Interview with Nichole Giles, Author of "The Sharp Edge of a Knife"

I'm currently participating in the blog tour for Nichole Giles' historical novel, The Sharp Edge of a Knife. You can find my review of the book, as well as a great contest here, while the interview with Nichole is below.

I've mentioned this before but just in case you missed it, the thing I love most about blog tours are the author interviews. That's when you get a glimpse into not only how and why the book was written, but also into the author's personality. So ... here we go, on with the fun!

A Few Interesting Facts about Nichole

1. She likes raspberry muffins. In fact, she likes almost any flavor muffin as long as it doesn't have walnuts.

2. Her favorite food is snow crab. And her favorite place to eat it? Well, that would be on a tropical island, of course, because Nichole loves balmy, island breezes.

3. When it comes to TV, Nichole has a few different shows she likes, but one of her favorites is watching the Food Network.

4. Two things that Nichole wishes? That she could play the guitar, and that she could hire a housekeeper. And the housekeeper, I'm sure, is so she can keep writing and not have to stop to clean the house!


Interview with D.N. (Nichole) Giles

Q: I see that this is a true story. How did you find out about it?

NG: This is actually a family story. The main character is my grandpa. I remember hearing during my childhood that he’d been kidnapped in the past. Actually, he was kidnapped or held hostage three times total in his life, which makes the story all that much more interesting to me.


Q: What made you want to write the story?

NG: After my grandpa died, I was reading his life history and this particular incident really stood out to me. I decided to write it as an article at first, but there was so much information, and so much research involved when it came to finding the facts that it turned into a book.

Q: Did it require a lot of research?

NG: Yes, it did. I started out with a handful of newspaper articles and about two pages worth of journal accounts from my grandpa, and somewhere in the mix there was a court subpoena. From there I called the police departments involved, but because the case was so old—fifty years—they referred me to the national archives in Denver. From there, I was able to get someone to help me track down the case and all the evidence and court documents. Interestingly, the knife used in the kidnapping, as well of some of the other evidence, is still there, and will remain there forever. Or at least, that’s what I’m told.

Q: That’s a lot of work. Did you have to do anything else?

NG: No, I didn’t have to, but I felt a need to so I actually did some more digging and tracked down one of the kidnappers. I wrote him a letter, asking him about the situation, and not really expecting a response. So, I was completely shocked when a week later this guy called me and talked to me on the phone for about an hour, telling me his side of things. He was very remorseful and teary. Very apologetic. It was probably the most profound conversation I’ve ever had.

Q: After all that, how long did it take you to actually write this book?

NG: It was actually a fairly long process all things considered. From beginning to end, it took me almost three years to get from the inception of the idea to publication. And there was a lot that happened in between, including me working on two other major projects at the same time. All in all, though, I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

Q: Where can we learn more about The Sharp Edge of a Knife?

NG: You can read the first chapter at my website, http://sharpedgeofaknife.blogspot.com/. My author bio is also there, with a few interesting facts pertaining to the story.

Q: Where can this book be purchased?

NG: Right now it’s definitely available on Amazon, and I’m told it will be in select stores sometime in the next few weeks, if not already. My official book launch promotion is scheduled for March 27th from 1-3:00 pm at Eborn books in the Provo Towne Center mall in Provo Utah. It’s open to the public, and going to be lots of fun. Readers can also watch my blog for more signing dates.

Q: What are some of your future projects?

NG: Right now I'm looking for an agent for my next book, a young adult paranormal romance about a young woman who has a special ability to heal people. She discovers her ability is a threat, not only to her and her family, but to a whole lot of other people when the leader of an ancient demon army, who hungers to rule the modern world, decides he needs her heart and blood to restore him to power.

Along with submitting that project, I'm working on a sequel, as well as another YA book that involves a couple of misfit kids and some mermaids. That one is still very much in the rough-rough draft stage, though.

Q: Thank you for for the interview, Nichole!

NG: You're welcome.

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