Nadia is a writer and much more; a TV host, a gardener, a magazine publisher, and the list goes on. She has a fascinating career, which includes many more books that listed here, but this is her latest. If you follow her links, you’ll find them all. Meet this fascinating person whom I met online long long ago. We’ve maintained friendship and sometimes worked together ever since .
Please introduce yourself. Tell us about your personal life, family, education. I’m married and living in Minnesota, hoping to move to a warmer climate in the West. I’m a mother and a grandmother. I grew up on a farm. I think the solitude in Summer encouraged reading.
What do you like doing in your spare time? Writing poetry is one of my favorite things to do. It’s easy to do in short spurts. But I also garden and fool around with photography and geeky computer activities.
If you are active in career fields other than writing, what do you hope for the future of that business? Describe your work or business activities in which you are presently active. I am a small press publisher. I occasionally publish books for writers, I self-publish my own books of poetry, and I publish a literary magazine called WINK: Writers in the Know. It comes out quarterly and we have talented contributors from around the world. It’s amazing. I have a volunteer staff of proofreaders and the planning and formatting I do myself. It’s a labor of love and the website is www.WinkWriters.com.
Her Hobbies
Do you have hobbies? How did you get started in them? Not exactly a hobby, but I very much enjoy my volunteer work at local community TV stations, producing and hosting local educational shows. Most recently, because of the pandemic, TV studios have been closed. That has prompted me to find another way to continue producing programs. I’m in the process of setting up my latest show, Where Women Talk using Zoom as the platform. It’s a great way for me to continue my work. Most of my shows and interviews can be found at http://www.WhereWomenTalk.com.
If you are a writer, are you an avid reader? I’m not exactly an avid reader, but yes, I love to read, especially the works of my author friends. I’ve always loved books, the way they smell, the way they feel in my hands, the mystery they hold inside. Books were scarce when I was a kid. Perhaps that’s why I revere them. I even remember reading a dictionary while sitting on the cool linoleum floor of our Minnesota farmhouse. I learned a lot of new words and won a regional spelling bee that year.
What is your ultimate writing goal as you see it today? My ultimate goal is not yet in sight, but for 2020 and likely the next few years after that, I’m writing a series of poetic journals. The Emerald Green Horse: A Poetic Journal 2020 is coming along nicely and gives me a reason to write nearly every day, I have to think some day it will be a legacy of a sort.
Finding Inspiration
What inspired you to write your first book? After I had been writing poetry and anecdotal stories for a while, it seemed natural to pull the material together into a book. Plus, I enjoy the technical aspects of formatting, publishing and printing so it was fun and educational for me to learn to do it all myself.
How do you decide on the title of a book? If it’s a self-help book the subject matter guides me. If it’s a book of poetry, I usually draw from a poem title in the book that stands out, and make that the signature poem and book title. There is always at least one poem that stands out as the personality of the book.
Have you developed a specific writing style and why? I don’t think in terms of style. I write poetry and shorter pieces, not novels. However, I toy with the idea of a novel. I admire those writers who do write novels and I listen with rapt attention when they talk about their process.
How much of your books is realistic and experiences based on someone you know, or events in your life? A lot of what I write draws from real life, more than 90%. For my poetic memoir last year, Breathing Under Water, I drew on childhood and young adult memories. Now with the journals, I’m writing about current experiences along with memories that pop up.
Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you? The late poet, Lyn Lifshin impressed me with her ability to write about virtually any subject. At times I emulate her free verse style of very short lines and frequent line breaks.
First Book Influence
Do you remember the first book you read? It was probably a Dick and Jane book, but one memorable fairly early book I read as a young person was Green Mansions by William Henry Hudson. I should read that again. I’ve always loved books, even the smell of them. Old books smell musty and exotic. New books smell inky, fresh, and exciting.
Is there an author, past or present, you would love to meet? Why? I always wished I could have known Emily Dickinson. There’s something mysterious about her. Also though, Robert Frost would have been great to know, and any of the English masters.
If you could not write, how would you express what you wish to convey through any stories? I would turn to visual expression, such as video and still photos. Also verbal expression, recitation. I would do that.
When you see new authors struggling, what single piece of advice could you give them on a moment’s notice? I would remind them to start by being happy about the pleasure writing brings them as self-expression. Anything beyond that is icing. Most writers do it for the pleasure of it. I see brand new writers just starting out post in Facebook with comments like, “I want to be a writer and make money. How do I get started?” I don’t have an answer for that question because making a living at it doesn’t happen for everyone.
How do you want others to see you or remember you? Is it important to you? Yes, I guess I do like the idea of being remembered in a positive way. I do hope there will be those who say I inspired them, or taught them something special.
Do you have a blog or website viewers can visit for updates, events and special offers? Include links to any and all of your sites. The best place to go to follow what I’m doing (TV shows and links to my books) is my primary website: WhereWomenTalk.com.