Conversations with Nicole Maggi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Maggi.

Hi Nicole, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been a published author for over a decade. My first several books were Young Adult, but around 2019, after my last YA novel came out, my career felt stalled. I had a couple of projects that wound up going nowhere, and my longtime agent retired, and I was really searching for what my next chapter would be. Then in the summer of 2019, my daughter and I took a road from to Salt Lake City for a wedding, and we visited Zion, Bryce, and Arches National Parks. When we drove into Zion, I started to cry. I was so awestruck by its beauty, and I realized that it’s so rare in our everyday lives that we are truly awed. I also realized that I’d lost my connection to nature, and I needed to find it again. So began my passionate love affair with National Parks.
Then I discovered that there is a branch of the National Park Service that investigates crimes on federal lands. That appealed to my fascination with true crime. The combination of these two things ignited the idea for a murder mystery series following an investigator where each book takes place in a different park. That idea turned into the first book in the series, A MURDER IN ZION, which debuted last year, and follows with the second book, LOST IN YELLOWSTONE, which came out this month.
Writing this series feels like such a natural progression for me as writer, and it feels like I’ve finally found my niche in the literary world.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! I’ve had the rockiest road that an author can have. My very first obstacle came about 15 years ago, when my first contract with a major publisher was cancelled. It was devastating – I’d finally achieved my dream of becoming a published author, only to have it very cruelly snatched away.
To dig myself out of the pit of despair that I found myself in, I worked through The Artist’s Way, a 12-step recovery program for creatives designed by Julia Cameron. As I began to heal and find faith in myself again as a writer, I started writing the book that became my YA thriller THE FORGETTING, which was a #1 Kindle bestseller and a finalist for the International Thriller Writers Thriller Award.
I’ve had editors leave mid-project, creative collaborators whom I trusted that up and ghost me, publishers try to pass off a terrible cover for one of my books, and other roadblocks along the way.
There have been moments of intense frustration, but through it all I try hard not to lose my faith in my work. That’s something I took away from The Artist’s Way. I also have a great support network of other writers to lean on when things get tough, which is an invaluable necessity for any writer!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In addition to being an author, I also work as an editor for a small publisher of crime fiction. I love editing – it’s so much easier to edit other’s people’s work instead of my own! But working as an editor definitely makes me a better writer, and at the end of the day it’s my own books that I’m most proud of. The first book in my National Park Mystery series, A MURDER IN ZION, has been nominated for three awards, including the Golden Poppy that honors California-based authors. That book has definitely garnered me the most attention out of all of my books, and I hope the love from readers continues for the rest of the series – however many books it turns out to be. Because the series is a melting pot of so many things that I’m passionate about, having this kind of positive response to the books is incredibly gratifying. And I think that passion comes through in my writing, and that’s what readers respond to.
I think what sets my mysteries apart is the juxtaposition of the settings, which are some of the most beautiful places on this planet, with the ugliest side of humanity. That juxtaposition is mirrored in my main character: she is a smart, tough, female investigator but she also has deep vulnerabilities. Exploring those juxtapositions fascinates me, and I think readers enjoy exploring them, too.
Both writing and editing are such solitary occupations. It’s usually just me in my office with my noise-cancelling headphones and a cup of coffee. That’s why I relish being able to talk about it in outlets such as VoyageLA.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Well, I’ve learned a lot of practical lessons, like always maintain a paper trail and save every email you ever exchange because it could save you a lot of grief in the long run! But I’ve learned a lot of emotional lessons as well. Since writing is so solitary, it’s important to have a support network. The twists and turns of a writing career can be singular and unique, and not everyone outside of the publishing industry can understand just what writers go through. So it’s good to have people in my life that understand the ups and downs.
But I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is to always believe in myself. I’ve hit some very low lows where the self-doubt was overwhelming. Learning to believe in myself again after those low points was what helped me get over those obstacles. And the strongest way to build up that belief in myself has always been to return to the work. When in doubt, I sit down at the computer – even if I have to force myself to do it – and I write. Eventually, I’ll write myself out of the pit of self-doubt and my faith in myself is restored.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nicolemaggi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolemaggiauthor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authornicolemaggi/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-maggi-86a193201/
• Other: https://bookshop.org/p/books/lost-in-yellowstone-a-national-park-mystery-volume-2-nicole-maggi/80af48446ce4f60b?ean=9781608096602&next=t