Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorna Schultz Nicholson.
Hi Lorna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I loved reading and writing when I was a kid but I also loved sports. As a kid, I never said, “When I grow up, I want to be a writer.” I wanted to be an athlete but my parents told me that wasn’t a job. (It is now!! Yahoo.) So, I went to university for a B. Sc. with a focus on anatomy and physiology, and started working in the fitness industry. At that time I wrote a lot of fitness articles, had a sports column, and was even a television co-host (fitness show called Body Moves), and radio host (show was Family Time). I was always writing with the media work, scripts and articles about fitness, sport and family. But not as an author and not novels. Then we moved across the country and I gave up all those jobs. Now what? I had three little kids so decided to stay home for a bit, but then I saw this poster on a bulletin board in a coffee shop about a creative writing class. I signed up. Instead of writing a short story in the eight week class, I wrote a really bad novel. Yes, it was bad, and an adult mystery novel. But, this process of writing gave me the confidence to finish a long piece and write something else. I also found a writing group, (we are still great friends), and one woman in the group wrote children’s sports novels. I decided that might be a fun project so I wrote one and found a publisher. Sports and writing were/are two passions of mine. I have now written numerous sport novels but I also write other things too! Just saying.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The writing journey is never smooth. There are always rejections and you have to push past those rejections and just keep trying. I honestly believe that my background in sports helped me persevere and continue. The rejections hurt. I have stacks of rejection letters – from years back when mailed letters were a thing. Now, of course, everything is by email. I have traditionally published 53 books, worked with many different publishers, and I still get rejected. So, it’s a thing and it still gives you a stab. But, just know, it’s part of the business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an writer/author. I have traditionally publisher 53 books, and most of them are children’s literature. I do have some adult books that I have written, (I just wrote a thriller and I’m hoping it gets published), but my focus has been on children’s books, both fiction and non-fiction. I love writing for children as they are sponges. I do a lot of school presentations and I get great joy (and pride to answer the question asked) when I hear that my books are all signed out of the library at a school. I believe that reading is important for children. Recently, I won a children’s choice award and that was so heart warming to know that kids read my book, voted, and picked it. I’m not sure what sets me apart. I hope it’s my passion for writing and the fun I have in schools when I present about the joys of reading. Yes, I have as much fun as the kids.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I did have a bit of luck with my first published book. As I mentioned, I was in a writing group, and one of the gals was writing middle grade sports novels. I was her go-to person when she needed a question answered. I was the kid who watched Wide World of Sports every Saturday. She had decided to start writing moto-cross books, and she recommended me to the editor at her publishing house. So… when my book went to that editor, I think I got a special look. Thanks, Jacqueline!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lornaschultznicholson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lornasn/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorna.s.nicholson
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV2kLGPWYyY2tZtvw1RD6_A
Image Credits
Rob Hislop
