Meeting the Author: Freedom of the Creed by NJ Coleridge

Today we travel to Nottingham to chat with Nick Coleridge about how corporate life, being a stay-at-home dad, pots of coffee, baking, Dungeons and Dragons, living room raves, a do-it-yourself painting disaster, and The Doctor come together as part of Nick’s writing life.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Nick Coleridge (my nomme de plume is NJ Coleridge as there is already a Nicholas Coleridge writing. We are definitely not the same person though might be related, apparently….). I am a father of two and have always had aspirations (read daydreams) of becoming a fully fledged writer.

A few years ago, I made the best decision of my life to become a stay-at-home dad to my lovely daughter. As a hobby and after some encouragement from my long-suffering wife, who I think might have suggested it as a way of making me put my money where my mouth is, I decided to focus on and write in the small windows of opportunity that “nap time” allowed.

Over time what was at best a dabbling evolved into a story and eventually a proper book! And so, Freedom of the Creed was published on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited last summer. After good reviews, even from those unafraid of hurting my feelings, I started writing the sequel in autumn of 2020, titled Better to Die, and I’m hoping to release it later this year.

I am based in Nottingham, UK.

In which genre do you write?

Freedom of the Creed, and its sequel, is a western, though not in the traditional sense. I have written it more like a thriller which just happens to be set in the old west, if that makes sense, taking cues from writers like Elmore Leonard and Lee Child.

I am also planning a thriller set in the British boarding school system as well as a fantasy series.

How many published books do you have?

One and one short story. For now!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer and what ignited your author’s flame?

I have had many careers but the only thing I ever really wanted to do is write. Stepping off the treadmill of corporate life to look after my daughter seemed like a perfect opportunity to scratch that itch.

What does your ideal writing space look like?

Our dining table with a pot of coffee close to hand, facing a window looking out onto any greenery I can find. Either that or a secluded corner of a coffee shop, don’t mind where as long as the coffee is good! Upon reflection it looks like an abundance of coffee is key as opposed to venue.

What are you currently reading?

The Name of the Wind. Book One of the Kingkiller Chronicles. By Patrick Dothfuss. It is amazing.

Where did the idea for your most recent book come from?

I have always loved westerns, having grown up on a steady diet of John Ford and Sergio Leone, but I was inspired to write about Saoirse and Wolfe after watching Godless. It’s a fantastic limited series on Netflix produced by Stephen Soderbergh and I highly recommend it.

https://youtu.be/CrlZCRncCwA

What do you do when not writing or marketing your books?

I am a full-time/stay at home dad so when not writing you will find me tidying up my children’s toys, baking, singing songs, make things out of playdoh, and organising living room raves (we dance round the living room to disco or club classics……anything to exhaust a small child!) At the end of the day, I curl up on the sofa and collapse before remembering that I have words to write.

Have you ever had any Do It Yourself disasters?

Far too many to count, there is a reason I have been forbidden to ever pick up a paintbrush by my wife. For example –

When we were first married, it seems like an age ago, in our first ever flat. Ever the practical romantic I thought how lovely it would be for my wife to come home to find the decorating (that she had planned meticulously) to be finished, allowing her a well-deserved night off! It was a relatively simple job, essentially paint a part of the wall with very special iron filing paint to make a black board.

However, in spite of its simplicity, I essentially painted the entire kitchen wall black as the paint ran, and ran, and ran. My furious wife had to completely redecorate the wall and the skirting board of the kitchen. Needless to say I was not popular.

What is the most enjoyable thing you’ve found through writing?

Two things –

a. Being able to lose yourself completely in a world of your own creation.

b. The problem-solving element of it. Particularly when you write your characters into a corner and then have to write them out of it.

You are about to speak publicly to a group and read from your latest book. What song do you listen to before speaking?

Knights of Cydonia by Muse. A piece of pure prog-rock genius.

What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life, and why?

Probably Seth Rogen as I look a little like him and have always got the impression that he and I are quite similar in our general outlook on life. If my life was an action movie, Gerard Butler; because he’s awesome.

If you were trapped in a cartoon world from your childhood, which one would you choose and why?

As a child of the 80s it would have to be Dungeons and Dragons. It was based on the classic role-playing game and is about a group of teenagers who find themselves in a fantasy world of magic, demons, and wizards. I have often fantasised about having magical powers, particularly those that meant I could bewitch brooms to do the cleaning for me; even if it only lasted a few minutes before I was barbecued by an irritable dragon.

What’s the last movie you watched and why did you choose to watch it?

Frozen 2 with my daughter, her choice not mine. Though I would be lying if I said I didn’t know all the words….

You can have anyone fictional as your imaginary friend, who do you choose and why?

The Doctor (from Doctor Who). Because he has a TARDIS, and there are days that I could really do with a time machine. Also, I think he/she would be very good company, just think of the adventures!

What are you currently working on?

I should be proofreading the sequel to Freedom of the Creed, but instead I am working on creating the world and rules for an as yet untitled fantasy project. That and staying sane during lockdown whilst trying to home school a four-and-a-half-year-old and sleep train a nine month old!

It was great learning more about you, and having you be a part of MTA, Nick! Wishing you all the best with the living room raves, and your writing! – Camilla

Where to find the book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B0876SXTL8

Connect with Nick:

Twitter – https://twitter.com/npichol
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/npichol/?ref=page_internal

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