Interview

Hi Erin and welcome. I am so glad you could join us here at RomanceJunkies. To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current projects?

 

Thanks for having me! 

 

Okay, current projects… not including scrapbooking and Christmas shopping right?  I’m currently finishing the manuscript that will be the third in a three-book series.  This series starts with my April 2010 release JUST RIGHT. The series follows the Bradford siblings—Jessica, Sam and Sara— falling in love. JUST RIGHT is Jessica’s story, JUST LIKE THAT is Sam’s, and JUST MY TYPE is Sara’s.  Sara is the baby of the family and has been in love with her brother’s best friend for years, and has finally decided to let him know it!  But these characters are being stubborn about wrapping things up!  I’m also working on revising a manuscript I wrote a couple of years ago.  It’s also a sexy contemporary with one of my favorite romantic plots—best friends who turn lovers.       

 

Name three traits a writer must possess.

 

Good question!  I’d have to say: confidence, a sense of humor and self-discipline.

 

Every writer dreams of getting “the call” or “the email”.  What form did yours come in?  Who got to hear the good news first?

 

It was via e-mail.  I got it one evening at home and my kids and husband heard first in person, followed quickly by my parents and sister, then by my writing friends!  My parents and sister (and her family) were on vacation together at the time and no one was answering their cell phone, though!  So, I told them all via text.  Turned out they were in a concert and couldn’t hear the phones ring, so they didn’t get the message right away! Everyone was properly excited… when they finally got the news!

 

What is the one piece of advice you received from another writer that you still heed today?

 

You have to love it first.  Meaning, whatever you write.  You can’t try to write for others or just to sell or just to fit a current trend. You have to love the story, the characters, their journey first or it’s never gonna work.

 

Do you write to music or other background noise, or must you have absolute silence?  Have a favorite beverage or snack by your side?

 

Almost always with noise.  But that’s a product of being a mom and writing on my laptop around my kids J  I do like music most of the time (Frank Sinatra in particular.  Now I’m enjoying Christmas music too!) but there are times when I get to a tough spot in the manuscript when I have to find a quite place and just write with no distractions.  I often have tea or coffee while I write but am trying to get better about replacing those with ice water (because the coffee I drink is very doctored with flavored creams, etc… and calories, unfortunately! J)

 

What kind of pets did you have while growing up? Do you have any now?

 

We’re cat people.  We always had a cat when I was a kid (I’ve often said that if there is reincarnation I want to come back as one of my mom’s cats… that’s the definition of spoiled!) and we have cats now.  They’re independent, yet loving.  We simply don’t have the patience for animals that need walked and bathed and so on.  My kids each have a gerbil and we’ve had fish and guinea pigs too.  My dad said one of the first times he thought my husband was “okay” was when he found out he’s a cat person.  The only drawback is that my cats firmly believe that they are more important than, well, anything!  Which means that when they want to lay on my lap it doesn’t matter if there’s a computer there or not… they just lay down!  Good thing I have a great little cleaning tool that can get cat hair out of my keyboard!

 

When it comes to food, are you the adventurous type who will try anything once, or do you prefer to stick to tried and true foods and recipes?

 

A bit of both.  I like to try new things at home in my own kitchen, but if we go out I stick to tried and true.  Nothing worse that getting excited about going out and then having a bad meal!

 

What is one habit that you have that drives your family crazy?

 

Always having my laptop with me no matter where we are or what we’re doing.  I’ve given my husband and kids permission to say “I need your attention now and you have to put that away”.  Of course, that’s usually followed by “just a minute”, but I do need the reminder sometimes that I can’t spend twenty-four hours a day writing (okay, and checking e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, etc!!).

 

How did you and your husband meet?  What was the first thing you noticed about him?

 

We were camp counselors together one summer.  I first noticed his smile and confidence.  I’m a sucker for a confident guy (not arrogant, confident… definite difference!).  We commenced a six year friendship before the timing was right and it really turned into something more.  Then it was only seven months before we were engaged.  That was fifteen years ago!

 

How do you describe Erin Nicholas?  How does Erin Nicholas’s husband describe her?

 

Wow, that’s a great question.  I’m gonna ask him…

He said chatty, mushy, funny, and no taste in tv shows.  Let me translate:  I talk too much, I love sappy stories and movies, I make him laugh (sometimes it’s even intentional <g>) and I like tv shows that he can’t stand.  Still, we make it work ;)

 

I would say I’m very much a people person and an over-achiever.  I love to-do lists—and crossing things off of them!  I need to eat better and sleep more.  And I love stories about people over coming and growing.

 

MORE FUN…

 

Who is the person who has had the biggest influence on your life? Whom will you pass this “influence” on to?

 

My mom, no doubt about it.  She’s the eternal optimist and thinks I can do anything.  She’s a huge support and the person I want to call when things aren’t going my way or when things are totally going my way!  I hope I pass that on to both my kids—that unconditional love and acceptance, the belief they can exceed even their own expectations and that positive “every day is a new chance” attitude!

 

What is the one thing in your closet that should have gone years ago but that you’ll keep forever?

 

Three bridesmaid dresses J 

 

Are you a bath person or a shower person?

 

I love baths!  That’s a luxury that I indulge in as often as possible.  But it’s a long process (you know, bubbles, lighting candles, putting the music on, reading…) so it isn’t practical on a daily basis!

 

Which flower is your favorite?  Why did you pick this one?

 

I love lilies.  I just have always found them so beautiful and soothing.  I also like daisies.  They’re perky and happy.

 

And lastly, no interview of a writer would be complete without this question:  what is your favorite comfort food?

 

Wow, well, there isn’t just one I don’t think!  Depends on if we’re talking dinner or dessert J  Dinner would be lasagna.  Good old heavy, cheesy, I-need-a-nap pasta!  Dessert—brownies.  Definitely.

 

Yum!  Definitely two of my favorites!  Thank you, Erin, for spending time with us at RJ.  Best of luck with your writing in the future!

 

By Brooke Wills

Romance Junkies Publishing Editor

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