We recently connected with Lorna Schultz Nicholson and have shared our conversation below.

Lorna, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I hope I will be remembered for writing books that are entertaining and say something, but not with a bang over the head. Just be that author with the subtle message and a page turner. And I hope I can get and keep kids reading. That is a huge goal of mine.

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’m an author and my first book was published in 2004. Yes, I’m coming up to twenty years in this business. Granted, I wrote for years and years before my first book got published, and I have the rejection letters to show for those years. I had been writing mystery novels for quite a few years, and then decided to write a middle grade sports book. I was “that kid” who loved playing sports when I was young. That book sold. I have a fun story about that sale that I love to tell kids when I’m at school visits. Anyway, the book was called Interference and is still available. Since 2004, I have traditionally published 51 books. I write picture books, middle grade fiction and non-fiction, young adult fiction, and hockey non-fiction for adults. Although…I have just written another adult thriller novel. (Going back to those early days of the mystery novel writing.) No sale on that one yet but I’m hoping! Even after twenty years, I’m still getting rejection letters. You need a thick skin to write, but I wouldn’t do anything else as it is defintely a passion. I have been nominated for many awards and have even won a few, which is always exciting. I write a lot of books about sports, but I also write a lot of other things. I don’t stick to one genre but write what comes to me. For instance, my brain is swirling with Christmas ideas. Why not write a Christmas book. We will see.
I love to entertain kids at school visits and I’m always thrilled when a teacher or school librarian gets back to me after my visit and says, “Your books are flying off the shelves.” Yeah!!!! That means I’ve done what I set out to do.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In my early days of writing I kept getting rejection letter after rejection letter for some mystery novels that I was writing. I would cry, then put the letter in a file. (One day I might do something with those letters, like wall paper one wall and put up a dart board on that same wall.) I kept at it. And kept at it. Then an opportunity came up to write a children’s sport novel. At the time I wasn’t writing for children. But I wanted to be published, and I loved sports, so I wrote it and sent in one chapter and a synopsis. When they wanted to see the full manuscript, I hadn’t written it yet. And they wanted it ASAP. Oh no. I wrote it in fourteen days, with an extensive outline, and got a friend to edit it for me. Then I shipped it off and it was a sale. I was ecstatic. That started my journey and I discovered that I loved writing for children. But here’s the thing – after fifty-one published books, I still get REJECTED. It’s the business. You have to develop a think skin and keep doing what you love.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think I’m pivoting a little right now. Maybe. Sort of. I stared off writing mystery novels for the adult market, then moved into writing mostly for children. In the twenty years I’ve been publishing, I have written a few non-fiction books for the adult market. BUT, I want to go back to my early writing years, and get a thriller novel that I wrote during Covid (nothng else to do but write during those days) published. I hope it will happen. I wrote the book on a leap of faith and we will see if it sells. Such is this business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lornaschultznicholson.com
• Instagram: lornasn https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en
• Facebook: Lorna Schultz Nicholson https://www.facebook.com/lorna.s.nicholson
• Linkedin: Lorna Schultz Nicholson https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorna-schultz-nicholson-97951820/
• Twitter: Lorna S. Nicholson https://twitter.com/lornasn
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV2kLGPWYyY2tZtvw1RD6_A

Image Credits
Rob Hislop photography Focus Sisters Photography