My First Book by Steph Beth Nickel

 

Not That First Book

When I read the prompt for this month's posts, "tell us about your first book," I, like many writers, thought of my first (and as of yet, only) published book.

But then I thought, "No, the first book that I shared with others goes back many, many, many, many years."

When I was in school... (I can't remember if it was elementary or secondary school.) Way back then, one of our assignments was to write, illustrate, and produce a board book for young children.

I can still remember how I felt when my book was chosen as one to be displayed in our school library. It still brings a smile to my face decades later.

Books & I Go W-a-y Back

My mom loved books. Although my dad didn't read as much, he, too, was a reader.

It's no wonder I can remember many of the books I read as a child and some that my mom read to me.

Each Christmas my mom would read The First Noel and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to me. I'm sure she read many others throughout the year, but I remember those two distinctly.

P. D. Eastman books, such as Go, Dog. Go!, Sam and the Firefly, and Are You My Mother were among my favourites. They were part of the "I Can Read It All By Myself" series, published by Dr. Seuss. I also had several more books in the series.

And like many young girls, I read a plethora of Nancy Drew books. This is where I first learned about including cliffhangers at the end of a chapter. It was also where I picked up the just-one-more-chapter philosophy of reading.

As the Years Went By

Reading (and writing) remained an important part of my life until, ironically, I attended Bible College. Because our Required Reading List was so long, it was over a year and a half after I left college that I picked up a book just for the sheer pleasure of doing so.

Over the years, I've written several articles; dozens of blog posts, poems, and devotionals; a number of unpublished picture book manuscripts; and at least a couple of partially finished fiction manuscripts. Additionally, I coauthored Paralympian Deb Willows' first memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances. We are currently working on a follow-up volume, tentatively titled Keep Looking Up.

Currently, I post to Substack one to two times per week. On Mondays, I publish a chapter of the YA (young adult) manuscript I'm working on, and on Fridays, I post devotionals based on the gospel of John that I originally wrote for HopeStreamRadio.

From Board Books to...

While some writers "stay in their lane," this isn't in my nature. And that's okay.

Do I plan to publish my YA novel and a selection of the devotionals I've written? I do.

Would I like to publish some children's books? I would.

Will I continue to write blog posts and other short pieces? I would imagine so.

Whatever I end up writing and putting out into the world, it had its foundation in a little purple board book displayed in a country school library way back when.

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2027, Lord willing. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

The Write Year by Steph Beth Nickel

A year to do nothing but write . . . what a thought!

If money weren’t an issue, I’d travel to Jasper, Alberta, with my hubby and meet up with our kids. (Dave loves it there and we’ve never vacationed in the mountains together.) I would also hop on a plane and visit our eldest son and his girlfriend in Scotland. Nathanial desperately wants to show us the sites. (And I think he’s just a tad homesick too.)

While I know I’m supposed to spend this glorious year writing, just imagine what wonderful inspiration I would get from my travels.

I would write blog posts galore and include photographs from my adventures. (I could write an entire book on Life through the Lens. Hey, maybe I’ll do that anyway. Dibs on the idea.)

I would also write an abundance of picture books and articles for children’s magazines. (I love writing picture book manuscripts. I just have to find an agent or publisher. Speaking of that . . . if this year to write could include having someone else find homes for my writing and take over the marketing end of the business, I would be beyond thrilled.)

I would love to write novels, but having so many wonderful friends who have done so, I wonder if I have the stick-to-it-iveness to see the process through—time and time again. Perhaps, I would focus on short stories and novellas.

If you’ve seen the Disney movie Up, you will understand me when I say I have Squirrel Syndrome—or as I prefer to call it, Butterfly Syndrome. I tend to flit from one thing to the next.

Barbara Sher wrote a book titled Refuse to Choose. Some people seem to be born knowing exactly what they want to do in life and they make a beeline for whatever it is. However, God did not make us all that way. I am eclectically-interested and eclectically-involved. For the most part, that’s exactly how I like it.

So, would The Write Year look much different than my life does now? Well, yes, since most of my writing-related endeavours involve editing other people’s work (which I love, by the way). But when it comes to writing, I would still flit from one project to the next. I would write for preschoolers and seniors—and for most everyone in between.

There is one project I would likely jump into with both feet if I had the opportunity. Since Deb Willows’ memoir was released, people have been complaining that it is too short and want to know when her next book is coming out. Given an entire year to write, we could make tremendous headway on Book 2. So, if I had to choose a single project, in all likelihood, that would be it.

But since I don’t anticipate the windfall that would make this possible, I will continue to rejoice in the opportunities the Lord brings my way and I will seek to remember God’s command in Colossian 3:23, which says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord” (ESV).

You can read more of Steph’s writing at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests. You are also invited to visit her website, http://stephbethnickel.com/