Today I’m excited to have on the blog with me a young French college student who is making a name for herself with the her debut novel For Better or for Worse which was named a “Hot New Release” by Amazon….Ingrid Nickelsen.

Lillian (excited): Welcome Ingrid. Thank you for being here today!
Ingrid: Thank you so much, Lillian! I’m super excited to be here.
Lillian(smiling): Tell me a little about yourself. Who are you besides an amazingly young, talented writer?
Ingrid (blushing): Aww, thank you so much! Well… A typical day for me would be to wake up quite early to go to college, yawn helplessly during my economics class, hand out candy to my classmates to silence growling stomachs, spend the afternoon with my friends at a café or the movies, and go back to my dorms to read/ write while eating pasta for dinner! Yup. That’s pretty much it.
Lillian (laughing): Oh the joys of college! I don’t miss that at all! So what inspired you to become a writer?
Ingrid: I’ve always loved books, mainly because they not only have the power to make you live different lives but sometimes they also help you grow as a person. I also love how books can bring people together. I started writing at a very young age. I remember I had a little notebook where I would write stories that were going through my head at the time. Something about chicken and princesses! It took me about 2 years to write For Better or for Worse. It’s a long time, but English is not my native language. (winks)
Lillian (nodding): Well you’ve done a marvelous job despite it! Was there an author that inspired you growing up?
Ingrid: One of my favorite authors is Zola. He was a French novelist of the 19th century, and his books are always so dark and depressing (laughing). I guess I’ve always had a soft spot for tragic stories. But you know, his books were one of the first I read. My mom has a lot of his books, and as a little girl I would just grab a copy and lose myself in his world, even though I was way too young to understand everything. His writing style and the imagery is simply stunning.
Lillian: (mumbling) Zola, I’m going to have to remember that….(grinning) Speaking of tragic stories, For Better or for Worse really hit all of my emotions from happy to sad and everywhere inbetween. Where do you get your ideas from?
Ingrid: You know what? I don’t even know. Sometimes I ask myself that question. If you could see what’s in my head, you would probably think I’m crazy!
Lillian (laughs): Not crazy, maybe brilliant, but not crazy! Evangeline’s story and what happens to her is so poignant and hits home with me, having lost a friend at a young age. Is there anything in your novel based on real-life experience or is it purely imagination?
Ingrid: Lucky me, it’s purely my imagination. I never got the chance to visit the after-life world. And I don’t want to just yet! (fingers crossed) There’s a little bit of me in Evangeline’s character, though. She’s just unable to take no for an answer, and sadly I’ve always been like that. We’re both very stubborn. I’m not so sure whether or not it’s a good thing!
Lillian (shrugs): According to my husband, it’s a woman’s prerogative to be stubborn. Anyways I loved that about Evangeline. In fact one of my favorite things about her is how she doesn’t give up searching when she learns she didn’t die alone. What was your favorite part to write?
Ingrid: My favorite part was when Evangeline finally remembered her past. It was such a hard journey for her, and the scene was really emotional to write. When Will’s identity is finally revealed… It felt like I could give them a second chance after everything they went through.
Lillian (nods, purses lips): I tested up reading that particular scene. It was so touching, but I have mixed feelings about it as well. What about Josh? Will we see him again?
Ingrid: I wish I could tell you, Lillian. (winks) I guess my readers will have to wait and see! All I can say is… a lot of things are going to happen in book two.
Lillian: Ugh! The suspense is killing me! (Laughs) Several of your characters – Will, Brielle, Blake – express regrets. If you could, is there anything you would go back and change in your book?
Ingrid (smiles): They do. Well, as far as I’m concerned I don’t think I would do anything differently. Look where it got me!
Lillian: Can’t argue with that! As I’ve already said I’d love to hear more from Josh and what happens to him at the end of the story, but what about you. Is there a character or theme from the book you’d like to revisit?
Ingrid: Oh my god, yes. I’m dying (pun intended) to tell my readers what happened to Will. If you want a little teaser from book 2, the sequel will be written from the perspective of both Eve and Will! I’m so excited to tell you what comes next.
Lillian (squeals): Yay! I love alternating point of views. It’s nice as the reader to get in other characters’ heads and learn more about them. So I guess you are working on book two now. Any other projects?
Ingrid: Writing book 2 is the project I’m working on now. My other project is to graduate from college once and for all (laughing)
Lillian: I would say you are one busy woman! What keeps you motivated?
Ingrid: Chocolate, chocolate, and even more chocolate.
Lillian (nods): Yep chocolate is always good. Unfortunately in the writing world, you have to deal with criticism. What’s some of the hardest criticism you’ve had to deal with?
Ingrid: So far, I’ve never had to face bad criticism. But I bet it’s coming my way. However, I’m still over the moon when I think about all the support I’ve been given. For a debut author like me, it’s just incredible.
Lillian (smiling): That’s good to hear! What would you say has been your best compliment?
Ingrid: The best compliment I received… I would say it was from a girl on the internet who explained that my novel helped her after losing someone dear to her. When you lose someone you care about, you can’t help but ask yourself whether or not you’ll ever see them again. I believe it’s a beautiful concept, and I wanted to immerse myself in a world where it could be true. Sometimes believing in it is just what you need to make it through the day.
Lillian: I couldn’t agree more! Now that you are a published author, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Ingrid: My advice would be to keep writing. There are days when you simply don’t have faith in yourself anymore, and you want to give up. What I want to tell them is: Sometimes, books can change people’s life, or simply help someone through a hard time. Who knows? You could write one of those books. I think that’s worth writing for, don’t you?
Lillian: Absolutely! Wonderful advice! Anything you’d like to say to your fans?
Ingrid: Yes. A big thank you. Thank you for making my dream come true by reading my novel.
Lillian (smiling again): Now for the hard questions. (Dead pans) Are you ready?
Ingrid: Oh wow, hard questions! I hope they’ll be easier than my last economics test (laughing). Go ahead, I’m ready!
Lillian: Favorite color?
Ingrid: That one’s easy….blue!
Lillian: Favorite movie?
Ingrid: Urgh… that question is so hard… I have a heck of a lot of favorite movies. It depends on my mood, really. Right now, I would go for Love Actually. It’s a movie I watch every year during the Christmas holidays, and it always cheers me up when I’m feeling blue.
Lillian: Favorite TV show?
Ingrid: I absolutely love TV shows! One of my favorite is Friends.
Lillian (clutches at chest): A girl after my own heart! Favorite place to write?
Ingrid: My desk. If I write in my bed, I just fall asleep. I’m weak like that.
Lillian: If you had to choose just one book, what would it be and why?
Ingrid: One book? Only one? That’s so hard! It’s like cheating on all the other books. Okay, I would say… (but only because you’re forcing me to choose!)… One day by David Nicholls. That book has impacted me in so many ways. I’ve never identified so much with a character the way I did with Emma.
Lillian: That’s one of my favorites! Love the movie too! Now on to the last question and quite possibly the most important. When I interviewed for a nursing position on a pediatric oncology floor, I was told that my answer would determine if I was hired or not….(serious) so Ingrid, what brand of cereal describes you and why?
Ingrid: If I say I don’t like cereals, does that mean I would never get hired as a nurse?
Lillian (shaking head): No!
Ingrid (laughs): Well, I’d go for Lucky Charms. Because they’re colorful and they make people happy. At least they make me happy! And I love to make people happy. I’m a happy girl. And I’m very lucky because my novel got published!
Lillian: That you are! Well that’s all the questions I have for you today. Thank you so much for being here and I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel of For Better or for Worse!
Ingrid: That was so much fun! Thanks again for for having me today!
To purchase For Better or for Worse click the title below. And if you missed my review of this title, click here.
Author Bio:

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