Nicole Galland

Nicole (N.D.) Galland’s novels span the spectrum from historical (The Fool’s Tale, Revenge of the Rose, Crossed, Godiva) to Shakespearean (I, Iago) to contemporary rom-com (Stepdog, On The Same Page) to speculative fiction (New York Times bestselling The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. co-written with Neal Stephenson). She has a MFA in Creative Writing from University College Dublin, and loves teaching workshops on world creation.

She has also worked as a stage director, dramaturg, and X-wing fighter pilot.

Galland's new novel is Boy.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

Any book with boy in the title is going to include someone-whose-identity-is-connected-to-being-a-young-male-human. But boy with no other words should tip off readers that there’s something going on with gender. I actually think the cover art – which is gorgeous, thanks to designer Mumtaz Mustafa – does as much work as the title: it’s an androgynous young person in Shakespeare-era clothing. The art-and-title combo is more than the sum of its parts. That said, admittedly: it’s all quite coy about the story itself.

What's in a name?

My characters are mostly historical figures. I chose “Joan” for the fictional female protagonist because it was a popular name of the era that’s familiar to our ears (compared to, say, Winifred or Lettice). Also, it was easy to find an era-appropriate male nickname for (Joan/Jack). Finally, my inner poet liked the sound of “Joan” alongside “Sander” for reasons that would make me sound like a phonetics geek.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

I think more delighted than surprised. Delighted because: oh, yay, I became a novelist! Yay, I didn’t have to give up Shakespeare to get there! Yay, I must have enough good lovin’ in my life to write the sex scenes! (Well, depending what age teen I was, that last one might have shocked me.)

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

This is a great question. Both are hard to write, but endings are more stressful, because it needs to be worthy of all that came before. Changes to the opening are usually just decorative; I know how to open the door and welcome in the reader – that’s like a first date. You’re not in deep enough to make any terrible mistakes. By the end of the book, readers have expectations, and the urgency not to disappoint them is far more acute than a disappointing first date.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

The answer is different for each novel; in this case, I think Joan (unglamorous, smart, hard-working, determined, a problem-solver) is very much like me except that she doesn’t really suffer insecurities; Sander (gorgeous, graceful, self-absorbed, effortlessly charming to literally everyone) is not much like me… except for his insecurities. And the performing arts.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

The obvious one is theatre. I was an actor, director, and dramaturg for years before I became a novelist, and I still dabble for fun. And my geek-obsession with history probably accounts for why I write mostly historical fiction.

Visit Nicole Galland's website, Facebook page, and Threads page.

Coffee with a Canine: Nicole Galland & Leuco.

The Page 69 Test: Stepdog.

My Book, The Movie: Stepdog.

Writers Read: Nicole Galland (August 2015).

My Book, The Movie: Boy.

The Page 69 Test: Boy.

--Marshal Zeringue