Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole D. Miller.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started writing ten years ago when I began my blog betterthanwine.net. This blog was an outlet for me to document my life and faith journey at that time. I had no idea it was going to be the onset of a full-blown writing career!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My writing journey became more professional at the release of my first book “How to Overcome Heartbreak: Recovering from Misguided Love”. The book was named after a blog post that received a lot of views. I had been devastated by the betrayal and breakup from a very serious relationship. I thought that I would never recover, but my faith and community proved to be the shelter from the storm.
It took me years to heal from a broken heart, but I was determined. I share tools for my healing in that book so that others who are overwhelmed by emotional despair can find comfort and encouragement. But what I thought was the end, was just the beginning. I chose to lay down that relationship after feeling led by God. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make because it was my most prized possession, but it would set the precedence for my life journey. I would keep taking the harder path which often meant waiting in my career and in my relationship life. I have learned that making the hard choice now will yield the greatest reward later.
I continued to let go of more romantic relationships and discuss the revelations I received about my own dysfunction and level of toxicity in my book “How to Overcome Heartbreak: Stories That Heal” as a result of these difficult choices.
Even though I was giving up my dream of being married and having children in my 30s, I was becoming a healthy person and discovering my identity outside of a man. I was breaking generational curses in my family.
Over and over, the women in my family lost their identities in relationships. They sacrificed their own purpose and did not know their self-worth. My life has been used to redeem their choices, but it has come at a cost. I have had to give up my dream for theirs.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am so excited about this venture into writing. Never did I see myself as an author, let alone a novelist, yet I have self-published three books, an eBook, and am gearing up for my first novel! I just love being able to craft stories that infuse both Black culture and spirituality, two of my favorite topics.
I love spinning tales of characters who encounter the love of God in a personal way that is void of religion and I love that my stories are relatable to African Americans. These stories depict people who have thick, kinky locks, come in natural, curvy sizes, vast brown skin tones, and love fashion and hip music.
I also offer 1-on-1 coaching for independent authors. I have a heart for independent authors to receive the awareness and exposure they deserve. As an author, you can write your book, but if people do not know you are out there, sadly your book will never get read.
Additionally, I have a publishing company, Nicole D Miller Publishing. Through this publishing company, I have even more of an opportunity to aid writers in getting their works known.
I would say what sets me apart from others is that I am a hybrid of sorts. I am not just a writer and author but an entrepreneur. I have my own bookkeeping business, and having that business background aids me in establishing a brand for my books. I am able to think both with my left brain while recording financial transactions for clients and with my right brain by crafting blogs and novels.
Although I have many accomplishments (receiving my advanced degree, becoming a homeowner, starting businesses), I am most proud of my novel. Never could I have dreamed that I would have the capacity to write an entire novel. And not just any novel, but (according to my beta readers) a great one!
What were you like growing up?
I was pretty quiet growing up. I lived in a single-parent home and at times it was a struggle. My mom and I stayed with my grandmother off and on and they were my primary caregivers (I refer to them as my parents).
My parents were hard workers, and they bent over backwards to make sure all my needs were met, even if their needs were not. My mom had a very rough background, growing up in the inner city, and she made sure that I would not have that same experience. Still, growing up with someone who has had that type of trauma is not easy, and often we did not get along.
As a kid, my grandmother was my best friend, as I had no friends and was bullied often. I found solace in my relationship with her, in excelling in school, and in reading books. Books were a safe haven for me. They were a place where I could escape, where I could have friends, and where I didn’t have to be alone.
I loved learning, and I loved music, so now I incorporate so much of my love for music in my writing.
Working hard was hugely demonstrated in my home, and I acquired that ability as well. Everything we had, came at a cost, and I was always aware of that fact. Christmas and birthdays were huge celebrations, and my parents usually went all out if they could, even if we went without in other ways.
I look back now and can easily see the sacrifices. There were times my mom and I shared a room. There were times we lived in the “hood.” There were times we lived very frugal and some would say “minimal,” but always, always, I was going to get hooked up at Christmas and on my birthday. I see now that was our family culture and many families’ cultures in the inner city (if they could afford it).
So many of my parents’ sacrifices were so that I could have better opportunities, and it worked. I am where I am today because of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: nicoledmiller.com
- Instagram: @HTOHB
- Facebook: facebook.com/htohb
- Twitter: @nicoledmiller
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJYjxF4bwVo6eUao5IMGyDA
