“Tug on My Heart” RPLA Showcase Amy Nicolai

“Once my son, Gabriel, was born,” says Amy Nicolai, “I was so overcome with emotion and love for my little guy that the only way I could think to express myself was through writing.”

For a relative newcomer, Nicolai has not done too badly. Her Unpublished Children’s Picture Book Gabriel Goes Up won the 2020 Royal Palm Literary Award for Best Children’s Book. RPLA Showcase asked Nicolai to talk about being true to her seven-year-old self, finding “the right time” to set about accomplishing the goals that matter, and writing for the toughest audience in the world.

Tell us about your prize-winning book.

Gabriel Goes Up is about a curious little boy who decides to explore the places above. His creativity and imagination lead him from climbing trees all the way to outer space as each destination propels him to the next.

Wait a moment, didn’t you say your son’s name was Gabriel?

You may have already guessed it by now, but Gabriel Goes Up is based on my son.  I found myself in awe of my tiny child, so curious about the world around him. I began to wonder what he was thinking about as he encountered things that I might not have thought twice about.

It’s a story I wrote for his first birthday. I wrote the first draft on my phone on the way to Orlando. I set it aside for a couple of days and then revised and edited it over and over again until I felt like I had it “just right.” And by right, I mean a first birthday gift that my son wouldn’t cringe at when he got older—though I guess there are no guarantees for that!

Gabriel Goes Up was submitted in the category Unpublished Children’s Picture Book. Have you had any luck in trying to interest a publisher?

I am currently querying agents and publishers. No nibbles yet, but I’m going to keep trying. I know it’s a process that involves persistence, determination, and perseverance.

Honestly, winning the RPLA for Best Children’s Book is something I would have never thought possible. I’ve only been writing seriously for a little over a year. I can’t begin to thank RPLA enough for recognizing my work. I keep pinching myself and waiting for an email stating they got my name mixed up with someone else’s!

However, I know about the time and effort that goes into the RPLA from the FWA professionals and how detail-oriented the judging process is. Even if my story never gets published, I have surpassed my own expectations, and I can tell my son that it was his story that won this prestigious award!

What do you hope your son—and other readers, both children and parents—will take away from reading the book?

Gabriel Goes Up is intended to be a story about the beauty of curiosity and getting a different perspective. No matter our goal or destination, there are always ways to get there by being resourceful and using what’s available to us. It’s also a fresh take on “the sky’s the limit,” since Gabriel finds himself beyond the sky.

When did you know you wanted to write?

I recently came across an “All About Me” piece I wrote in the second grade in which I listed that my dream job was to be an author. I didn’t do anything with that desire until about last year! It’s funny, but I think the younger me knew exactly what I wanted to do all along, but I pushed it aside when I got older. I don’t know exactly why that was.

It seems like I tried everything but writing. But once my son was born, I was so overcome with emotion and love for my little guy that the only way I could think to express myself was through writing. I began writing poetry and then started writing short stories and picture books. Most of my work is for my son—I’m creating a collection for him.

Any big surprises as you started writing seriously?

It took me some time to realize I didn’t need to get it “right” on the first draft—that’s what revising and editing are all about. What helped me create Gabriel Goes Up is the fact that I wrote it on my phone, in the car, just intending to turn ideas into words. I didn’t mull over my mistakes on the first try. That came later.

However, I don’t always find it easy to write this way. Sometimes I get stuck on the small details during the first draft when I would benefit from piecing together the big picture.

Also, when I first joined FWA, I was completely intimidated. I felt like a “wannabe” writer who had no formal training and was vying to fit in with the professionals. However, FWA has been nothing but welcoming and truly lives up to its motto of “Writers Helping Writers.” I feel like I’ve found a writing home within this community, and I’m so proud to be part of it.

If you could go back in time…

If I could go back to my little seven-year-old self, sitting at my desk and writing out that my dream job is to be an author, I wish I could whisper in her ear and say, “Well, go on and try then! Just write!”

In many ways, I feel like I held myself back (still trying to get to the root of all that). I had so many years of not writing. I could have learned so much during that time; I could have studied the craft!

However, I tend to believe that things happen for a reason when they are supposed to happen (sorry to be oh-so cliché). Maybe I needed my muse to be born!

I started writing stories for my son as gifts and for self-expression, but I also decided to answer that tug on my heart because I wanted to set an example for him. I wanted to show him that if there’s something you want to do, you have to forget about the non-existent “good time” to do it and go for it!

I don’t think life will ever set up a “good time” or a “right time” to do things. We have to decide what we want and carve out a space to do it. It took me a while to figure that out.

What’s in the pipeline?

I have a few other completed, unpublished works in the “Gabriel” stories, which are all picture books, though I wouldn’t necessarily call it a series. I’m also revising a couple of middle-grade pieces. I consistently write poetry exploring a variety of topics.

And your electronic presence?

I’m working on a website and newsletters, but for now, you can find me on Instagram (amy_rose_nicolai), Facebook (Amy Nicolai), and Medium, which I usually use to post my poetry (https://medium.com/@amyrosenicolai).