A Conversation with Nicole Platania, a Fantasy Romance Author

Nicole Platania was born and raised in Los Angeles and completed her B.A. in Communications at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After two years of working in social media marketing, she traded Santa Barbara beaches for the rainy magic of London, where she completed her Masters in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London. She can always be found with a cup of coffee or glass of wine in hand, ready to discuss everything from celebrity gossip to your latest book theories.

Let’s get started with a quick rapid fire.

Q1. If you could be transformed into one mythological creature, which one would you choose?

A phoenix! Flying, immortality, phoenix fire…what more could you need?

Q2. What time do you usually go to bed at night?

Whenever I get to a good stopping point in my current read.

Q3. What are the least-likely three words someone would use to describe you?

Lazy, unimaginative, selfish.

Q4. Where did you go on your last vacation?

Well, I’m currently answering these questions from Positano.

Q5. Would you rather find your dream job or win the lottery? You can’t do both.

My dream job would make me happier. But the lottery would be nice…

Q6. What is one thing you regret spending money on?

I don’t normally purchase big things for myself, but maybe I shouldn’t eat out quite so much.

Q7. What object do you misplace or lose the most?

My mind when I’m trying to sew up plot holes.

Q8. If you were a spy, what would be your codename?

Agent Cody Banks.

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Q9. What secret about the universe would you most want to learn?

What is in the depths of the ocean. You can’t convince me there aren’t worlds down there.

Q10. What never fails to make you laugh?

Rewatching my comfort shows, Friends and Psych, will always make me laugh.

Q11. What was one “before” and “after” in your life?

“Before” I moved to London for grad school and “After” London. The year really changed a lot in my life.

Q12. What do you think people misunderstand about you?

I try to be honest about mental health on my social platforms, but I think sometimes I’m good at hiding struggles when I’m insecure and that can lead to a misunderstanding.

It’s time for a more detailed conversation, Nicole.

You’ve answered our rapid fire brilliantly, Nicole. Now, it’s time for our readers to know more about the person behind the book.

Q. Tell us something about yourself that’s going to keep us wanting more.

In 2021, I moved to London for a year to get my Master’s in Creative Writing. I recently completed the degree, and I really feel like I grew so much as a writer. There’s a number of lessons I’ll be taking forward into future projects.

Q. Well, that’s just…memorable for sure. So, what books have you read more than once in your life? 

I’m a huge re-reader because I like the familiarity and comfort of returning to a world and characters. If I like a book, there’s a chance I’m going to reread it and annotate it. The books I’ve reread the most recently are the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. When I was younger I reread favorites like The Hunger Games, Inkheart, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Twilight all the time.

Q. Interesting. Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing? 

I’ve made a lot of friends through the online book community, and they’ve shown me endless support. I wouldn’t be publishing my debut without them—this book is truly a Bookstagram baby. But my parents have been my longest supporters. They always made me believe writing books was something I could actually do if I worked hard enough.

Q. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Oh, yes. I hope to create an entire universe of connected book worlds, so there’s always shoutouts to future stories I want to write or ones I have written. If you read them all, you’ll be able to put pieces together. I’ve also accidentally named a side character after once of my best friends (still not sure how that happened…) but the name is staying.

Q. Now comes the most anticipated question that every author must answer. How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?

I’ve been mentally preparing a lot in advance of my debut coming out in February, and I will do my best to not look at reviews once the book releases. However, I’ve gotten a lot of feedback in my life that wasn’t always constructive criticism, and it always hurts at first and adds to the imposter syndrome. I try to take a step back so I can distance my emotions, then reread the feedback and see if there’s anything I can take out of it to advance my writing in the future. I think negative reviews can actually be really helpful for authors when written respectfully and constructively.

Q. What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?

The characters always spring to life in my mind first. I’m a character-driven reader and writer. Even when I have a plot I know I want to explore, I struggle to create the story without knowing who my characters are, at least a little bit. Normally the worlds take shape around the characters’ needs, wants, flaws, and strengths.

Q. How do you develop your plot and characters?

My characters and plots come from a lot of drafts, brainstorming sessions, and revisions—trial and error. I’m a plotter, so I outline my books before I write them, but I’m also open to that plan changing over time in order to write the most enticing and thrilling story. The characters are a different story…I flesh out their backstories, motivations, key traits, like/dislikes, etc. before writing, but they honestly do the heavy lifting. My strongest characters tell me who they want to be and what their story is once I start writing. It’s truly one of my favorite parts of the process. The Curse of Ophelia changed so much once I got to know the characters better.

Q. You got 100 points. You need to divide them on the basis of how relevant and important they are to you as a reader and a writer for your book or someone else’s as a reader. Your options are Plot/Story, Dialogues, Book Cover, Marketing, and, Reviews.

Marketing and Reviews have to be 30 each. Those can suck me in very easily, and most of my recent reads are because I saw them reviewed or marketed on social media. I sometimes won’t even read the description if people who I trust left a rave review (maybe that’s bad, but it can also be fun to go in blind). After that, I’d give 20 to the Plot/Story, 15 to the Cover, and only 5 to the Dialogues. Other than the quotes used in marketing and reviews, I don’t really read the dialogue before reading a book.

For my own books though, I don’t think I can pick! I spend so much time marketing and managing behind the scenes tasks—nearly as much as writing.

Q. So, now, about your book. Talk to us about it. No major spoilers.

I could go on forever, but to keep it simple: The Curse of Ophelia is a New Adult Fantasy Romance that follows twenty-year-old Ophelia Alabath as she attempts to complete a quest to restore her heart’s greatest desires before her deadly curse kills her. It’s a story of a war-torn people, a heart-broken warrior, and a fight against fate, all while betrayals are exposed and questions raised—because secrets lurk within the warrior continent of Gallantia and nothing is as it seems. But if Ophelia is meant to die, she’ll greet her fate with a wicked smile.

Want to know more? Please, I never shut up about it! I post frequently on my bookstagram and booktok (@bynicoleplatania) about the book, and it’s available on both Goodreads and Storygraph.

Q. What part of the book did you enjoy the most while writing?

The Curse of Ophelia contains a lot of heavy emotions, unfurling both within the main character and between others. It was really fun to explore (even when it was heart-breaking). Her group of friends quickly worked their way into my heart, and I probably am a bit too obsessed with them. They’re big personalities with bigger hearts, demonstrating complex but raw relationships.

Q. What is your kryptonite as a writer?

Imposter syndrome. There are more bad days than good days when it comes to this curse. It’s so hard to remind myself sometimes that I know what I’m doing—that I’m capable of writing good books and deserve to have my stories told. I think it’s something all creatives experience, so the solidarity helps a bit, but it can be totally crippling.

Q. What risks have you taken with your writing that have paid off?

Hopefully this whole self-publishing thing pays off! But I do think going back to school was a tremendous help for my personal writing and editing process. It was scary to leave a stable job and move to a new country, but I don’t regret it for a second.

Q. Let’s talk about the process of writing. Do you do research while writing a book to add more authenticity? What kind and how far do you go – ever traveled to a foreign place just for the sake of your book?

I do! I research topics as they come up, such as how to really hold a sword or what certain injuries would look like. I think it’s an important and interesting part of the process, and every book has different needs. I haven’t planned trips strictly for my books, but I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a lot this summer as I finished up my Master’s degree, and I’ve taken a lot of pictures and videos that inspire my worlds. It’s incredible to see these places in person instead of just in pictures, and my writing has gotten richer because of it.

Q. What was your hardest scene to write?

I rewrote the spicy scene in this book more times than any other, trying to get the correct level of emotion and intimacy between the characters. Action scenes often happen like this for me, too, because I like them to be emotionally-driven but still intense and heart-stopping.

Q. Well, this has been great. Now, before we wrap this up, do you have any suggestions to help someone become a better writer? If so, what are they?

Read a lot in your genre. That’s the most important piece of advice I can give. But also, keep writing. Don’t give up—because there will be times when you’re tempted to—but keep going. Thirdly, finish your dang first draft for the sake of the Angels! You can’t edit a blank page. And finally, be proud of yourself. This is a hard path we’ve chosen, but you’re doing great.

Her debut novel “The Curse of Ophelia” will be released on February 7, 2023.

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