I met Natalie Singletary at the first New Bern Farmers’ Market’ Authors’ Sunday event in November 2022. I believe she has participated in all three of them, if you count the one we’re having this October 29th. When you check her website, https://obconwriting.wordpress.com/, you’ll see the poetry and intrigue she uses in her writing. Plus, her book covers will pull you in. I wanted to open them up right there on her website.
Welcome, Natalie, and thanks for participating in my series of blog interviews. It gives me a chance to be nosy without being considered rude. I noticed you live in Havelock. Is that your birthplace or are you from elsewhere? Tell us a bit about your life, please. What teacher/s inspired you along your journey? What relative? Do you have a partner who encourages and inspires you?
I was born in Marietta, Georgia, but had left there before I was three years old. After my biological mom passed away, my aunt took me and my sister in. She was in the Navy and, when I was seven, was stationed at Cherry Point after a three-year stint in Naples, Italy. I’ve grown up in eastern North Carolina, in the Havelock-New Bern area, being here for a bit over twenty years. As for inspirations, my childhood pastor, Pastor Ryan, when I was young, made me promise I would never stop writing. Thus far, I have kept that promise, and while he was referring to my poetry, I have expanded on such since then, branching into flash fiction, short stories, as well as a couple of novels. One is a young adult dragon series that is in the planning stages currently. To this day, he is still my favorite pastor. I have a few people in my life who constantly encourage me now, my main cheerleader being my sister. She loves chatting about my books and projects with friends and strangers alike.
How does your life journey color your novels?
My first book, as well as my first compilation of poetry, were both pieces I used for coping with difficult situations that were going on at that point in my life.
What inspires you to write a particular story? Let’s start with Dirty Laundry, which is a great title and I love the cover illustration of the laundry line.
Dirty Laundry was a compilation of poems I had written over time when getting emotions and thoughts out during difficult portions of my life. There are some poems that are gut-wrenching even now when I read them in preparation of choosing which to read for our Authors’ Sunday Event.
What prompted Just of Starters? Again, the desperate eyes on the person’s face pull the reader in. How does that play into the story’s arc?
So Just for Starters was actually a flash fiction and e-book class assignment from my time at Full Sail University. It’s a supernatural compilation of flash fiction and is free to download on SmashWords.com. It mentions about five to six different perspectives on a bigger problem that the universe is having with werewolves. It’s also a part of a trans-media experience that can be found on my website.
Diamond Trilogy: A Dramatic Miniseries seems also to be a collection of short stories. Am I correct? Do you prefer to write short stories? How do you keep them from growing into novels without making the reader feel as if something is missing? Is it because you also write poetry?
The Diamond Trilogy: A Dramatic Miniseries is a three-part series in one, written in script form. It was written as a stage play of sorts. From what I’ve gathered, it being in script form helps the reader be a part of the story. I give them a setting, and the readers are able to fill in the rest. Writing short scripts is only second to poetry for me. I have yet to publish a novel, though a couple are in the works.
The cover of your last book, Remnants, appears to be a piece of Vincent Van Gough’s famous painting “Starry, Starry Night.” Is that correct? This is a book of poetry, correct? What inspires you to tell your story poetically as opposed to prose?
The cover of Remnants is actually a card I drew with alcohol markers when I was doodling one night. You’re not the first person to bring up “Starry Night” when they saw it, though. I absolutely love space and astronauts and was toying around with what I could do with my markers and cards. Many of my journal covers that I have designed under ObCon Writing/Natt3r Creations have been the work of my alcohol markers. I love the way that they can be blended with each other.
It is, in fact, a book of poetry of sorts. One of my classmates and I have participated in Inktober, an artist challenge, for the last three years. Instead of using our ink to draw, we use it to write and hold each other accountable every day. The challenge happens every October. Remnants is the first compilation of our Inktober endeavor. I turned it into a prompted journal that has, not only my poetry and flash fiction attached but also leaves lines for the reader to write their own. I love telling stories with minimum context because it forces the reader to fill in the blanks themselves.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on an Inktober novel challenge, as well as another book of poetry. I am also turning The Tombstone Confessions, a spooky novel by Casper Luna, into a working script. He will also be at our event on the 29th, promoting his book. Then there is the previously mentioned dragon series that is in the works.
What do you do to rewind?
I enjoy crocheting, making blankets out of discarded hoodies, and drawing and designing journals. I also make wrap-around skirts and zipper bags. I love creating in most forms, to be honest. I’m looking to get back into dancing in the near future as well.
Thanks for being on my blog. Please add any other information I didn’t cover. Sarah
Thank you so much for your time, Sarah! I look forward to seeing everyone on the 29th!
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