Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nancy Potter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Nancy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I had wonderful parents; perfect parents, no, but wonderful parents. I was the last of five daughters, so by the time I came along they were finished worrying about the little things that haunt new parents. I started sewing my own clothes when I was about seven and always loved that I was wearing something that no one else had. I was allowed to wear whatever I showed up in, as long as it wasn’t suggestive or inappropriate. That was the first way in which I showed my creativity. We moved to Europe when I was nine which was a wonderful place to live back then. They kept a loose rein on me, even letting me take the trolley alone at about 11 years old to go to downtown The Hague in Holland to buy a dress. It was a magical experience in the posh store where I was led to a private changing room and a woman helped me in and out of clothes. That was also when I began writing stories and poems. Next, we were off to London which was the fashion capitol of the world at that time. I wore used clothes and platform shoes that none of my friends in the States had ever seen. I was given free rein in that city as well as it was so safe back then. My girlfriends and I rode the Tube and double-decker buses all over the city exploring and sometimes being just a little bit risky. There was a rule in my home that we could drink any alcohol we wanted as long as we didn’t leave the confines of our dwelling. That made the idea of drinking not as inviting and none of the five of us ended up with a drinking problem. We were encouraged to have our own opinions (at least with Mom) and to follow where our instincts took us. This is where I was first made to keep daily journals which I did until my early thirties. I have them hidden away now! My mother took us out of school one day to visit Old Bailey when it was in session just for the experience. Mom believed that life was meant to be experienced and I followed suit. That has made me not so much a risk taker but someone who loves to do something novel. All of this gave me experiences and a feeling of acceptance of things that were different which has greatly impacted my writing. I believe I feel things and think things in ways that others do not, making my writing deep and thoughtful. Living in many different places and being exposed to different cultures gave me a foundation from which I could draw characters and dialects and emotions that help form my writing. When writing this, my first novel, my father kept telling me not to tell the “ugly” stuff about the family because it would be embarrassing. Mom didn’t feel that way.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. When I was nine years old, I moved with my family to Europe, where my father worked in the oil industry. We spent five wonderful years there. It was the old Europe, where every country had its distinct character. I learned French and gained an appreciation for people from very different cultures. I have traveled extensively throughout my life, which I have found to be a great help to me in my writing.

My first memory of writing for my own enjoyment was when I was 10 years old and living in The Hague, and I’ve been at it ever since. I was fortunate to have English teachers my entire academic career who encouraged my writing. In my home, you will find many boxes filled with my old journals, poems, short stories, and more.

After graduating from college, I moved to Washington, D.C. to work on Capitol Hill and at the White House for President Reagan in the Office of Communications where I helped formulate ways to explain to the American public the intricacies of a new expansive project. My entrepreneurial mindset led me to try my hand in several areas before settling into the garment industry where I designed and sold fashionable maternity clothes in a market with few choices, under my own label, Nancy Potter, Houston.

I have a son who was born with a rare genetic skin disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa (often referred to as E.B.). A defect in his keratin gene caused him to lose nearly half of his skin while being born and then to produce hundreds of blisters every day, which had to be lanced and bandaged over the course of many years. He could scarcely be touched, as the slightest contact could tear off his skin. He even had blisters in his mouth, which necessitated having a feeding tube inserted into his stomach when he was just a few days old; he lived with the feeding tube for four years. He required 24-hour care, which I provided. Out of his many years of pain, I learned to marvel at the least little thing he could accomplish, and to have great compassion for those with special needs and their caregivers. To aid in raising awareness and funds for research into this dreadful disease, I put on the first-ever major fundraisers for E.B. in the 1990s at what was then The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Houston, Texas, and I continue to work to bring awareness to the disease. Please consider helping at www.debra.org. You can find out more on my website. At 31 years old, my son is learning to live on his own!

My Bestselling, debut novel, “Barbours Cut; Beyond the River’s Reach”, is based on the life of my great-grandfather, Captain Clyde A. Barbour, whose exceptional rags-to-riches life continues to be an inspiration to all who know of him. Born in 1874, he was instrumental in the development of Houston, especially the Houston Ship Channel, a portion of which bears his name today, Barbours Cut, that includes Barbours Terminal.

The process of writing this novel began in 1985, when I recorded interviews that I conducted with my maternal grandparents; my grandmother was Captain Barbour’s daughter, Lilly. Lilly’s story is the basis of my next novel, which I have already begun to write. The working title is “Lilly’s Legacy”.

My home, located just outside of Houston, Texas, is brimming with memorabilia pertaining to “Barbours Cut”, some of which dates back to the late 1800s. This memorabilia was indispensable to me in writing this novel, as it greatly helped me bring the scenes and the characters to life.

Publishing “Barbours Cut” after all these years has brought me great joy, and it is my wish that you enjoy reading this entertaining and inspirational rags-to-riches story beginning on a flatboat on the Mississippi River and ending in boardrooms across the U.S. and abroad.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

It took me 38 years to write and publish this book. Life kept getting in the way! Writing a book seemed like an easily attainable goal as I had been writing most of my life and was encouraged by teachers throughout my education who felt that I had talent when it came to my writing. I began with lots of family lore to help guide me through the writing process. I interviewed my grandparents and many people toward the end of their lives who had known my great-grandfather, the protagonist in my novel. What I didn’t know was how tedious and painstaking doing the research would be in order to make the story as historically accurate as possible. Back when I did most of my research, everything was on microfiche which was very time consuming and quite a strain on your eyes. One day in downtown Houston I had been at it for hours and got to where I could hardly move my arm. I had managed to irritate my neck to the extent that I had to have physical therapy for a long time. Who would have thought? Then, one day I was writing about my great-grandfather buying his first house on land (he had lived on boats). He carried his wife over the threshold and turned on the light. Then I realized that I wasn’t sure that there was electricity in that small town on that particular day in history. It took an hour to figure out if he could actually turn on a light. I think that’s a good illustration about how difficult it is to write an historical novel. Everything your characters do, say, think and touch needs to be accurate to that time period. At the outset it felt overwhelming but morphed into something that I loved to do! I found endless amounts of detail in old newspapers and such that was constantly changing my story.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to have my great-grandfather get his due when it comes to the history of the city of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel as well as get the recognition he deserves for all that he did in industry and business. His many trips to Europe where he had offices, as well as Central America where he also had companies, gave him an insight few people had at that time about the world at large. His work in the oil transportation business, the carbon black industry, and his effort to keep the city of Franklin, Louisiana alive during the Great Depression are all notable accomplishments. He was a philanthropist, a humanitarian and a real Renaissance man who taught himself to love the finer things in life. He never tired of helping those in need as well as those trying to build a business. I feel honored that his blood runs through my veins!

Contact Info:

• Website: nancypotterauthor.com
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