Interview: Nicole Seitz

Today CFB is having I think its first author interview of the year. Haven't done these in a while, but poll results show that readers want more interviews. So we're giving it to you. :)

For the next few days Nicole Seitz will be sharing her love for Christ and writing with us. Remember this month CFB is featuring her debut novel, The Spirit of Sweetgrass. If you have any questions you want to ask Nicole, leave them here in our commennts section.

Nicole, briefly share your writing journey.

I have a degree in journalism, and I wrote for local newspapers when I was going back to school for illustration in the early mid-90s. I didn’t write for publication again until I did an article on local artists for South Carolina Magazine a few years back. Since then, I’ve written another piece on sweetgrass basket makers for the same magazine.

When I was expecting my daughter, I started working on my first piece of fiction, a middle-grade novel. It remains unpublished, but I finally finished it a year and a half later and learned that I could, indeed, complete a manuscript. I was not planning to write an adult novel until I got the idea for The Spirit of Sweetgrass, driving past the roadside stands here in Mount Pleasant while pregnant with my son. The Spirit of Sweetgrass is my first published novel. My next novel, Trouble the Water, will be out in February 2008.

Nicole, define Christian Fiction.

To me, Christian fiction is fiction written by Christians. Period. If you are writing ultimately to honor God, I believe the story you need to tell will come out. It may not, however, fit into tradition “Christian fiction” mold.

Why did you choose this character to build your stories around?

I'm not sure I can say I chose this character. It was more like she chose me. I had a general idea for the book, started some research and the next morning at about 4 AM, woke up with Essie Mae “speaking” through me loud and clear. It sounds strange, I know. But true.

Although you are not African American, did you feel ever uneasy for building an african-american character?

Yes. I would worry at night in bed about it. I would not have chosen to write an African-American in first person if I could have dreamed up the perfect debut into publishing. However, God gave me this story. I would pray to Him, ‘are you sure?,’ and He’d reassure me to keep going. I chose to be faithful and face whatever may come my way.

Tomorrow we will talk about Black Spirituality and is importance in Christianity.