5 Random Facts About Me (As A Writer)

Welcome to the inaugural post of the official Nori Rose Writes Blog! I won't lie, I feel a little like it's 2007 and I'm coming home from my first day of high school to write about all of my Very Big Feelings–and maybe an angsty poem or two–in my DeviantArt journal. (Tell me you're a Millennial without telling me, amiright?) The difference is that I'm now 32, a published author, and my poetic skills have improved immensely. (I hope you're proud of me, 15-year-old Nori!)

Aside from my high school-era dA account, I have been blogging on and off since 2015. I started with a Blogspot in college, where I would share questionable vegan recipes that I literally cooked up in my tiny student apartment kitchen. Later, I started a WordPress site that featured a jumble of posts about mental health, witchcraft, a variety of musings on books and movies, and random baking projects. Nowadays, I use my Tumblr as a personal blog, where I write horror film reviews and post about whatever strikes my fancy. And this lovely blog you're reading now? It's part of my ever-growing author platform! This is where you'll find updates on my books, events, and upcoming projects, but I'll also take you behind the scenes for a sneak-a-peek of my writing life and share my best tips and advice for writing and publishing!
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Let's kick things off by allowing me to introduce myself with five random facts about me as a writer!

#1: I am multi-genre.
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I write fantasy and horror, and sometimes a combination of the two. My first book, Hooves, Horns and Roses: Eight Erotic Stories, is a collection of seven erotic queer fantasy short stories and one novelette. My novella, Cats Are Sluts, is a gothic and pink horror modern retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Black Cat." I have numerous dark fantasy short stories published in print and online. I draw inspiration for my work from fairy tales, mythology, weird folklore, and creepy history, which all lend themselves well to both genres, so I never have a shortage of ideas!

#2: I wrote my first "book" when I was six years old.

​I took a bunch of wide-ruled school paper and my favorite Lisa Frank pencil and penned a tale about a girl who lived in a magical rainforest with her talking animal friends (think Ferngully: The Last Rainforest meets The Wild Thornberrys). The manuscript was staple-bound and included my very own original illustrations, created with Crayola crayons. Sadly, the original copy is out of print. But who knows? Maybe I'll release a special edition one day!

#3: I have written three books, but published two.

I have a completed 360-page draft of a dark urban fantasy novel resting in my Google Drive (and backed up elsewhere, naturally). I began writing this novel when I was 15 years old, bored as hell in my ninth-grade speech class, and continued to chip away at it throughout my undergraduate career. I finished it on New Year's Eve 2018 and promptly sought out beta readers, editing, and professional criticism. And then...

I shelved it. It was a difficult decision, and one that I will share more about at another time. The nutshell version is that I realized I'd written a story that other people expected me to tell, not the one I knew I needed to tell. Have no fear–you'll see it on a shelf someday. For now, it's enjoying an enchanted sleep until the time is right for it to reawaken.

#4: I am a planster.

There's not really a method to my madness. (Is it an ADHD thing? Is it a writer thing? It's anyone's guess!) For each project I'm working on, I have a Note in my Notes app where I'll braindump random ideas and sparks of inspiration as I go about my day. Then, I'll plug them into a Google Doc, start writing, and figure out where to work them into the story. I like to think of it as putting together a narrative puzzle like one might do with those Magnetic Poetry Fridge Sets.
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I prefer to write the first draft organically, meaning that I just start typing and let the story, characters, and world come through on their own, and save the plotting and outlining for the revision process. I call this The Schmendrick Principle, after the character Schmendrick in The Last Unicorn, who is a talented magician, but has trouble controlling his power. His tagline is "Magic, do as you will!" I have repurposed it as a personal mantra: "WRITING, DO AS YOU WILL!"

#5: I have a certification in video game writing.

It's true! I completed a professional development certification course in video game writing in March 2025. I had the privilege of receiving instruction from industry leaders Adrian Ropp and Carrie Harris. For my capstone project, I created an original storyboard for a single-player horror adventure game titled Distant Aidenn: A Modern Adventure Through The World Of Edgar Allan Poe. I am currently collaborating with a team of my fellow course graduates and others to create an independent cozy fantasy game. While I can't share too many details at this time, I will update my blog and socials with updates when possible!

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Social media is great (well...sort of), but I'm looking forward to creating long-form content again and building this platform for genuine engagement with my readers. Thank you for being here!
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Anything you'd like to ask me? Feel free to drop a comment!