A Jamaican native, Ni'cola Mitchell published her debut novel Over and Over Again through her independent publishing company NCM Publishing. Much of her work revolves around situations that are a compulsive desire to see women overcome challenges.

You currently have three books in print, and a fourth scheduled for release in December. What are the titles?
Over and Over Again, The Appetizer When you're Not His Main Course and Between the Sheets. My upcoming novel Twisted is scheduled to be released December 2010.

Those are provocative sounding titles. Over and Over Again was the first book you published. Tell me a little about it.
It’s a fictional work based on my own life experiences and people I’ve met along the way. Set in present day Las Vegas, it revolves around my main character Dionni Stone, a successful business owner. To the outside world it appears she has everything under control, but in actuality, it is not always what it seems.

Is there a message you wanted to convey with this book?
Yes. It is very simple. In life everyone in the world, especially women are faced with trials, tribulations, and hardships, but what allows them to be classified as a strong woman is the way they overcome and rise above it.

I can relate to that. I had my share when I was cracking through the glass ceiling in the 80’s, not to mention some pretty radical ups and downs I never saw coming. That book earned you some recognition and nominations. 
Yes, I was selected to be featured in the second edition of Who's Who in Black Las Vegas. The awards ceremony was held September 8, 2010. I was also nominated for Self Published Author of the year by the African American Literary Awards Show. Over and Over Again was featured as #10 on EDC Creations Recommended Reading list for the 2009 fall season under Mainstream Fiction and Women's Fiction.

How did you create your characters? Were they real people or were they born in your imagination?
My characters are fictional, but I did take situations, mannerisms, and characteristics from real life people to create them.

You had a wonderful reason for writing this book. It shows the concern of a loving mother and your children are lucky. My mother was like that and I credit her for everything I’ve accomplished in life.
I was inspired to write this story because I wanted to demonstrate to my children that if they follow their heart; anything is possible. I addressed many issues in this book such as infidelity, deceit, low morale and self worth, sex, lies, relationships, and prostitution.

I also hold a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Management and am currently pursuing a Masters of Business Administration in Health Care Management.

I always admire people who set themselves a goal, then go for it. No excuses, no reasons why they can’t achieve, just a straight line to the goal and they don’t let things get in the way. You are one of those people.
The main goal that I wanted to accomplish in writing this book was to allow the story in my heart to be told. What I learned about publishing is if you stay grounded, focused, and believe in yourself, you can put out a successful book and it can hold its own among other works in your genre.

Over and Over Again was followed by a book with one of the best titles I’ve seen in a while.
The Appetizer, When You’re Not His Main Course was released in February of this year. Glad you liked the title.

I didn’t just like it. I loved it. We all know both men and women can find themselves in precarious relationships. What does The Appetizer offer to that person who might be seeking a little education while reading an entertaining book?
The Appetizer teaches many lessons, but there are two that stick out the most in my head.
• There are many and severe consequences to simple pleasures.
• A short term action can leave a lasting effect on everyone in your life—spouses, kids, friends, etc.

Were you able to use things you learned from your first book to make The Appetizer the best it could be?
There were a lot of lessons learned from publishing Over and Over Again. The most important lesson was not to limit myself. There is trial and error with everything a person does. Anything that worked for me the first time, I continue to utilize, and anything that would've been better I have tweaked to put out a better product.

What is next for you?
My next novel is Twisted, the direct sequel to Over and Over Again. It is due for release in December, 2010. Candy my villainess in Over and Over Again, has gained her own story, entitled Candy, and that will be the book after Twisted. My work will be included in several anthologies, as well in the coming year.

Do you have any parting words?
I try to ensure that all my stories connect. That way, no matter which book is read first, the reader will want to pick up one of the other books to find out more about my crazy characters.



Continue reading on Examiner.com Spotlight: Ni'cola Mitchell is an author on a mission - Las Vegas Writing | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/writing-in-las-vegas/spotlight-ni-cola-mitchell-is-an-author-on-a-mission#ixzz1VuI1PYcF