Nicole Knapp is the bestselling author of the Hook & Crown series, a dark and twisted retelling of Peter Pan. When she's not writing, Nicole can be found drinking too much coffee, reading, and building her music collection.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself! Where do you call home and what do you write?
Hi! My name is Nicole Knapp. I'm a coffee addict, bookworm, and music junkie. I'm currently living in Oklahoma, and I write YA Fantasy/Romance, as well as some Horror.
2. What drew you to that particular genre and/or age group?
When I first started writing, I was drawn to YA because that's what I like to read. I have noticed though that as I get older, both my reading and my writing styles have changed, so who knows what I'll write next?
3. What’s your best known work?
I would have to say that Hook & Crown is probably my best known work up to this point.
You've heard of Neverland and its inhabitants... Fairies, pirates, mermaids and a boy who didn't want to grow up. But you can't always believe the stories.
Elena Hart arrives in London, bound for a new boarding school operated by her estranged uncle. A fresh start is exactly what she needs. But when strange things begin happening, things she can't explain, she begins to wonder if she has lost her mind.
Until the night a strange girl appears in her room, claiming to be a fairy from Neverland, come to take her to the fantasy world at the request of its ruler.
Skeptical, Elena refuses. But the following night, a young man with strange green eyes appears, and though she tries to resist his charms, something about him draws her in and Elena is whisked away from the world she knows, to a world she always thought was make believe.
But when she arrives in Neverland, it is nothing like the stories and Elena realizes that she must figure out for herself who the true heroes and villains are.
4. What inspired you to write it?
I always loved the story of Peter Pan, and I have read and seen a lot of different versions of it. But I had my own version of Neverland in my head, so I decided to write it.
5. Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter, pantser or somewhere in between? How do you research?
I'm a pantser all the way. I never outline anything I write. I sit down with a general idea of the story and where I want it to go and just let the story tell itself. The same goes for my research process, I research as I go and as the story evolves.
6. What’s the strangest or most interesting thing you’ve researched for your writing?
The most interesting thing I've researched was when I was writing Hook & Crown, and I had to research nautical terms and the parts of a pirate ship. The strangest thing I've researched was medieval torture devices and how much blood a person can lose before they die.
7. What’s the most personal story/scene you’ve written and why?
Everything that I write is personal, because I include pieces of my real life, and the people in it, in my stories. Most of my characters are based on people I know, and even some of the dialogue and scenes are things that have actually happened to me.
8. Who are your literary influences? In what way?
I look up to so many authors for so many different reasons. S.J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo are at the top of the list because their worldbuilding is, in my opinion, unmatched. They create these vibrant, detailed worlds and characters with nothing but words and I can only hope I can do a fraction of what they do someday.
9. What books are on your bedside table right now?
My current read is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. And before this, I recently finished Crave by Tracy Wolff, The Night Circus, and Kingdom of the Wicked.
10. Last and most important, where can we find your books/stories?
You can find my books anywhere books are sold in paperback, ebook and audiobook versions! Amazon, B&N and parliamenthousepress.com, just to name a few!
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