Nanowrimo Spotlight: Tracey Lynn Tobin, No Page Left Blank

Hello friends and followers. It’s a little late here, but I don’t want to go to bed until I’ve shared another spotlight interview with you. So, say welcome back to Tracey, who was a spotlight victim last year! Tracey goes by Toreshi on the Nanowrimo website, and you can find her website at No Page Left Blank.

How much Nano experience do you have?
Well I’m a bit of a veteran at this point, having participated 6 years in a row (including this one). I love NaNo because it gives me an excuse to focus outrageous amounts of time and energy on writing, which is what I would choose to do if I didn’t have to worry about money.

My first NaNo was definitely my favorite because the experience was shiny and new and exciting, but every year has had its charms. If I were to pick a favorite moment, it would be when I won NaNo 2010, because that manuscript made me realize that I was going to, beyond a shadow of a doubt, be published one day, even if I had to take the reins into my own hands.

What are you writing about this year?
This year I’m actually doing a NaNo rewrite, of sorts. I am taking a fantasy novel that I wrote (but never finished) a few years back, and I am completely reworking and rewriting it to make it a four-part series. I’ve grown a lot as a writer over the past few years, so I feel I now know how to fix the problems with my original manuscript and make it something that people will enjoy reading.

What is your favorite book – you have to pick just one!
There are a lot of possibilities, but if I’m honest my absolute favorite book of all time is “Invitation to the Game” by Monica Hughes. I found it at a book fair when I was in the fourth or fifth grade, and since then I’ve re-read it more times than any other book I own. It is a wonderful, whimsical futuristic story that blew my mind as a kid and still amazes me today.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?
Don’t look for time to write. Accept that time is the most difficult thing in the world to find, and learn how to just DO.

The other day while I was scribbling in a notebook during my lunch break a coworker asked me how I find the time to write. I looked at my notebook, which was flanked by my food and my work radio, and said, “Do I look like I have TIME to write? I don’t find time…I just do it anyway.”

Sneaky Ninja Question! What would you do all night if you couldn’t get to sleep?
The obvious answer would be to say that I would write, but in all honesty I’d probably spend the first couple of hours watching YouTube videos, and then spend the rest of the night MAKING YouTube videos.

I work hard for a living as an instrumentation technician in the Alberta oil sands, but writing is my true passion in life. Recently I self-published my first novel, a zombie apocalypse story called “Nowhere to Hide”. It is available in paperback and digital copies through Amazon and Kindle, and if you’re a member of Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited you can read for free! This novel began life as a NaNoWriMo manuscript, so please check it out. The first chapter is viewable for free on Amazon, so even if you don’t think it will be your cup of tea it can’t hurt to check it out! 😀

Thanks for volunteering again Tracey!