Interview With Nicole Storey - Author Of Grimsley Hollow

AUTHOR

Nicole Storey

BOOK TITLE

Grimsley Hollow-The Chosen One

AUTHOR BIO:

I am from a smallish town in Georgia in the United States.  I have lived here all my life.  I have a wonderful husband, two amazing children, a cat that believes she’s a tiger, and a bunch of goldfish.  When I’m not writing, I enjoy gardening, reading, and dreaming of my favorite holiday, Halloween, all year long!

SHORT SYNOPSIS:

This book is about an autistic, 11-year-old boy named Gage who has no friends and loves Halloween.  He meets a young witch named Eve who is from another realm called Grimsley Hollow, where all magical beings live.  An evil witch named Inari is trying to take over by stealing a magical key that holds all the power of their world and Gage is the only one who can save them.  So, along with an ornery pixy; a werewolf; a vampire; Eve; and some dragons, they travel on a journey that will change them all, especially Gage...if he can survive!

GENRE:

I would say that this is (fiction) fantasy/paranormal for kids ages 11-92!  LOL!

WHERE AVAILABLE/PRICE:

My book is available for eBook and in paperback version on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.  The e-book download is $3 and the paperback is $10.

Click the book image above to go to the UK Amazon Page.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE TITLE OF YOUR BOOK

I collect Department 56 Halloween Village houses and one of them is an old, haunted house called Grimsly Hollow.  I chose it as the magical world’s name and just spelled it differently.  ‘The Chosen One’ came after I had almost finished the book and decided that I wanted to make it a series.

WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN ?

This is my first one, but hopefully not my last!

WHY DO YOU WRITE?

I write because I want to share the magic that books can bring to others, especially children.  Nothing pleases me more than to get lost in a book and go on an adventure as someone else.

WHERE DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR BOOK?

I have always been a huge fan of Halloween, so I knew that I wanted to incorporate that into my story.  I love the ‘characters’ that we think of when Halloween comes near; witches, vampires, werewolves, scary monsters... all of these and more help to shape Halloween and make it wondrous and magical.  I also knew that I wanted to put my children in the book, especially my son.  It just sort of came together one day and I began to write my ideas down.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER(S) IN THIS BOOK ?

I would have to say Puck, the pixy.  He makes me laugh so much and he gives the story humor and makes it less scary.  He’s sort of the comic relief after holding your breath and waiting for the boogymen to go away. 

HOW MUCH, IF ANY OF THE STORY WAS INSPIRED BY YOUR OWN LIFE EXPERIENCES? 

My son, Gage, was diagnosed at the age of two with autism.  He developed Tourettes syndrome when he was seven.  All of the “autistic moments” in the book are things that my own son has, or still does, struggle with.  Gage’s love for Halloween in the story came directly from my own love for the holiday.  My children love it, as well!

GAGE AND SYDNEY, YOUR SON AND DAUGHTER, ARE PROMINANT CHARACTERS IN THE STORY. DO YOU INTEND ON ADDING ANY OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS INTO THE MIX IN FUTURE STORIES ?

I may, but nothing is definite yet.  I have a nephew that is begging me to make him into a character, so that is a possibility.

DID GAGE AND SYDNEY HAVE ANY SAY ON THEIR CHARACTERS TRAITS ?

Not really.  I wanted the book to be a surprise, so I didn’t let them read any of it until the paperback version was out and they got their own books.

DID THE STORY PROCEED AS YOU ORIGINALLY CONCEPTUALIZED IT, OR EVOLVE AS THE WORK PROGRESSED?

When I wrote this book, I had no idea what I was doing and no one to ask for help, as I didn’t know any authors like I do now.  I just went from chapter to chapter and typed what I felt should happen at that time, so it slowly evolved.  At night, I would lie in bed and think about what I wanted to happen when I worked on it the next day.

WHO DO YOU USE AS A SOUNDING BOARD FOR YOUR WRITING? 

Now, I have many friends who are authors, but when I wrote this book, I talked to my friend (and the person who edited the book), Michele Messenger.  She literally kept me from pulling my hair out at times!  LOL!  I didn’t talk to my family as I wanted it to be a surprise for my husband and children and most of the other people that I am close to considered it a planted seed that would never grow. 

IN WHAT GENRE WOULD YOU BE LEAST & MOST COMFORTABLE WRITING?

I am most comfortable with fantasy and paranormal.  Those are the genres that I love best.  I would be least comfortable with romance, as I don’t read those very much.

IS THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT FACT OR MYTH, FOR YOU PERSONALLY AND WHY?
“WRITING THE FIRST SENTENCE IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF WRITING A BOOK.”

For me, it is a myth.  The first has come easy for me so far because I already had in mind where I wanted that first chapter to go.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR ?

I have many that I love, but my absolute favorite is Kim Harrison.  She writes the most amazing books, but she is also a lovely person who takes time for her fans and appreciates her readers when so many other well-known authors forget who got them to that point after they make a lot of money.  Readers are very important to me and they always will be, no matter what happens with my book.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK ?

My favorite book of all time would have to be To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I have read it more times that I can count.

THIS IS ALSO A BLOG ABOUT FILMS TOO, SO WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FILM ?

I really love classic horror movies.  I guess my favorite would have to be Halloween with The Fog and Jaws (even though it isn’t a horror movie) running second and third.

APART FROM WRITING DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER HOBBIES ?

Yes, I love to garden and read.  I also like to cook when I have the time and I love reading over recipe books for new things to try.

HOW DO YOU MARKET YOUR BOOKS ?

For now, I am a self-publisher, so I am trying to promote my book any way I can.  I use the internet a lot and depend on my friends to help spread the word.  I am planning a book signing for next month, too.  I also have a blog and website.  Most of my marketing has been from simply making writer friends who are in the same boat I am in and we are willing to help each other out.

IT’S FAIRLY OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE SERIES. HOW MANY BOOKS DO YOU PLAN FOLLOWING THE ADVENTURES OF GAGE AND THE PEOPLE OF GRIMSLEY HOLLOW ?

I haven’t decided on that yet, but I know there will definitely be three.  If I haven’t finished my tales in Grimsley Hollow after the third, and if there is a demand for more, then I may plan on another.

WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR PROSPECTIVE READERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU OR THIS BOOK?

My main goal when I wrote this book was to spread awareness for special needs children.  I wanted to say to other people (especially kids) that all these special children want is to be accepted and have friends.  I see my son, and others, struggle every day to try and be accepted, only to be made fun of, bullied, or turned away because they are “different”.  My goal was to get across that we are all different in some way or another, but we are all still people with feelings.

*Thank you so much, David, for giving me this time to promote my book and to speak about something very close to my heart!  

SEE OUR REVIEW OF GRIMSLEY HOLLOW.
http://mkpbookandfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/grimsley-hollow-chosen-one-nicole.html

VISIT NICOLE'S NEW WEBSITE

http://nicolestorey.webs.com/

FOLLOW NICOLE ON TWITTER

http://twitter.com/#!/Nicole_Storey

VISIT NICOLE'S FAN PAGE ON FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/nicolestoreyfans