voraciously.
LTS: Has writing stories always been a part of your life? And becoming a published author, a life-long dream?
CN: Prior to writing fiction I owned a small PR firm in Northeast Ohio and made my first stumbling attempts at writing novels at night or on weekends. I did manage to publish a short story in Working Mother Magazine during my early twenties, but I’ve always preferred a longer narrative form. Like most writers, I began concocting stories in elementary school. I always assumed I’d inhabit the life I now lead.
LTS: Your newest novel, The Dream You Make, is garnering great reviews! What was the inspiration behind this story?
CN: Like The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge, a 2012 release, The Dream You Make delves into adoption and the true meaning of family. My children are siblings adopted from the Philippines; naturally issues of abuse, neglect, belonging and identity would weave into many of my works. But not all—I also write the Liberty Series, which combines comedic and poignant elements in a small, fictional town. I’m working on the third installment this summer.
LTS: Without giving away too much, can you reveal what’s in store for the readers when they crack open The Dream You Make?
CN: The story follows Annie McDaniel as she fights to adopt her five-year-old nephew after the murder of her sister, a drug addict. Years earlier Annie had cut off relations with her sister, a mistake she sorely regrets as she tries to heal Dillon and become the mother he deserves. Matters are complicated when Annie takes a job at Rowe Marketing and experiences an instant attraction to her boss, Michael Rowe. Both characters hide a past that has left many scars.
At its core The Dream You Make explores our ability to overcome the most difficult obstacles to achieve our dreams. It’s a lesson about the rewards we enjoy when we persevere while following a code of honor. I’ve received the sweetest mail from early readers, some of whom find the novel cathartic. Like all of my work, The Dream You Make ends on a positive note. My personal experience adopting four children and watching them reach adulthood free of the health issues and the ghosts that haunted their early lives has firmly placed me in the “glass half full” camp.
LTS: Please educate me! With so many genres out there, what is the difference between literary fiction and contemporary fiction?
CN: Think of the terms as a watercolor, how one color bleeds into the next. Literary fiction is character-driven, multilayered work that deals with universal issues. A literary novel may be set in any era of history. Contemporary fiction is set in present day, and may or may not offer the deep characterization that signals a literary work. Many authors straddle both worlds, producing some novels that are lighter and more plot driven and other works that speak to the universal questions we all ask: How does one find a sense of belonging? Are some souls beyond redemption? What emotions are inherently human?
LTS: Thank you! I just learned something new! ;-) Now, the road to publication is difficult at the best of times. What made you decide to go the indie route and self-publish?
CN: Twice I worked with representation, and suffered near misses with both Random House and New American Library. It was always the same issue: editors loved the books but weren’t sure how to market. This spoke to the conundrum of the physical bookstore, which increasingly has little impact on the books readers choose to launch onto the bestseller lists. Think about it: ten years ago, a New York or London editor had to consider placement of a book in a bookstore. On the shelves with romance novels? Thrillers? Should the volume sit proudly beside The Color Purple and other classics and soon-to-be classics?
Today’s electronic bookstore has tossed traditional marketing out the window. Writers stretch the boundaries of a given genre, blend genres, and invent new modes of expression. Avid readers gobble up many of these literary experiments.
However, the ease of indie publishing presents an irritating down side: anyone can and does publish. Many writers, especially younger writers, skip the apprentice stage of practice and critique groups and more practice. They upload to Amazon then litter FaceBook with complaints regarding poor review marks, those dreaded one- and two-star ratings.
LTS: Is this a mode of publication you’d recommend to others, and if so, to whom and for what reasons?
CN: I’m not sure if anyone is paying attention, but a frightfully talented group of middle-aged writers have taken indie publishing by storm. Periodically you hear about an author barely out of college who has struck gold. But many more seasoned adults who’ve either waited to produce due to professional obligations, or who ran the gauntlet of traditional publishing without success are indie’s real superstars.
My advice? Don’t independently publish unless you’ve worked with critique partners, and then a professional editor. Be aware that most attempts at a first novel are wisely tucked away in a file cabinet, dusty and unloved. You will only receive one opportunity to release a debut. If the work is shot down by one-star reviews, it will be all the harder to launch your second novel.
LTS: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned on the road to publication?
CN: There are so many lessons—I can’t possibly submit one. Pace yourself. Limit social media exposure or it will take over your life. Find like-minded souls and promote together. Remember every kindness you enjoyed along the road, and pause now and then to help other deserving writers who are just starting out. And take your work seriously. With four novels released, I now enjoy fan mail with delightful regularity. Each missive compels me to work harder to add something good to the world’s literature, something with enough resonance and depth to inspire readers I’ll never have the privilege of meeting face-to-face.
LTS: Still on the subject of writing styles, are you a plotter or pantser? The readers would like to know if you tend to plot out your story line in great detail or if your writing is more organic with the characters and events unfolding as you write.
CN: I lean toward a literary style and characterizations always come first. I may spend weeks, months, even years becoming acquainted with a story’s protagonist before the plot takes shape. I’ll use strategies like writing in diary form in the character’s own words, which always reveals surprises. By the time I feel I know the entire cast well enough to begin writing about them, a general plot has taken shape. Oddly enough, I often know a novel’s last sentence even if I can’t tell you specifically what events will, for example, occur in Chapter 17.
LTS: Some authors meditate, others need to fuel up on coffee or listen to music. Do you have any rituals, ones that can be shared with the readers, that you must do before you hunker down for a writing session?
CN: It’s more a case of what I do while writing. Usually I begin at dawn with a cup of coffee and a sweetly silent house. I have a dedicated office on the second floor of my home. The minute I’m seated, I’m in work mode. By early afternoon I need a break and go to the gym for a serious workout. When I return, I revise the morning’s pages then walk my incredibly patient dog. The key is activity: if you want to earn a living as a novelist, you need mind-body balance for the long haul. And don’t live on junk food—your brain needs proper fuel.
LTS: At one time or another, most writers hit the wall and their work stalls because of the dreaded writer’s block. What do you do to get around or over this mental wall to resume writing?
CN: I’ve never encountered writer’s block. I couldn’t afford it—during my PR years I knew if I didn’t produce copy by deadline, I wouldn’t receive a paycheck. This is my opinion: if you think you have nothing to write then fill the page with random thoughts. Stream of consciousness doodling can unearth real gems.
Or ask yourself: Are you making unrealistic demands on your body, sitting at a computer twelve hours a day with a bag of potato chips at your elbow? Are you writing the wrong book? When was the last time you spent time with other writers—the other members of your tribe who understand the demands and pitfalls of your calling? Do you live only in your head and neglect to nurture the body that allows you to achieve your goals? When was the last time you took a long walk, or simply escaped outside to play in whatever manner delights you? Any or all of these plans of action can unblock you and ignite the creative process.
LTS: Who is your favourite author and how has he/she inspired you to write or influenced your writing style or choice of genre?
CN: Oh, I hate answering this question. I admire Ann Patchett’s prose but not her muddled observations regarding indie publishing. Recently I’ve fallen in love with books by David Liss, and will read anything John Irving produces. Sue Monk Kidd, Joyce Carol Oates, Philip Roth, Nora Roberts, Geraldine Brooks, Shakespeare, Emerson….how can I supply a brief list?
And by the way, read outside your genre. Read all genres. The novel is a continually evolving art form, and you won’t see the full picture if you restrict your reading list. If someone invents a new shade a blue, you ought to know about it and consider adding the hue to your personal portraits of the human condition.
LTS: What do you foresee in your future over the next five years and do you hope to branch out from contemporary fiction into other genres? Can your fans expect a sequel to The Dream You Make in the near future?
CN: Tough questions. I’ll write more installments of the Liberty Series, of which Treasure Me and Second Chance Grill are a part. I hope to complete a literary novel next winter—I’m about 100 pages in. I’d love to become one of the new hybrid novelists, working with a traditional publisher to release physical copies while retaining control of some eBook releases. I hadn’t entertained thoughts of writing a sequel to The Dream You Make but given the positive reaction from readers, I may need to reconsider.
