We recently connected with Nicki Ehrlich and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicki, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I never would have thought of myself as a risk-taker, but looking back, I guess I have been. I loved climbing trees as a kid. I was shy around people, but I wouldn’t hesitate to bring a stray animal home. I left home for college, choosing a school where I knew no one. My love for horses developed from an early age. My family did not own horses or enough acreage to keep one. I really don’t know where the interest came from. But I couldn’t get enough of these big, beautiful creatures who allowed us to stand near them. And ride them. There was a time I fancied myself a horse trainer, though I know some horses who might take exception to that. I’ll admit now, they teach you so much more than you could ever teach them. When I lived in the coastal Pacific Northwest, I got into sailing. I loved being on the water alone with my boat, the wind, and whatever might show its face from the depths. I did enjoy showing other people the area and teaching them about sailing, but the bigger risk was to go it solo. I owned a thirty-foot self-contained boat and sailed alone from Tacoma up into Desolation Sound. I suppose that was risky (my mother thought so), but it was an unparalleled experience. I think we all take risks, big or small doesn’t really matter. For me, these are the experiences that direct the stories I write.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I feel I’ve always been a writer. I’ve always loved books and the places they could take you. I wrote stories and poems, was even a songwriter for a while. None of that was enough to make ends meet, so I took other jobs. But no matter what I did to make a living, I told myself when I retired, I would be a novelist. I wrote non-fiction for a while, had a boating column in a newspaper and wrote freelance articles. I started writing a novel thirty-some years ago (that one is still in a drawer), but started the Ellis River trilogy in 2019. At the time I thought it would be a one-off Western. I was traveling some and doing horse-related things, reading old Western novels like Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour. I decided “someone” needed to write a Western with a strong female protagonist who knew her horsemanship. I had a full-time job that had nothing to do with writing, so I took a novel-writing course at the local community college. I workshopped Ellis River in that class and was surprised at the reception it received. I wanted to go deeper into the characters, and it grew into something different. It is technically Historical Fiction, but I like to call it a Literary Western (more like Lonesome Dove or News of the World). It takes place at the end of the Civil War and follows a young woman and her horse as she attempts to find family. It’s not centered on the war or on a particular historical figure, but more on the effects of war on families and the main character’s coming-of-age.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit, I found myself with some time on my hands and lots of online courses not only in writing, but also in publishing. I learned more about author-publishing and how much it was changing from the looked-down-upon “self-published” model of the past to a viable alternative to traditional publishing. I decided to publish Ellis River under my own imprint, Bay Feather Books. My goal was to make it a product that could rightfully sit on the shelf next to traditionally published books. I hired a professional editor. I hired a professional designer. I think I reached my goal. Positive reviews came in, and it was short-listed for the Eric Hoffer Prize, was a semi-finalist for the Booklife Prize, and then won the Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Award for Best First Book (Bill Fisher Award). I still marvel at its success.

The second book, Zephyr Trails, continues the protagonist’s (Ellis Cady) story, ties up a couple of threads from Ellis River, and offers some new ones. I just learned the book won a gold “IPPY” (Independent Publishers Book Award), which is very exciting and validating. It also won a gold Literary Titan Award.

Both books sit on the shelves of bookstores and libraries as I work on the third book in the trilogy.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I was often told age could make a difference in a writing career. After all, an agent or publisher wants a writer with a long career ahead of them. That makes sense. There are certainly accomplished authors who are now in their “sundown years,” but they started years or decades ago. But there is also a growing number of mature authors who are just starting out. Poets & Writers Magazine has a “Five Over Fifty” feature that showcases debut authors in this age range. It proves it is never too late to start a writing career, indeed, you have more experience to draw from, and it attests to the resolve and perseverance it takes to be an author.

When I signed up for the Community College class in which Ellis River was developed, I thought I would be the oldest person in the room. I was not, nor did it make a difference. A story well told is a story well told.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The validation of my books through reviews and awards attests to the stories being relevant and interesting, and also lets me know I’ve created a stellar product. I’ve heard writers and artists say they do their art for themselves, and in some ways that’s true, but it’s in sharing your creativity with others that it truly comes alive. To hear people, those who know me and those who don’t, talk about my characters as if they are real, is quite a thrill. I think creatives do their art in order to have an effect on the world. Reviews, awards, and people who show up at book signings, all give credence to that effect.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nickiehrlich.com
• Instagram: @nicki_ehrlich
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085470300555

Image Credits

Liz Monroe
Cathy Jaeger