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/