Author Q&A with Nicole Zelniker

Author Q&A with Nicole Zelniker

Nicole Zelniker (she/they) is the author of several books, including “Until We Fall,” which was a finalist for the Forward Indie Awards in LGBTQ+ adult fiction. She’s also the founder and editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Knee Brace Press. Check out the rest of her work at nicolezelniker.com or keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter at @nicolezelniker.

 

Tells us about your writing/ published book(s)

My most recent published book, Until We Fall, is a dystopian thriller and a finalist for the Forward Indie Book Awards in LGBTQ+ adult fiction. When Isla Logan’s history teacher Morgan Young is arrested for conspiring to take down the dictator that rules over the United States, it sets off a chain of events that will lead to Isla and her allies partaking in the fight of – and for – their lives. Before that, I had published mostly non-fiction and contemporary fiction. My first YA, All I Know So Far, comes out in January 2025 with Inked In Gray.

Where’s your favourite place to write?

My apartment! Like many writers, I’m an introvert. I write most often in my library, but I’ve also been known to write on my couch or (obviously) my bed.

 

How do you approach starting a new book?

I’m a big plotter, so I’ll usually make an outline and figure out the major plot points before I begin writing.

 

What’s your favourite genre to read?

Contemporary fiction, thriller, and horror are all tied, but I’ll read most things!

 

Have you always wanted to write?

Always.

 

What do you do when you have writer’s block?

Going back and re-reading scenes I’ve already written can be helpful.

 

Tell us about a scene that you loved but had to edit out of your book

In the contemporary novel I’m editing now, I had to take out a scene that no longer fit with the changes I made. It ended up being the best thing for the novel, but it still hurt!

 

Do you like reading the same books you write?

Sort of? I read pretty much everything and I write in a lot of genres, but there are some I’ll probably never tackle, like fantasy. I love fantasy (shout out to recent reads by Tracy Deonn and Bridgette Dutta Portman), but I’ll leave that to the experts.

 

Do write under a pen name? If so, tell us about how you chose it

I use my mom’s last name to publish, so sort of? I think of it as my name.

 

How do you choose your book’s title(s)?

With lots of help! Titles are my least favorite. Some, like Letters I’ll Never Send, came much easier, but usually they’re a struggle.

 

What advice would you give to someone wanting to write their first book?

Just do it! You can’t get good at writing until you write something.

 

Do you do research for your books? If so, what kind of research?

All kinds! Anything I don’t know from firsthand experience gets Googled.

 

How do you handle criticism?

Pretty well. You have to have a fairly thick skin if you want your writing to improve at all.

 

Tell me about your current work

My first YA novel comes out in 2025. It follows seventeen-year-old Avery Marsh, whose parents send her across the country to spend the year with her extremely closeted, absentee half-brother Lucas and his secret boyfriend. Avery is bi and nonbinary and, despite her reservations about the year, ends up finding an incredible queer community in what she refers to as Middle-of-Nowhere, VA.

 

Would you want your book made into a film?

That would be incredible.

 

How many books do you own?

Too many. Enough to have a library in my apartment.