Nicole Givens Kurtz

 

Nicole Givens Kurtz, a native of Tennessee, is the publisher of Mocha Memoirs Ezine of Short Fiction & Poetry, Contributing Editor for Suite 101's Short Story Topic and the author of : Browne Candidate, A Complete Woman and Voodoo of the Heart: Erotic Tales of Fantasy & Realism (As Elisabeth Gordon). Her short stories have appeared in such noted publications as Anotherealm, Jackhammer
Ezine, Dragon Soup and Orpheus Romance. Two of her short stories were selected for inclusion in the I LOVE MY JOB, a collection of office humor. Her nonfiction articles have appeared in AFRIQUE Newsmagazine as well as WhooDoo.com and Elanmag, Electronic Magazine for Women of Color. Nicole graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a Bachelor's of Art, concentration Writing. She is pursuing dual Master's Degrees from Western New Mexico University and Bread Loaf School of English. Nicole now lives in Gallup, New Mexico where she has just completed her fourth book, THE SOUL CAGES. Visit Nicole online at http://www.mochamemoirs.com/NGivens.htm

 

"A must read for any woman, single or married, who wonders what's needed to be complete and for any man who ponders over what makes women tick."
Dianne Coish, PMCA, Inc.

"This very able author knows her characters and brings them to life with her writing. You may gain insights into your own search for who you are and would like to be." Anne Edwards, Ebook Reviews Weekly

 

Pageonelit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Nicole Givens Kurtz: I was born in Knoxville, Tennessee to teenage parents. Almost from the start writing and reading were the primary focus in my household. Education was a priority and was viewed as a vehicle to escape poverty and racism. My earliest influences were Maurice Sendak (writer for Where the Wild Things Are) and my mother, who wrote constantly.

 

Pageonelit.com: Why did you write A COMPLETE WOMAN ?

Nicole Givens Kurtz: I wrote A Complete Woman to confront the issues that destroy a woman's self-esteem. I struggled with self-esteem and self-image. The stereotypes that exist for the women in A Complete Woman exists for other women in the world today. These stereotypes can center around a woman's ability to have children, a woman's sexual preference and a woman's martial status and they have followed us into the twenty-first century.

 

Pageonelit.com: Tell us about A COMPLETE WOMAN?

Nicole Givens Kurtz: A Complete Woman is the story of Tracy Johnson, a woman who at the onset of the novel has just had her a miscarriage, her third. Tracy is engaged to a man who loves the idea of having children, perhaps to fill in his own visions of male-hood. As Tracy struggles with the loss of her unborn child, she wrestles with images of motherhood. How can she be a woman, a wife when she can't do the one thing that separates women from men?

As a result, Tracy breaks her engagement and begins the difficult task of putting her life back together when a phone call from her childhood friend, Natasha brings more bad news. Tracy's other friend, Sister's mother has passed away. Natasha's request, for Tracy to come back to Margaretville for the funeral, resurrects old feelings of friendship and old memories of family. Once Tracy is back in Margaretville, she rejoins her five other girlfriends from high school. And almost just as quickly, they descend into jealousy, betrayal, and arguing. As each friend battles to find her own completeness, Tracy realizes that life isn't perfect and neither is the definition of a woman.

 

Pageonelit.com: At book signings, what do readers say to you about their interpretations of A COMPLETE WOMAN? What do they like about the book?

Nicole Givens Kurtz: At book signings, readers say that they find the characters to be realistic. They ask me if I had read their diaries and do I know their friends. Some of the women have actually had miscarriages and they tell me the opening chapters moved them to tears. They like the overall theme of the book. They agree that in order to find completeness, you must first be happy with yourself.

 

Pageonelit.com: What general advice do you have for writers who just completed their first book? What do they do now?

Nicole Givens Kurtz: For authors who have just completed their first novel, the best advice I can give is to proofread, proofread, proofread. Proofreading is so important. Don't submit the very first draft of your book. Polish the manuscript repeatedly. I would go so far as to say put your manuscript away for about three months, then read it again. Once you have done this, then the next step is to attend conferences and conventions. Meet an agent. Research your market. Be ready to tell an agent what makes your book different from those already on the shelf. You must start thinking of your book and your writing career as just that, a career. You must market yourself and sell yourself.

 

Pageonelit.com: Tell me about your publishing experience -- You published independently with Book Locker. Is it a difficult process to publish on your own?

Nicole Givens Kurtz: Booklocker is a great independent publisher. Angela Hoy is well known amongst internet writers for her electronic magazine for writers, Writer's Weekly. Booklocker makes it easy to my book. The hardest thing about self-publishing is not having an agent market you or having a public relations division to promote your works like the big publishing houses. However, not having a public relations division allows for me to be directly connected to the marketing of my work. I am responsible for my book's image and presentation. With a small independent publisher I also am afforded the opportunity to develop a relationship with my publisher and to receive direct feedback. I have enjoyed it immensely.

Pageonelit.com: Are you working on a follow up? Or something totally different?

Nicole Givens Kurtz: Crystal Dreams Publishing has acquired the rights to publish my book, Browne Candidate. It should be available within the next two months. It is totally different from A Complete Woman. Although the issues of infertility and society's view of women is addressed. Browne Candidate is a futuristic fantasy story of Aurora Browne, a young girl who has been sold into Candidacy. Candidacy is religious organization that loans young girls to couples who are unable to reproduce to have children. It is a dark novel in that its subject matter is dark and the future for Aurora is bleak. I have also just completed my fourth novel, The Soul Cages. I'm still looking for a publisher for it.

 

Pageonelit.com: What was the last book you read?

Nicole Givens Kurtz: The last book I read was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. As a seventh grade Language Arts teacher, the books I find myself reading are for younger readers.

 

Pageonelit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing.

Nicole Givens Kurtz: In my spare time, when I can find it, I like to read murder mysteries, like James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell and Robert B. Parker. I also like to watch Discovery and TLC. I enjoy reading Medieval history and I am a fan of Arthurian legends. My husband and I also like to travel to new places. I enhance my writing by reading different things, practicing and trying out new ideas. I also read everything I can get my hands on regarding the improvement of writing.