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!