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Nicole O'Dell, Author
When I was in elementary school, I wrote a children's book for a literary contest which I won. My book, The Girl on the Runaway Pogo Stick, was published and put in the school libraries throughout my district. Wow! I knew even then that something really cool had happened and I was hooked!
I actually remember my thought process while writing that book. I remember the white pages and the markers I used to draw the pictures of the girl hopping through town on her run-away stick. I remember the moment it dawned on me that as she hopped through each store, past the townspeople, she'd have to hop the exact same path in reverse order to get home. I realized at that moment that nothing was an accident in a story. The author had crafted it precisely the way she wanted it for a reason. I decided that I wanted to have that kind of impact on stories and on people.
After that contest, I still wrote for myself, but I spent most of my time reading--devouring--books. I read so much and so fast that I would run out of books and read the same ones over and over. It wasn't even about what I was reading, just that I was reading--sometimes a full-length novel in one sitting.
I remember fashioning crazy devices that could hold my books open so I could read while I did other things like cook, clean, exercise, etc. I love the scene in Disney's The Beauty & The Beast where Belle is walking through town with a book in her hands, completely oblivious to the things going on around her and is even unaware of some dangerous near misses that she encounters. That was me.
Along the way, life weaved itself in and out of my books. Somewhere between the teen mysteries, the young-adult romances, adult literary fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction study books, Bible study books and parenting books, my life unfolded. I married, had six children (including TRIPLETS born in 2008), moved across country and then back to the Midwest a couple of times, had health scares, said goodbye to loved ones, etc. All of those experiences and many others too countless to mention, worked together to fill me up with words.
I wanted to write; so I did. I started writing Bible studies and devotionals. I also began several fiction and non-fiction projects over the years. Some of them are closer to completion than others; some will never be touched again. But that's okay. That's the process of fleshing out an idea to see if it has legs.
Over time, I decided that I didn't just want to write, I wanted to be an author. But, I had no idea how to go about doing that. The publishing industry was such a huge unknown to me. So, as a lark, I bought The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published. I figured that no one who actually needed to read that book had a prayer of getting published, but I read it cover to cover and followed it's advice to the letter--well, most of it. And, I got published.
Through a series of very fortunate events (blessings, all) I was asked to contribute to six devotional books for Barbour Publishing and was proud to release my first two books, Truth or Dare and All that Glitters (Barbour; August, 2009). The next two, Magna and Making Waves, release April 1, 2010, and High Stakes and Essence of Lilly in Spring, 2011.
I don't write any of this to toot my own horn, because I don't believe this was my doing at all. I believe with my whole heart that God made a way for me. I believe that He had His hand in this process every step of the way and I give Him the credit for making it happen.
I hope you conintue on this journey with me. Please pray for this ministry as we work to publish books and materials to reach teens, moms and the whole family.
God bless,
Nicole ODell
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"It's evident that Nicole is a rare author. She has a tender heart for teenage girls and has poured that care into her stories. May her tribe increase! And may her books lead many readers to make wise choices."
Robin Jones Gunn, best-selling author of the Christy Miller Series and the Katie Weldon Series
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Thank you and God bless!, ligula.
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