An Interview with Nicki Ehrlich

Nicki’s debut novel, Ellis River, won the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book – Fiction. The next year, it won IBPA’s award for Best Audiobook – Fiction. The novel was also a finalist for the Eric Hoffer First Horizons Award, received an Honorable Mention for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize, and was a semi-finalist for the Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize.

The sequel, Zephyr Trails, launched in June 2024. It won a Literary Titan gold award, “…a stirring narrative of frontier life, blending a vivid historical backdrop with the inner turmoil of a compelling protagonist,” and has been praised by Kirkus Reviews, “A roving, authentic bildungsroman with a unique lead,” and Publishers Weekly Booklife, “…an exhilarating, high-risk crusade.”

Nicki holds a Certificate in Creative Writing from Monterey Peninsula College. She is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Alliance for Independent Authors, the Authors Guild, and the Central Coast branch of the California Writers Club.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I remember sitting in a circle in front of my first grade teacher while she read Dick and Jane to us. That’s when I started to make the connection to words telling stories—how letters formed words, words formed sentences, and sentences told stories. I may have been the only one in my grade-school classes who loved diagramming sentences. I devoured books and loved reading and writing at a very young age.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

One of my first jobs was as a wrangler at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. I led trail rides. I’ve had many jobs since: state park attendant, singer/songwriter, police and fire dispatcher, sailing instructor, inn keeper, boat broker, newspaper columnist, business manager.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The first book’s title, Ellis River, came to me. I knew I wanted the river in there because the book is about the flow of a journey. (It’s also Ellis’s middle name.) Ellis, the main character’s name, also seemed to appear out of nowhere. But I realized I have cousins who changed their last name to Ellis when they immigrated to Australia. As a first name, Ellis was used mostly for boys, but I thought it worked for a girl, as well. As I was writing the first chapters, Ellis’s mother was obsessed with the book Wuthering Heights. I found out then that Emily Brontë used the pen name Ellis Bell when she published Wuthering Heights in 1847. That tidbit solidified the title for me.

The second book, Zephyr Trails, alludes to the west wind and the direction of Ellis’s journey. It’s also Ellis’s twin brother’s middle name (Zephyr), recalling that the Cady children’s middle names came from three of the four elements: water, wind, earth. There is a dialogue between Ellis and her twin, Earl, about this in Ellis River.

What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?

When I hired my editor and designer. When you start spending money, the business side becomes real. Then, when I first saw the cover. I cried. It was perfect. Then, when I got the first reviews back from NetGalley. Those were people I didn’t know telling me how they felt about the book. And it was all good. Of course, there’s nothing quite like holding that first physical copy, flipping through the pages, and putting it on your bookshelf alongside others.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

I’ve had people tell me the characters stay with them. I love that. I think the books speak to how resilient people can be. How we can go through hellish times and resurrect ourselves. How we always have the choice to follow our dreams.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Hearing from readers how much they loved it. How they saw the relevance of the book and loved the writing style. Seeing it on bookstore shelves. Winning awards like the IBPA (Benjamin Franklin) Book Award.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

Book three of the Ellis River trilogy. Hoping to launch by the end of 2026.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.