Natalie Singletary is a local author from eastern North Carolina. Aside from writing, she also
enjoys multiple other art forms, including stitch work, mixed media, and making handmade and
printed journals. She has a love for dance and theatre, always looking for a reason to perform
with the silent jukebox in her head. She is published in Down in the Dirt magazine and Scarlet
Leaf Review as well as several self-published books in both print and eBook. Natalie has a
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Full Sail University.
Sherri: Welcome Natalie to my virtual café. If I ever win the lottery, I’ll open a coffee shop on the river
where we can sip drinks and talk about books and writing, but until then, I can only dream. As a kid my
friend and I played a game while walking down country roads, she’d say something that made me think
of a song and I’d start singing and then I’d say something, and she’d start singing. We sang everywhere
we went. We even put on shows for our neighbors. You mentioned in your bio the jukebox in your head,
do you have a soundtrack for your life? How about for your books?
Natalie: Thank you for having me, and I hope that I can help you in some way move closer to your
dream of owning your coffee shop. Its funny that you mention a soundtrack of my life. I actually used to
write down my soundtrack every couple of months. Now I have access to streaming services to make
playlists. I prefer independent artists and music and have recently been caught up in a band called
Nightshift.
I do have a playlist for the Diamond Trilogy posted on my Spotify. I believe there’s a link to it on my
website. The book itself started out as a jukebox musical and I replaced the songs with poetry and small
blurbs. The chapter titles in the book are actually the titles of the original jukebox songs.
Sherri: Do you make a living with your art? I am always envious of anyone who can do something they
love and support themselves. I’m still hopeful that my writing will be part of my retirement plan.
Natalie: I currently do not make a living on my art, but it is a goal within the next 6 months to be a full
time author and business owner.
Sherri: I was looking at your website and I saw your essay on vulnerability. Sharing your truth has to be
one of the most difficult things you will have to do other than survive. When I see someone like you
stand up and take charge of their lives after dealing with trauma, I am inspired. Your daily courage to
face each day gives hope to others who are struggling with similar stories. Is the theme of your work
about your survival and hope?
Natalie: It is. Even The Diamond Trilogy was a coping mechanism, as well as Dirty Laundry. I wanted to
get rid of The Diamond Trilogy, burn the physical copies and delete the typed version, but I couldn’t
bring myself to do it, and I didn’t know why. Then, within two weeks, five people in my circle(s) passed
away. The Trilogy hits on a good number of hard subjects, including suicide and overdoses, and I knew
that it could be a segway to help others to find help.
Sherri: As chairperson of the Pamlico Writers’ Group, one of the things I tell new members is that
sharing our work is like standing in the Walmart parking lot naked, yelling “Look at me!” It’s not easy to
share our work with others. Especially as a self-published author we have to promote ourselves. What is
the most difficult thing for you about self-promotion?
Natalie: Talking about myself, lol. Thankfully, my sister loves talking about me and that helps. She’s my
biggest cheerleader, for sure. I’ve been working on getting better with letting people and socials know
that I do have art out there and that it is available to be purchased.
Sherri: Your covers are interesting and unique; do you create your own covers? I do my own covers and
often have to rethink my ideas to match my genres. Do you have any suggestions for creating eye-
catching covers?
Natalie: I appreciate you. I did create them, though Remnants is the first one I drew by hand and put on
a cover. The others I actually used Canva.com for most of my covers, outside of The Diamond Trilogy. A
good friend of mine took a photo for the Trilogy in my old apartment.
Canva.com is a free service that has plenty of resources to create great backgrounds, invites, and covers.
I came across it during my time at Full Sail and I absolutely love it! I would definitely recommend it! they
have templates or you can start from scratch, and while they do have elements that you can pay for,
there is plenty to use that is free.
Sherri: What was the hardest thing you faced when you first published your books? What would you tell
a new writer preparing to publish for the first time?
Natalie: I initially started with a vanity press, and quickly discovered that I didn’t go about it the correct
way and ended up canceling my contract. Vanity presses aren’t evil by any means. Many of them are a
great investment, as they offer a good number of services that take a lot off of the authors’ plates,
including editing and advertising. For myself, I wasn’t the best with my finances at the time, and decided
to go about it solo. It was a lot more work, but I didn’t mind, as I did like having control over the editing
and the story.
Sherri: What are you working on now?
Natalie: I’m currently working on my first novel, Gemini, the first in a three book series. It is a fantasy
about two sisters who were cursed by their parents to be slaves to the sun and the moon. I also just
finished up a writing Inktober, a new dual poetry/journal that will be available at the beginning of 2023.
Sherri: If you enjoyed this interview, you can meet Natalie at the New Bern Farmers Market, Sunday,
November 20 th at our upcoming Book Festival.
Natalie: Thank you so much for having me, Ms. Sherri!
The Diamond Trilogy – https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Trilogy-Dramatic-
Mini/dp/B0B3JD37DT/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3STJGKOLGZXT2&keywords=Natalie+Singletar
y&qid=1667752443&sprefix=natalie+singletary%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-3
Dirty Laundry – https://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Laundry-Compilation-Stories-
Closure/dp/B08B33T69T/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1667752369
&sr=8-2
Remnants – https://www.amazon.com/Remnants-Natalie-
Singletary/dp/B0BB5HW4X6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3STJGKOLGZXT2&keywords=Natalie+Si
ngletary&qid=1667752369&sprefix=natalie+singletary%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-1
Just for Starters (Free E-Book) – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/992503
Natalie Singletary
http://www.obconwriting.com
nsingletary.obcon@sherrilhollister
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