WILD ROSE - ONE SNIFF AND YOU'RE HISTORY

There once was a lady called Elisa Day, who had a sunny disposition, come what may. But then, one day, to her, dismay, Elisa turned gay by the smell of hay. No! Wait a minute! That isn't right! Elisa didn't become gay! She became a literary character featured in the following story written by a great lady called Nicola. Nicola, it's now over to you.





1) What are your own origins, Nicola?   I grew up in Halifax, a small city on the east coast of Canada, and went to school to become a lawyer. I still practice law (part time) and teach college students, but one day I also hope to eventually write full time. I have been reading horror and romance since I was about eleven years old, which was probably way too young, but that's where a lot of my literary influences come from.

My favorite mainstream authors are Stephen King and Nora Roberts, and I started my writing career with romance novels, which I still love and am still writing, but I have also branched out into game writing and ghostwriting / consulting. 

2) What inspired you to create, ‘Wild Rose’?   I have always been interested in the parts of history that you don't learn in school, and Wild Rose is an exploration of some of the historic trivia I have come across over the years.

Several years ago, I became very interested in murder ballads, which are historic songs that tell stories of true crimes or tragic folktales. I first heard a version of the Elisa Day legend as a child and wanted to re-tell the story in my own way, inspired by the mood of the murder ballads I had been reading. I'm not entirely sure why I decided to write this story as a graphic novel (aside from the fact that I had never written one before and wanted to try), but I read a lot of comics and thought the format suited the story.

3) In your own words how would you describe this story?   Wild Rose is a re-telling of an Irish folktale about love and revenge, with supernatural elements.

4) What song would you say best represents this comic and why?   There is actually a song about the legend of Elisa Day that was released by Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave in the 90s called, "Where the Wild Roses Grow". It's nothing like any other Kylie Minogue song I've ever listened to. It's very haunting and not a pop song at all. 

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Because of the Kylie Minogue connection I just mentioned, I think it would be a very cool idea to show her the comic and see what she thinks. 

I write in so many different genres, it's hard to pick just one, but I would love to also have Raymond Chandler's take on my romantic suspense novel, "Man's Ruin". I often describe it as, "Raymond Chandler with more romance", because it has a very pulp / noir vibe with a lot of sex and violence. If I was thinking in terms of sheer moneymaking potential, I suppose it would make more sense to choose someone really famous to promote me. But if I wanted to get rich, I wouldn't be a writer!

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavour?   I have always enjoyed the business side of writing and publishing, but producing a comic book has definitely confirmed that for me. I imagine that producing a comic book is sort of like producing a short film - you have to secure the rights, find the artists, promote the project, do publicity, and create a schedule.

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   I actually have two qualities that I think contribute most to any success that I have had so far! One is that I am incurably optimistic and the other is my background in law. I don't mean that I never get depressed or frustrated, but I never give up. Once I've had a chance to get over a set back, I come up with a 'plan B' to accomplish my goal (or however many plans it takes). The legal knowledge has been helpful because I like to collaborate with other creators and knowledge of contracts is crucial.

8) If ‘Wild Rose’ had a motto, what would it be?   "Love hurts".

And on that note, I'd like to thank Nicola for telling us about her graphic novel, 'Wild Rose', before directing you towards her official website, facebook, and twitter pages.