It’s Meet the Author Monday! Each week we meet a new author and get to know a little about them, their writing process, publishing experience, and tips for other writers. Today we’re talking to Nicole Dake, author of Trauma Survivor’s Guide to Coping With Panic Attacks.
About Nicole Dake:
Nicole Dake is a first time author, blogger, and mom of two. Nicole lives in Broomfield, CO. She enjoys yoga, swimming, and spending time with her family.
About Trauma Survivor’s Guide to Coping with Panic Attacks:
PTSD controlled my life – no more. I once was a survivor, now I’m a warrior.
Panic attacks that result from PTSD and cPTSD can be debilitating. Research unfortunately falls short, telling those suffering from panic attacks to just “wait for them to be over.” Over the years I have learned to cope, first preparing for panic attacks, and then calming down during a panic attack. I am sharing these coping skills with others who have PTSD, so they can go from being survivors to warriors too.
Author Interview with Nicole Dake:
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- Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Writing energizes me. When I finish writing one piece, I tend to think of 3 more ideas that I want to write about next. I love it.
- Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I would say both, because I write self help. I try to write to common problems that many people have, but in a new way that hasn’t been done before. I write to help people, and in the process usually end up helping myself too.
- What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Sati, by Christopher Pike. It’s about a girl who says she is God. I have read it a bunch of times since I was a teenager, and it doesn’t get dull. Pike mostly writes young adult, so I moved onto this novel after I read The Last Vampire when I was younger. I like the idea that God could show up at any time, and in any form. It pushes the envelope a little bit, and I like that.
- What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I read constantly on topics that are in my genre, so I can see what I want to write about next. I am also on a bunch of parenting groups on facebook, since I am a motherhood blogger. I try to write about topics that tend to be common struggles. For both of my books, I spent a few days researching first. I also tend to research as I go along too. Sometimes it is surprising that what I find in the research doesn’t always match my assumptions about a topic. Then I have to go a different direction with my writing than what I was planning. I love to research, it is like an adventure for me.
- How many hours a day do you write?
Since I have started blogging, I write 2-4 hours per day. Sometimes more, if I am not busy doing something else. I get on a roll and I just don’t notice where the time has gone.
- What inspired you to start writing?
I started writing when I was in 8th grade. My English teacher had us do a unit about music as poetry, and something just clicked for me. It was the 90’s and I took in the lyrics to class of the song Blessed by Elton John. After that I was hooked on poetry. I wrote poems and used to go to poetry slam for years, before my current incarnation as a blogger and author. I have books full of poems in my office from over the years, I am considering doing a poetry book at some point too and going back to where I started.
- Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Ever since I was in junior high. I had originally wanted to do a poetry book, but never did. In college I started a book that I never finished. Before I published my recent book, it was my one unmet life goal to publish a book. It’s a pretty exciting feeling actually.
- What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
Don’t worry about how good your writing is. Just write something. Write every day. The more you practice, your writing naturally gets better, because you get into the flow of things. If you want to accomplish any goal, there is no time to start like today. Putting your writing out into the world is taking a leap of faith. Just do it.
To learn more about Nicole Dake, here’s where you can find her:
- Website: www.millenialmom.net
- Facebook: Millenial Mom
- Instagram: @millenialmomblog_official
- Twitter: @millenialmomnet
- Pinterest: @nicoledake
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1qLGQIjVbU8w0zY8TbwycA
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Thanks for a great post.😊👍