Interview with Nicole Baart
November 1, 2007
Today I have an interview with debut novelist Nicole Baart. Her book After the Leaves Fall has just released from Tyndale House Publishers — which means it’s got to be a good read.
Here’s the info:
For anyone who’s ever wanted to start over . . .
Julia DeSmit’s life has been marked by loss. After her mother leaves and her father dies when she’s just sixteen, Julia is determined to escape the confines of her gossipy, conservative Christian town.
When her best friend and first love, Thomas, breaks her heart, Julia leaves for college—the perfect place to reinvent herself. But one wrong decision changes her forever, and she returns to her grandmother’s farm, weary and defeated.
Yet hope takes root in unexpected places, and Julia discovers that starting over looks nothing like she imagined.
Endorsements
“Beautifully and sensitively written, Nicole Baart’s debut novel, After the Leaves Fall, is a breathtaking peek into a young girl’s soul. If you are a daughter, a mother, or a grandmother, this book will touch your heart.”–Angela Hunt, best-selling author of Doesn’t She Look Natural?
“In her promising debut novel, Baart writes compellingly about a young girl’s struggle with loss, love, identity and faith… Sparkling prose makes this new novel a welcome addition to inspirational fiction.” –Publisher’s Weekly
Bio
Nicole Baart was born and raised in Iowa, where she and her family now live. She taught high school English for several years in Canada but is now the full-time mother of two young sons and the wife of a pastor. After the Leaves Fall and its sequel Summer Snow are Nicole’s first two novels. Visit her website at www.nicolebaart.com.
SB: Nicole, I heard you were able to visit your publisher, Tyndale House. How did that go, visiting as a first-time novelist?
NB: It was so incredibly much fun! Tyndale treated me like a princess. I was, of course, terribly nervous, but everyone was so gracious, warm, and welcoming. Tyndale has an entire department dedicated to author relations, and they really took me under their wing. I had a wonderful time getting to know them.
Since I know virtually nothing about the industry, I thought that the trip would be a very difficult crash course in everything publishing-related. That wasn’t the case at all. Though we did spend lots of time in meetings, everyone from my publicist to my editor to my marketing manager was helpful and encouraging. They made me feel like an old pro instead of a total rookie! One of the most nerve-wracking parts of my time at Tyndale was a taped interview to be used in the marketing of After the Leaves Fall. I was absolutely petrified at first, but it ended up being a ton of fun. A short segment of the interview is linked to my website under the Bio tab.
SB: I saw that on your site — it turned out great. Was there anything interesting that happened along the way to publication?
NB: The title is always the most difficult part of writing a book for me, and After the Leaves Fall was called “Untitled Manuscript” for a long time! The first title we tossed around was Until Now. But then Karen Kingsbury released a book called Even Now. Obviously, the titles were way too similar. Then, I really wanted to name the book after the first line: A Complicated Longing. Tyndale thought that might be too literary. We almost named the book A Promise of Light, but I got cold feet at the last minute and begged them to give me a bit more time to think about it. We didn’t nail down After the Leaves Fall until right before the endorser copies came out. I’m so happy with the title now.
One other thing that was very interesting to me was the creation of the cover of the book. Jessie, the graphic artist who designed the cover, had come up with two completely different covers and we had to decide which one to go with. The first cover was very beautiful and more traditional. It featured the face of a young woman with her eyes closed, lying in the snow. Her hair was matted with snow and in the background there were evergreen trees shot through with light. It was so gorgeous. It made me think of the Narnia movies or some lovely fairytale. Although I loved that cover, I also adored the quirkiness of the cover that Tyndale decided to go with: the upside down chick on a robin’s egg blue background. It’s not as pretty as the other cover, but it is more me and I think it perfectly captures the essence and symbolism of the book. It’s very evocative and fun. I’m crazy about it and I can’t wait to see what Jessie comes up with for the sequel, Summer Snow!
SB: How did you react when you got the news that Tyndale had said yes to publishing your book?
NB: Oh my goodness, I jumped up and down, I cried a bit, I think I went a little crazy. My family immediately took me out for a fabulous dinner and gave me all sorts of silly, “authorly” gifts. I got a pair of really funky, cheap-o reading glasses with a beaded chain just like the little old ladies wear, a ream of paper, an eccentric scarf… My dad teases me that authors are all a little wacky and now I have to act the part. I’m just great with that!
SB: Sadly, your dad’s probably right. And to prove it, here’s a wacky question. I’m a huge Dr. Seuss fan. Which Seuss title would be the most similar to your book?
NB: I think this is the hardest question anyone has ever asked me! I love it.
Hmmm… I guess After the Leaves Fall would be most like McElligot’s Pool, my favorite Dr. Seuss book. In the book, Marco insists on fishing in pond no bigger than a bucket of water that is smack dab in the middle of a farmer’s field. Though the farmer tells him he’s “sort of a fool, you’ll never catch fish in McElligot’s pool,” Marco imagines that the pool is connected to an underground brook–one that flows all the way to the sea! A whole parade of eccentric and beautiful fish flow out of Marco’s creative mind as he fantasizes about what he could catch in this dinky little puddle of water.
The reason why I think this book is like After the Leaves Fall is because Marco is such a tenacious character. He believes anything is possible, and his optimism is inspiring to me. Julia, the main character in After the Leaves Fall, reminds me of a slightly more jaded Marco. She wants so desperately to carve out a beautiful, meaningful life for herself. She has big dreams and she throws her heart and soul into making them come true. Though things don’t turn out the way she had planned, she clings to hope even until the very end.
SB: Wow. Good answer. Now that After the Leaves Fall is out, what’s next for you?
NB: Well, I’m already done with the sequel to After the Leaves Fall. It’s titled Summer Snow, and it’s set to release in the spring of 2008. I am so excited about this book because I like it even better than After the Leaves Fall. There’s more action, more surprises, and hopefully, a beautiful conclusion to Julia’s story. This book was incredibly fun for me to write–I felt more confident as I wrote it and I was a bit more willing to try new things.
Right now, I’m working on a third, unrelated book. It’s an absolute blast to write because it is such a departure from my first two. It’s part mystery, part suspense, and part drama. My agent said that it reminded her of a Jodi Picoult book. I can’t wait to see what happens with it!
SB: That’s pretty high praise! Anything you’d like to add?
NB: First off, I’d like to thank you for having me, Sally! I’m so grateful for your willingness to be a part of my blog tour. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you through your blog and through our correspondence. Many blessings in all your endeavors!
Also, I’d love to meet more of you! Stop by my website and check out my blog. I’m in the process of articulating my understanding of what it means for me to be a Christian who is also an author. I’d love to hear your feedback and continue this discussion. And finally, I’d like send out an invitation to any book clubs out there: I’d love to join your group for a day! I will pop in via chat room, telephone, or even in person (if you live within 60 miles) for the first ten book clubs that commit to reading After the Leaves Fall. I’ll answer your questions, take in your feedback, and just hang out with you. Email me if you would like to take part in this fun opportunity.
Website: www.nicolebaart.com
Email: nicolebaart@yahoo.com
Thanks for stopping by, Nicole!
- Coming next week — the dangers of living in Kansas!
Comments
2 Responses to “Interview with Nicole Baart”
This is the first I’ve heard of this book, and it sounds really intriguing. Thanks for sharing. Great interview!
Thanks so much for doing this, Sally! It’s been great getting to know you.
Many blessings,
Nicole