Nikolai’s Writings and Ramblings
1) What is your Author name; use your Pen name if you have one.
Nikolai Wisekal
2) What is your genre and what drew you to it?
Primarily Fantasy with Sci-fi as a close second. Both of them represent blank canvases with different possible paint palettes. That freedom to take and create the impossible from low magic to high fantasy, from goofy experiments to military epics just presents the most promise. My favorite examples of this are if I wanted to create a sci-fi story with anarchist cyborg kangaroos dual wielding rocket launchers I could. If I wanted a fantasy story featuring magic wielding karate spiders nothing is stopping me.
3) What is the best time of day for you to write?
Anytime. I use a combination of notepads, google docs, and voice messages through the messenger app for my various stories. I’ve written/recorded ideas or passages as early as 2 am or during a lunch break.
4) Which character of yours is your favorite and why?
Favorite fantasy character is hard for me to choose but put your finger on the delete button for all my writing and you’d find them in an unpublished epic gaslamp fantasy. Her name is Mishkala, and everything from her origin to her character ARCs I love because she goes through personal struggles, societal defiance, and all the way to world changing events.
Favorite Sci-fi character is easy. Boris the Chefbot. His origin, his demeanor, his goals, all of it love that chromed dome singing bot.
5) Do you attend writing conferences? If so, which ones?
Yes I do. I’ve attended DFWcon multiple times, Writers in the FIeld multiple times, and 20booksto50k once. All of them were educational and valuable experiences in different ways.
DFWcon showed me that I’m not alone, that I can write and publish the stories in my head.
Writers in the Field allowed me to interact with professionals and topics I normally wouldn’t be able to including but not limited to: police, coroners, poison experts, modern firearms, gunpowder arms, armor and melee experts, etc.
20Booksto50k I got to see people, learn from others, and generally reinvigorate my drive to keep going. The conference is also now called Author Nation.
6) What is the hardest challenge in being a writer?
Maintaining momentum. ADHD + work x depression = A LOT of stuff that takes up a lot of time and energy. Which makes sitting and thinking of words to put on paper harder on average. In late 2023 I started doing a minimum of 2,000 words a week. These can be drafting, worldbuilding, etc. so long as they contribute to my writing goals. Some weeks don’t go as planned but I’m happy that it has helped. This also affects editing, marketing, etc.
7) What gives you the most satisfaction in the writing process?
Worldbuilding. geography, technology, magic/s, politics, the characters, just all of the creations all the time.
8) Who did you dedicate your first book to and why?
To everyone who helped me but especially to my wife Rachel. She has been a friend, critic, alpha reader, brainstorming partner and absolutely invaluable to my creative process.
9) Pick five books that are must-reads in your mind.
a. Cheating with this one but anything by Brandon Sanderson
b. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Diniman
c. Deeds of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
d. Ongoing but so far an incredible military fantasy series the Rage by Evan Winters
e. Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee
10) What book protagonist would you love to talk to if he/she/they were real?
See the way my brain works is I like to maximize the benefits of every choice. So right now as I type this answer I’m trying to think of a favorite character I can dimension hop around with. That bit of mental gymnastics aside I think Harry Dresden from the Dresden Files both because it was a series I’ve grown up with since high school and because that man needs a friend who routinely keeps him accountable to his own health and happiness.
11) If you had to write in any other genre, what would that be and why?
I’d have to say Thriller/Horror I don’t know if I could fully leave behind fantastical or sci-fi elements behind so definitely more subgenres where those aspects are the main plot focus. That being said I intend to write in as many Fantasy and Sci-fi subgenres as chronologically possible.
12) How do you arrange your bookshelves? (Color, alphabetical or another method)
Definitely another method. I start off with size left to right UNLESS it’s a shelf for specific authors/series and that gets exclusively stocked with those books. I typically only buy hardcovers nowadays because paperbacks pile up like tribles.
13) What is your best book memory?
When I realized that there was nothing stopping me from learning to write. It was in my highschool library I’d been reading for years and always thought it was cool but it clicked for me that the authors I enjoyed pulled off a magic trick. They made me care about all these random characters and events and I wanted to learn it.
14) What is the name of your book/series? Tell me a little bit about them.
a. Ongoing Fantasy Series is Divine Counseling Files. Marriage Counselor to the gods. Where a husband and wife duo work together to salvage Zeus and Hera’s marriage. First novel The Olympian Dysfunction will be releasing at the end of 2024.
b. Ongoing Sci-fi Series is Service Industry Chaos. Three chucklefucks on a spaceship diner try to get through the day while a nightmare boss makes everything miserable. First book Galaxy Waffles is available now. Second season is in progress on Kindle Vella with the novel releasing in 2025.
c. Recently started a dark fantasy serial Plague of Faith. Where a necromancer and death paladin work together to dismantle the cults threatening reality, while finding love and purpose with each other. This is currently releasing on Kindle Vella.
d. Scales & Pages a cozy fantasy adventure featuring a book loving dragon whose horde is raided by a mage, and they travel the world collecting new books while hunting for the old.
15) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?
Yes it is nikolaiwisekal.com
16) Where can we find and follow you? (Name your social media platforms.)
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nwisekal/
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