All of us involved in this anthology project are pretty excited. From The Dark Side is a great opportunity for all of us to share our writing and benefit literacy, it is a win-win situation. Having read the stories and poems inside, I can say it is good.
My good friend Nicole Ireland, who has hung out here with a guest blog before, has been kind enough to come back(we didn't scare her, whoo hoo!) and do a piece on her short story, Second Chances. Not only did I read the excerpt, but I got to read the whole story and it is very good. So without further ado, here she is in her own words.
1~ First, can you tell us a
little
about who Nicole Ireland
is?
A: Well, I’m a small-town
girl from
Lebanon ,
Maine . I’ve lived here for most of my life,
and I can’t imagine raising my children anywhere else. Actually, there
is one
place. If I was rich, I would love to live up near the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
There’s something about that area that I’m drawn to, and whenever I
visit there,
I feel at peace.
What else can I tell you
about me? I
have two children, a little girl who will be nine in January, and a
little boy
who turns three in September. I’m a work-at-home mom whose main job is
for a
pizza dough production company in Sanford, Main. In addition, I’m also a freelance
writer.
In my spare time, when I’m
not
writing, I like to read. It’s not uncommon for me to be reading three or
four
books at once.
2~ Can you tell the readers
a little
bit about Second Chances? What inspired it?
A: The main inspiration for
Second
Chances came from a personal experience of mine. A few months before my
son’s
first birthday, I went through a cancer scare. I had to have a mole
removed and
biopsied since there were certain characteristics of it that worried my
doctor.
During that time, I went
through a
wide range of emotions. I didn’t know what the results would be, and my
doctor
didn’t seem all that encouraging. So it was natural for me to wonder
what would
happen if the worst occurred and I was told I had cancer or worse could
die.
I remember trying to eat
dinner one
night with my family and seeing my children sitting beside me and asking
myself
“What will happen to them if I die?” It was like my heart broke in two.
The pain
I felt inside at the thought of leaving my babies without their mom was a
fear I
never want to endure again. My children are my life. I love them more
than
anything, and the thought of them growing up without me is something I
never
want them to experience.
To help handle my fears, I
would say
to myself “Just let me live and I promise I’ll share my story with
others.” So
when I found out that my mole was not cancerous, I was
elated.
After that, my fears lay
dormant in
my mind until a couple of friends and family members were diagnosed with
cancer.
It was then that those fears arose again, and I started to think about
my story
and how I could turn it into something others could relate to. That’s
when I
started writing Second Chances. I didn’t finally finish it, and get it
to the
point where I felt it was good enough for publication, until this past
May, so
it took about a year for me to write it.
During that time, I can’t
tell you
how many tears I shed. I still can’t read it without crying because I
poured so
much of myself into it. I feel like I infused each word in the story
with my
emotions and fears, and I think people sense it when reading it. At
least, I
hope they do.
My biggest hope for Second
Chances
is that it impacts others – that it resonates with them. There’s a
lesson there
for all of us, and I think if readers open themselves up, they can be
touched by
the story and take some something away from it that may help better
their own
lives.
3~How did you come to be
involved
in the anthology?
A: I became involved in the
From the
Dark Side Anthology after I sent Jenny (Jennifer Hudock) a copy of Second Chances. She was one of the people that originally read it.
There’s one part in
the story that wouldn’t have been added had Jenny not suggested it. (I
owe her a
lot.) When she asked to include it in the anthology, I was beyond
ecstatic. I
was a bit afraid, though, because I felt a bit out of my league. I knew I
was
going to be surrounded by some immensely talented people, and it
intimidated me.
It still does.
4~What do you think is
special
about this anthology? What sets it apart from others?
A: To me, the biggest
reason this
anthology is so special is because the proceeds from the sale of it go
to the
Letters and Light Organization, which promotes creativity in youth and
adults.
When I heard who the proceeds were benefiting, I knew without a shadow
of a
doubt that I wanted to be a part of it.
There were several teachers
during
my time in school that believed in me and my talent. The person who
influenced
me the most was my sixth teacher Ms. Clarrage. She always had words of
encouragement for me and was always supportive of all my writing
endeavors. I
honestly owe her a great deal of thanks. Who knows where I’d be today if
she
hadn’t cared like she did.
So by taking part in this
anthology,
I’m helping to encourage other people’s creativity and hopefully helping
to
spawn the next generation of great writers.
5~What's next for
you?
A: I’m going to keep writing. I
have a
piece that I’m working on right now that is about 2/3 done. I’d like to
finish
it by August. I also have other pieces that are in various stages of
completion
that really need my attention and love, so I’m sure I’ll visit them at
some
point. In addition, I’ll also keep writing for my three Examiner
topics.
6~ Where can fans go to
find out
more about you?
A: If you’d like to learn more
info
about me, you can visit me at www.nicoleireland.com or via Facebook
at www.facebook.com/nicole.normandeau
or Twitter at
www.twitter.com/NicoleLIreland.
