It was Nick’s idea to meet at his property covered with wild flowers and everything else that screams wilderness. With crunch time on the back
of our minds, we ended up picking a day on a whim that worked for all three of us. There is no better time than summer for a photo shoot in Wisconsin, so we went in with eyes wide open. What we didn’t expect what the downpour of rain that happened within minutes of our arrival.
As my photographer and I were scoping out places around the well laid-out property, we saw the storm clouds in the distance. With hopes the rain would hold off, we meet back up with Nick and headed to our first location to take pictures.
Mother nature had other plans for us though as the clouds opened up and the water fell harder and faster than it had in weeks. We sprinted across the yard to a nearby shed and waited patiently for the rain to cease.
It was there that we got to know the author better than we planned. Telling us of upcoming projects and plans for his writing as well as his home, we really got to see how his mind worked. He is charismatic and easy to talk to and told of neighbors, family, and life before writing.
Getting the privilege to chat with Nick, he told us how he got started, some of his favorite experiences his writing career has taken him to, and advice for aspiring authors. Though he may not have filling out forms figured out, he sure has writing down to an art.
Improper Adult: What got you started with writing in general?
Nickolas Butler: I suppose the earliest piece of writing that I could point to and say, this might be the start of something was in the fifth grade. I had a wonderful teacher, Doug Smith, who assigned us a yearlong project to write a historical fiction about the westward migration across America. My project grew to over 120 pages long; still one of my longer pieces of fiction I’ve ever written. So I give a lot of credit to Doug Smith, but also to the many fine educators I had growing up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
IA: Does anyone else in your family write?
NB: No, not that I know of… Though both of my parents were pretty voracious readers. Especially my mom.
IA: Why did you decide to follow your passion as a career in writing?
NB: I think I was 28. My wife and I had just discovered that she was pregnant with our first child. I was working at a liquor store for about eight bucks an hour. We were on state assistance and dangerously close to bankruptcy and foreclosure. And I just sort of had a conversation with myself where I was real honest about what I might be “good” at. Or proficient at. And I decided then to work as hard as I could on my writing. To take workshops, to read as much as I could, and to apply to graduate programs.
IA: What was your first thought when you saw your book in print for the first time?
NB: I honestly didn’t spend a lot of time basking in that moment. I’ve always just focused on the next thing, and the next. I never wanted to write just one book. I wanted to make a career out of writing books. I’ve always wanted to just get better and better.
IA: What has been one of your favorite experiences since being a published author?
NB: The travel. My books are translated in over ten languages, and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to France (three times), Great Britain, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Italy. I’ve made friends in those countries and had certain experiences that I otherwise would not have.
IA: Is it hard to focus on a specific idea when you are thinking of a book/story?
NB: Yes, this is one of my biggest challenges. I have so many ideas, so many interests, that it is often hard for me to maintain focus. I should be working on a novel, but I’m constantly tempted to write a screenplay, a play, a work of non-fiction, or a collection
of poems. I’m all over the place, and in the worst of ways.
IA: What is a fun fact about you or a hobby that you enjoy that isn’t career related?
NB: I love to mow my lawn. I am terrible at golf but wish that I could golf every day.
IA: What is the most rewarding part of going on the road for book signings/readings?
NB: I’ve been wary of social media from the start. So, book signings and readings are a very intimate and sincere way for me to reach out to readers and thank them for supporting my career. I find that rewarding.
IA: Is there a location you wish to go to for a book signing that you haven’t been to?
NB: Spain. Germany. Norway. Portugal. Argentina. Oxford, Mississippi.
IA: What are your thoughts on your books being successful overseas as well?
NB: Mostly I’m flummoxed. Secondarily, I’m wildly appreciative. But mostly totally flummoxed.
IA: Do you feel you have truly made it as an author now?
NB: Basically, yes. But I know I can get a lot better as a writer, too. I want to be doing this as a seventy-year old, and I have the highest expectations for myself.
IA: Have you ever had an improper adult moment, where you felt you didn’t quite have your life figured out or know what to do at the time?
NB: Of course. Almost every morning when I wake up. I look around my house and see projects that need attention, rooms that need cleaning, carpets that need vacuuming, school lunch boxes that need filling, bills that need to be paid… My passport expired about six months ago, and I can’t seem to get the papers filled out. That’s a basic adult thing that I ought to sort out, that I should have all figured out. But the truth is, I hate forms. I hate filling out forms, so I keep putting it off. And the result is, if one of my foreign editors asked me to get on a plane tomorrow and fly to Barcelona or Berlin, I couldn’t. Because I hate forms.
IA: What are you most proud of with your accomplishments in life so far, related to or unrelated to your life as an author?
NB: I’m proud of my marriage. I’ve known my wife since we were teenagers, and this fall, we will have been married for twelve years, I think. I’m also proud of our two children, who are kind and compassionate and empathetic and curious about the natural world. Of course I’m proud of my books, too, but I’ve always considered my work as a father and husband more important.
IA: Do you have any advice for other inspiring authors that want to follow in your footsteps?
NB: Read, read, read. I can’t tell you how many aspiring writers I encounter who really don’t read. Or they all read the same things. There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading the Harry Potter series. I’ve read those books to my children and they are engrossing and full of imagination and wit. They are wonderful books. But there are millions and millions of other books in the world. Read outside your comfort zone. Read poetry and non-fiction and graphic novels and magazines – read everything. Aspiring to become a writer without first aspiring to become a great reader is foolish and ultimately a doomed dream. It would be like a carpenter showing up for a job without a hammer or nails.
Nickolas Butler was born in Pennsylvania, though he is considered a native to Wisconsin where he was raised and has remained with his family. His first novel was a national, as well as international best-seller. Entitled Shotgun Love Songs, it is about four boys who were raised in a small Wisconsin town and are grown-up and learning lessons on life as fathers and husbands. He also has a book of short stories (ten in total), Beneath the Bonfire, about couples gathering at an annual chain-saw party. His latest novel that hit shelves this Spring takes you through the journey of Nelson Doughty, with generational scenes of earlier and later parts of his life. The perfect coming of age novel as he meets up with a friend’s grandson and shares that experience of growing up as well. The Hearts of Men as well as his previous novels can be found on Amazon.
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