Writer Wednesday: Interview with Nick Orsini
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
Nick Orsini
Nick Orsini
Nick Orsini claims not to be a writer. After graduating from college in the heart of the Great Recession in 2008, unable to find work, he set out to tell one great story. Armed with a background in Film History and Criticism, and after spending his formative years analysing everything from Blade Runner to pro-wrestling, he started to write.
Nick has self-published two books, one collection of poetry, and maintains a blog of over 2,000 original poems and short stories. He has written for The Projection List and Thought Catalog. His poetry spanned topics from the Occupy Wall Street protests to the senselessness of coming-of-age.
His first self-published novel, Two Wrongs Make a Vice, has been shipped to over 40 countries and all 50 US states. His second novel, Fingerless Gloves, is a story centering on the fragility of friendship and the ways we come to terms with ourselves and our past failures. In August 2012, it won Apostrophe Bookâs Fiction Fast-Track new writing competition.
Contact: Website/Blog | Twitter
—
When did you know you wanted to become an author? When did you realise it could actually become a reality?
I knew I wanted to become an author when I got out of college. By that time, I had written long-form film analysis throughout my entire senior year and it felt good to sit down and write a poem. My poems were awful, literally not suited for any type of readership. I lost my first job, and started reading more, and I kept practicing the poems until I got the courage to put them up on a blog. People responded to them and it was such an encouragement. I started writing a short story, that became longer, and longer still ⦠and I guess thatâs what a book is. So it had become a reality without me ever expecting it. I didnât hash this all out, or come in planning to write books. I just wanted to tell this story, about kids like the kids I knew growing up. I ended up having a lot to say I guess.
What kind of readers would enjoy Fingerless Gloves?
I wrote it for readers ages 16-30 ⦠but anyone who has ever grown up throughout the history of growing up would probably enjoy it.
Any tips on overcoming writerâs block?
I always say that the best thing to do when you have writerâs block is to not force anything. Just stop whatever youâre working on at whatever point youâre at with it. Go people-watch or read a classic novel. You need something to get your head back on straight. The best cure is to take a notebook to the food court of the mall and try to write down as many observational things that you can — assign back stories to people, note any interesting things you see, etc.
What is one thing that your readers may be surprised to learn about you?
People would be surprised to know that I played in a Blink-182 cover band. We played exactly one show, and it was so bad, we broke up in the parking lot immediately afterwards.
What could your readers find you doing when youâre not writing?
They can find me in the following places: On the M-train in Manhattan, outside of Jim Hanleyâs Universe, on my couch watching Monday Night Raw, in a movie theatre, picking through the racks at Goodwill, in the Laundromat trying to wash my clothes.
QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS
Snacks: sweet or savoury? Savoury. I donât have much of a sweet tooth.
Ocean or lake? Born and raised with the ocean.
Early bird or night owl? Early bird. Iâm always the first one awake.
Coffee or tea? Coffee (at least 2-4 cups a day).
Bath or shower? Shower ⦠because itâs quicker ⦠baths leave me feeling like a raisin.
—
Here’s a bit more information about Nick’s latest novel, Fingerless Gloves:
Fingerless Gloves
Fingerless Gloves
Tonight will be the most difficult night in 25-year-old Anton Duchampâs life.
When his best friend James Squire is mysteriously rushed to hospital, Anton begins a night-long journey that takes him from shady, marijuana-smoke-filled apartments to ex-girlfriendsâ bedrooms, and eventually back to his childhood home.
As the night unfolds, so do new revelations about Antonâs recreational drug use and his past failures. And as Friday night drags into Saturday morning, he learns of Jamesâs deteriorating health. In a universe that has seemingly left him without a specific function, it takes a single night for Anton to realize that no one will ever hand him a meaning or a purpose.
Fingerless Gloves by Nick Orsini, which won Apostrophe Book’s Fiction Fast-Track prize for new writing, is a story about best friends and the mistakes we never knew we were making. It is a story about remembering â by any means necessary.
Purchase Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | iBookstore
As usual, I’m more than happy to host fellow writers for interviews on my blog every Wednesday, so if you would like to feature, just let me know! 
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
