Tuesday, September 3, 2024

42² Interview: Nicole Ortiz


 Nicole Ortiz, Runner Up Award Winner of the Sports chapter for 

A TOUR OF THE CITY STREETS FROM MY SADDLE       


 Biography

Nicole Ortiz is an editor and writer based in New York’s Hudson Valley. She currently works as a healthcare editor for Morning Brew, and has been published in outlets including Adweek, Marketing Dive, Rewire.org, Greatist, and had a short fiction piece published in literary journal Pigeon Pages. 

 

BAM: Where are you located?

Nicole: Kerhonkson, NY, USA
BAM: Where’s your writing space?
Nicole: Home

 

BAM: Could you tell me some songs that you like?

Nicole: Local Natives, San Fermin, Kishi Bashi, As Tall As Lions, Coheed and Cambria, Milo Greene, The Starting Line, The Hush Sound

 


BAM: I'll check them all out. What are some movies/shows you like?

Nicole: “Mean Girls,” “She’s the Man,” “Past Lives,” “Titanic,” “Children of Men,” “Encanto” Shows: “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Breaking Bad,” “Fleabag,” “Pen15”

 


BAM: Breaking Bad was one of the best. I used to call it the baldy show because 99% of the case had shaved heads. It's okay because so do I. Anyway, what are some of your favorite books?

Nicole: “Neverwhere,” “Fates and Furies,” “Boy, Snow, Bird,” “Pachinko,” “Y: The Last Man,” “Americanah,” “A Thousand Splendid Suns” // David Sedaris, Neil Gaiman, Roxane Gay, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 


BAM: Great titles and authors you named. What are some books you read recently?  

Nicole: I recently blew through the entire “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and “Fourth Wing” series. I also recently read “The Nightingale,” “Yellowface,” and “Lessons in Chemistry,” which I enjoyed. Currently reading “Maame” and “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store,” and will probably take on the “Throne of Glass” series soon.

 


BAM: Sarah J. Maas is a fun writer. Let’s get into your writing, though. Tell me about the first story that you ever wrote.

Nicole: The first story I wrote was not published, but it was a memorable experience from my first-ever college creative writing class. I wrote a story called “Monster,” which was from the perspective of a young girl in an abusive household. It was impactful to share with my class because, until that point, a lot of the stories had been pretty lighthearted and silly. It made for in-depth conversation and changed the tone of class for that day.

 

 

BAM: Monster sounds like a gripping story. Your other successes show it at least led you to more. Could you tell me about your writing goals?
Nicole: I’d like to write a children’s book, possibly turned into a series. I’ve also brainstormed a book of short stories and maybe one day a novel. But for the short term, I’m trying to get into a regular writing cycle again to at least write a few times a week again and revise some existing short pieces I have that I got notes on.

 

BAM: Thank you. Readers will surely enjoy your story in the anthology and others works. To close, please tell everyone where they can find you on social media.

Nicole

Instagram, X, and Threads @neco_ornot

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleelizabethortiz/ 

Website: https://nicoleisortiz.com/  

 

 

 

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