MEET THE AUTHOR
You know, over the years, I’ve proposed this blog topic to my mom several times over. In each instance, she has readily agreed, but it never came to fruition. Never felt quite right.
Now, I know why. Now I know why we had to wait for this moment, right here. Because, let’s be real, the chances of me getting interviewed for anything ever are pretty slim 😂 However, on the off chance my books do make it to the level of some of my favorite authors, it warms my heart to know that she was first. The person who supported me through it all, was willing to do my first (and most likely, only ever) interview.
So, thank you, Mamma Mia. Never, ever could I do anything to deserve you. I’m so grateful God gave me you.
And, to celebrate the day you put in all that strenuous work to get me here, twenty-nine questions have been selected in honor of my twenty-ninth birthday!
So, here’s to the last year in my twenties! I have a sneaking suspicion it is going to be my favorite year yet. And, here is an inside look into the brain of the author you are all kind enough to support. Read on if you dare 😂
MM: What is your favorite band?
NN: I know its cheating, but I can’t pick just one. So, let me break it down.
The Beatles. Eighth grade Ellie would have died to be a teen in the 60’s.
The Beach Boys. My mom was raised in CA, what do you expect?
ABBA. Anytime I’m feeling down, they always bring me back up!
Collective Soul. Dosage is my only perfect album 🤷♀️
MM: What is your fondest, unrealized dream?
NN: To have children. That one snuck up on me out of the blue. I blame the Primary Children.
MM: What is your greatest fear?
NN: As a 6 on the Enneagram, what’s not my greatest fear? 😂 It can range from, “Did I turn the stove off?”, to, “Will Oakley escape from the backyard, never to be seen again?”. This mind is always a-workin.
MM: What makes you feel the most competent?
NN: Being prepared. Which is why, I plan for every worse case scenario. Super fun to be around, right over here!
MM: What is your favorite color?
NN: Yellow, just like you 😘 Also, could a color fit you more? No, no it could not.
MM: What is your favorite way to spend an evening?
NN: Reading, duh.
MM: What is your favorite sport?
NN: Soccer ⚽️
MM: What is your favorite team?
NN: The German National Team
MM: What is your dream vacation?
NN: Greece. This girl is dying to live out Mamma Mia, almost shot for shot.
MM: What is your favorite movie?
NN: Austenland. That is a movie I can watch over and over again, and never get bored of it. I even watched it with the commentary on, and loved it almost as much as just the movie itself!
MM: What is your favorite game to play?
NN: Heads Up. It’s the only game that’s made me laugh so hard I cried, on a regular basis.
MM: What kind of books do you enjoy reading the most?
NN: I love reading Dystopian. Closed-door Rom Coms are my jam for sure. A little Fantasy. But any and all have to have some sort of romance, or it’s a hard pass.
MM: Name three fictional characters you admire.
NN: First, Rudy from, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Man, that kid knew how to find the joy in life, even up until the end. And his dedication to Liesel? One can only dream of finding adoration like that.
Second, Abby from, Falling For Your Best Friends Twin, by Emma St. Clair. Her example taught me to embrace and love myself as I am, weird quirks and all.
Third, Mary from, The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I identified a lot with Mary at the beginning of her story, all sour and negative. But it gives me hope that she was able to turn it around.
MM: What is your favorite dessert?
NN: Either ice cream, which is pretty much in our genetic code on dad’s side of the family, or cinnamon rolls.
MM: Favorite book?
NN: Nope. Can’t do that.
MM: What is a food you hate?
NN: Cooked spinach. Popeye had it wrong, y’all.
MM: What fictional worlds would you like to live in?
NN: Either Sheet Cake, TX from Emma St. Clair’s Love Stories in Sheet Cake series, or, Silver Creek, North Carolina from Jenny Proctor’s, How to Kiss A Hawthorne Brother series.
MM: What books would you take with you on a deserted island?
NN: Again, with this? You can’t make me make a decision.
MM: What is your favorite classic move?
NN: I have lots to choose from, thanks to your love of them. But I think I’d have to go with, Christmas in Connecticut.
MM: What is your favorite childhood memory?
NN: There are a lot to choose from. Road trips, vacations, a lot of them involve a dog or two. But, some that come to mind are:
When you made us watch 80 Hours of the 80’s. I thought I was going to die, but now every time I picture you dancing to the songs of your youth, it brings a smile to my face.
Or, going to see Breaking Dawn Part Two, with you, at midnight.
Watching all of the BYU sports with dad.
Huddled in my little brother’s room, playing Lego Star Wars in our tiny chairs. Thanks for always letting me be Yoda, so I could fly around in his seat.
MM: What is your favorite song?
NN: There are so many to choose from. However, the one that sticks out the most is, “SOS”, by ABBA. I can vividly remember being in second grade, laying on the floor of my room with my headphones plugged into my CD player, jamming to this song. It’s becoming quite clear that I’ve always had a flair for the dramatic.
MM: What are your hobbies outside of reading?
NN: Running, knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch. As you are well aware, I was basically born eighty-years-old.
MM: What is your favorite tv show?
NN: The Middle. Art really does imitate life!
MM: What fictional characters would you like to have as friends?
NN: Elinor Dashwood, from Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen, because we could commiserate over being the responsible one that drags down the free spirits 😂
And, Abby from, Falling For Your Best Friend’s Twin, by Emma St. Clair, because I feel like she would bring a little more fun to my life.
MM: Favorite vacations we’ve taken?
NN: I know we’ve pretty much only ever gone to Utah, but I’ve always really liked those trips. 80’s music in the car, seeing family, getting Grandma Sycamore’s bread, and eating at all of the places we don’t have here? I’m grateful that Utah always feels like a second home, because we’ve been there so much.
MM: What is your favorite way to relax?
NN: I don’t know if it’s super relaxing, but running or yoga are the two ways I often feel stress release the most 🤷♀️
MM: A fictional character you do not enjoy?
NN: Teresa, from The Maze Runner by James Dashner. She knows what she did.
MM: Favorite animal?
NN: I know I told the Primary kids in a lesson last week that it was elephant, and it is a close second, but dog is my favorite. Which, apparently is a popular choice, because literally every other answer in that classroom was dog. I felt like I had to spice it up a little.
MM: Favorite musical?
NN: As established earlier, either of the, Mamma Mia, movies. For obvious reasons.
A quick update:
I’ve had a few hiccups in the publishing process, so Reframed will not be out as soon as we originally thought. But, you know what’s awesome? God is at the head of this. It’s His book as much, if not more so, than it is mine. I have no doubt He will help me to release it right when it needs to be presented to the world at large. So, look for updates in the future, and keep getting excited!
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