Fiction Friday | Getting to Know You With Nola Lorraine

Today we have Nola Lorraine to our blog today.

We are going to get to know Nola Lorraine better today and congratulate her on her debut book.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Some of you know me as Nola Passmore, but I’m now writing under my two Christian names of Nola Lorraine. I was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, but I moved up to Toowoomba in 1989 to take up a teaching position in psychology at the local university. Where I met my husband Tim through our Christian staff group there. I left that job in 2013, and my husband and I now run our own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish. Our two gorgeous cavoodles, Holly and Molly, are also on the payroll. Holly is Chief of Security and Entertainment Director; Molly is Chief Timekeeper and Well-being Facilitator.

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?

As a preschooler, my favourite book was Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear. It was a tale of derring-do as Yogi and Boo Boo had to rescue Cindy from the dastardly ringmaster who was keeping her captive at the circus. By the end of primary school, I was a big fan of The Secret Seven. I dreamed of solving mysteries like they did, but nothing ever happened in our street.

3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and to write?

My favourite genre is probably romantic suspense, but I have fairly eclectic tastes and read across different genres. I don’t mind if it’s set in the past, present or future, but I do like action, suspense and mystery (much like Yogi Bear and the Secret Seven). If there’s a touch of humour, all the better.

4. Did you have any favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?

I used to read a lot more biographies and autobiographies than I do now, so authors like Joni Eareckson Tada, Corrie Ten Boom and Martin Luther King Jr. really spoke to me. About 14 years ago, I discovered Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series and that whet my appetite for more fiction. Other favourite Christian authors include Terri Blackstock, Colleen Coble and Dani Pettrey; and favourite mainstream authors include Kate Morton, Anthony Doerr, Alexander McCall Smith, Geraldine Brooks, and Tracy Chevalier. I also love the humour of Adrian Plass.

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

English was my best subject at school, so I think I always imagined writing a novel one day. However, I mainly wrote academic material through my job, and just dabbled in poetry and songwriting outside of that. About thirteen years ago, I decided to take my writing more seriously, and I started sending bits and pieces off to different publishers. I’ve since had more than 150 short pieces published, including short fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, devotions and magazine articles.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?

After making that initial decision to pursue writing seriously, I joined the Queensland Writers’ Centre. It was through their magazine that I first discovered Christian writing groups like Omega Writers and the creative writing department at Tabor College Adelaide. I attended writing conferences and workshops, subscribed to writing magazines, read books on writing craft, and got involved in online Christian writers’ groups. I also completed a Graduate Diploma in Arts (Creative Writing) through Tabor.

All of those experiences helped me hone my writing and learn about the business, but I also sent a lot of short pieces off to publishers and competitions so I could apply the lessons I was learning. My writing group, Quirky Quills, has also been a constant source of inspiration, encouragement and critique over the last 10 years or so. We’ve all helped each other to progress with our writing. Prayer has also been important, as I’ve sought God’s direction throughout the journey and he’s provided the inspiration or solutions to tricky problems when I needed it.

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

I’d probably be spending more time on other creative pursuits like music and art. If I was younger and fitter, I could see myself as a marine biologist or park ranger. If plausibility wasn’t a factor, I’d be an astronaut.

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

I love the beach, but the closest one is a two-and-a-half hour drive away, so I don’t get there as often as I’d like. Apart from that I like swimming, cycling, bushwalking, art galleries, board games, catching up with friends and chilling out with hubby in front of a classic movie from the 1930s to 1950s.

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

I’ve been to Canada four times and would go back tomorrow if it wasn’t for COVID and the pesky issue of cost. If I had to pick just one place, it would be Prince Edward Island.

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?

That’s a really hard question. I probably should pick really inspiring people who’ve overcome tremendous challenges or great writers I aspire to be. But I’m a big fan of popular culture, so I would probably pick Moya Brennan, the first lady of Celtic music; Amanda Tapping, iconic sci-fi actor and director; and Miranda Hart, British comedian and star of the Miranda sit-com. They’re all creative and they all seem like nice, down-to-earth people that I could have a chat with. I’d love to pick their brains about their creative process and have a good laugh over dinner. And of course as a result of that dinner, Moya would want to record one of my songs on her next album, Amanda would enlist me to co-write a TV series with her, and Miranda would cast me in her next sit-com.

Finally can you tell us about your latest release. Where can we buy the book and where can we find you on the web?

My debut novel Scattered is inspirational historical fiction set in Nova Scotia in 1882. My 19-year-old heroine Maggie is shipwrecked on Sable Island while en route to Canada to search for her brother and sister who had mistakenly been sent to Canada as part of the Home Children Migrant Program. By the time she gets to Halifax, the trail has gone cold and it seems someone is trying to stop her from finding them. A dashing newspaperman helps her in her quest, and there’s romance along the way, as well as mystery and suspense.

The best way to connect with me is through my website www.nolalorraine.com.au  You’ll find links there to my monthly newsletter and my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts.

The novel is available on Amazon worldwide. In Australia, you can also purchase it from the links below

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Scattered-Nola-Lorraine-ebook/dp/B08CCSVGY3/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nola+lorraine&qid=1600906748&sr=8-1

Koorong – https://www.koorong.com/product/scattered-nola-lorraine_9781922135506?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.koorong.com%2Fsearch%2Fresults%3Fw%3Dscattered%2Bnola

Breath of Fresh Air Press – https://bofapress.com/products/scattered