An Interview with an Author: Nicola Lowe.

Welcome to my interview with author Nicola Lowe. I read Nicola’s first book, The Missed Kiss, earlier this year as part of a book tour and I fell in love with everything about it. I’m full of admiration with how Nicola has self-published her own work and it’s great to get behind indie authors and support them as much as possible. Nicola has very kindly sent me a copy of her new book, To Kiss You Again, which I will be reading and reviewing ASAP! I hope you enjoy this interview and finding out more about Nicola and her books.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and the books you have written so far?

I’m Nicola, a forty-one year old mum from north-west England. By day, I’m a project manager but in the evening, I’m generally found with a glass of wine, either reading a book or writing a book. I like many genres, but romance has always been my first love. The Missed Kiss and To Kiss You Again are a two-partsequel, and my first books. I’m really proud to have released both in one year as I only began writing in January 2021. They are both contemporary romances, but my next book will be a paranormal romance. What made you decide to take the plunge and start writing your first book?

Christmas 2020 just wasn’t right, unable to see family and friends whilst anxiously awaiting vaccinations. I just felt like I had nothing positive to focus on. During lockdown I read a lot of books and got frustrated at the characters not doing what I wanted (I am a little bit of a control freak – it helps with my day job!)! I’ve always created characters and scenarios in my head, for as long as I can remember, so, with Zack in mind I began writing some little stories of my own. Once I wrote those first couple of Zack and Lily dates down, I just didn’t want to stop. Luke popped into my head and that was that! I told my best friend when I’d finished the book and nervously let her read it. She loved it and really encouraged me to keep going and share it with the world. When you wrote The Missed Kiss did you already have the sequel in mind or did the idea grow once you had finished it?

The Missed Kiss was originally going to be standalone. I finished it and began writing a different book but kept feeling like I was cheating on my characters, as daft as it sounds, I missed them! I just felt like their story wasn’t finished and so decided to jump in and write a sequel. It was like meeting up with old friends, I loved it and the sequel flowed quite naturally for me.

I still do miss the characters now, but their story is done – I might have some short stories in future to fill in the gaps however! The Missed Kiss and To Kiss You Again are both romance books, could you see yourself writing a different genre in the future and if so, which one would you go for?

I would like to try other genres, but I know that whatever I write will absolutely always have romance within it somewhere. I just see love everywhere, and it’s amazing to write about, think about, dream about. For now, I’m just moving slightly within the romance genre, having written two contemporary romance books, the next one is a paranormal romance which I am very excited about.

Which author’s work do you admire and why?

Without a doubt – Liane Moriarty. I absolutely adore her books. The Husband’s Secret was the first one I read, then I think I read about four more of hers in a row, I was hooked! Something about her writing just draws me in utterly, and I love how she writes a twist that I never see coming. I’d love to think I could do similar one day.

The TV adaptation of Big Little Lies was one of my favourite shows also, helped along by Alexander Skarsgaard who Luke may be slightly modelled on!

Do you have any tips for aspiring new writers?

Write what you enjoy, what you have a passion for. Initially I felt a little embarrassed to tell people I was writing romance, but now, I’m proud. A genre loved by millions of people worldwide, a genre that makes people smile, laugh and cry, why would I be embarrassed to be part of that. I would also say read widely, note other authors and their styles. Find out what you like and dislike, but always, always keep your own voice. Do you have any favourite authors you like to read?

So many, and it’s a good mix of indie authors and traditionally published work. There’s so much talent out there. I adore Lindsey Kelk, Liane Moriarty, Lyndsey Gallagher, Mhairi McFarlane and many, many more.

A special place in my heart will always go to Stephen King’s work though, simply because my dad is a huge fan. My dad is blind and listens to the audiobooks butsends me a copy of the paperback so I can read too and we can discuss. It’s very special and something I treasure. Could you give an overview on how self-publishing works, what steps do you have to go through before you see your book printed or on Amazon?

Self-publishing can seem a little daunting at first, but I would say is accessible for anyone. I chose to only have my books on Amazon, it felt more manageable for me.It can be done for a very small budget, or a huge budget, I was lucky to be somewhere in the middle.

After finishing my book, I sent it an editor for a developmental edit, this is when the editor will assess your plot, tell you what works and doesn’t work, any issues or plot holes etc. I got some great, constructive feedback and it really did improve the finished book.

While this was being done, I found my lovely cover designer and she began work on the cover – I was adamant I wanted an illustration and not one of those shirtless men covers! I also truly believe that people do judge a book by its cover, so wanted to give the right impression.

They were the only two things I paid for. I edited it myself, reading it over and over, trying to find every little missing comma or grammatical error, drove myself mad.

I then formatted the book myself and uploaded to Amazon. At this point, I accidentally pressed the wrong button and set a pre-order to go live on 1st July – so that being my release day was a pure accident and sent me in a total panic. However, it was a blessing, I had a deadline to get to, and I refuse to miss a deadline.

I’ve met a lot of indie authors and helped some with the process, I’ve also received advice and help when I needed it – the writing community is incredible.

Getting the book ready and on Amazon is just the beginning however, the marketing never stops! I’d love to have a team behind me, maybe one day, but for now it’s just little old me!

Nicola’s Instagram

Buy The Missed Kiss

Buy To Kiss You Again (release date- 25th November 2021)

Nicola Lowe

Kelly Holland

Interviewer