Nicoli Carr
I grew up in the wilds of South West New Mexico. My early childhood was spent on a working cattle ranch. No TV, very limited electricity, and the distance to our nearest neighbors helped fire my imagination, gave me a deep love for wild places, and made books extremely influential. I still remember our weekly hour long drives to the town library where my two sisters and I would load up on as many books as allowed and devour them throughout the following week.
My desire to write closely followed my first interest in books as a toddler. At least, that’s how I remember it. What books gave me, the rooms they opened in my imagination, instilled in me a dogged desire to write my own stories.
I still remember in grade school doing squiggles. You remember those? The teacher would draw some squiggly line and you’d have to turn it into a picture, write a story about it, and read it in front of the class. I had an ongoing serial extending week to week, with many of my classmates as characters.
The Turtle
Was there once a turtle that was a friend to a class? There was.
Erica said, “Oh, how cute.”
Clay Said, “Oh, not again.”
Erica said, Clay shut-up!”
Amber said, “Oh, don’t say that.”
Clay said, “Oh, I’d like it if the turtle was gone.”
Erica said, “Poor turtle, he’s lost in the swamp.”
Amber and Clay went looking for him. They found him in the swamp.
Near as I can tell, “The Turtle” was written when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade.
The Flat-Footed Frog
Once upon a time there was a frog with flat feet. He was lonely and hungry. He just walked along the road. Finally, he got married and had some children.
This idea may have to become it’s own picture book at some point :o).
Since those early years I have spent way too much of my life flirting with storytelling then promptly running away from it. The drive to tell stories has followed me like some old hound refusing to give up the trail. I’ve even published a piece of poetry here and there and worked successfully as a freelance writer, but always too… I don’t know,scared? hesitant? to fully invest in the work, fully commit to battling my ongoing struggle with resistance, or procrastination, or whatever word you want to put to that dragon.
Just a short time ago my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. Watching his interest in books, renewed the fire and gave me a new and very present reason to finally get serious about writing story. I want my son to hear and have my stories in his life.
My son(Finnin), wife(Carol Kay), and I live on a small quarter acre homestead in northern NM with visions of having many different animals, but for the moment, we have two dogs, (and yes one of them is named Wally).
Wally The Wake Up Pup is my first published book.
Nicoli Carr
