Noella J Banks

I am Noella J Banks, also known as NJ Banks and soon to release work as Blu Taylor. I have authored Malibu Baby and The Self-fulfilling Prophecy, both available on Amazon. My books feature love, loss, romance, tension, steamy scenes, and passionate relationships. I developed a passion for reading early on, transitioning to writing romance stories. It wasn’t until I was married with two daughters that I gained the courage to finish and publish my books. Besides writing, I enjoy attending live music events. My home is in Leicestershire, UK, where I reside with my family and various pets.

“Welcome, Noella! Today, we'll get to know you a little better by asking you some fun and insightful writing questions. So, grab a cup of coffee and join us. So let’s get started. What has been the most rewarding and challenging aspects of self-publishing, and how have you navigated these challenges?”

Thank you for having me. The most challenging part has been trying to get my name out there and get my work read. With no funds and no reputation, it is easy to get overshadowed. I am still working on these difficulties and being able to take part in author interviews like these will help, but the feedback I have had for my work so far has been really positive. The most rewarding part is being able to hold my book in my hands for the first time and seeing positive reviews.

“Absolutely! What inspired you to write?”

Books! My love of reading started from an early age and there was nothing like the excitement I felt when the book fair came to school. I’m also a dreamer and was definitely one of those students who would be enacting a scenario in my head as I gazed out of the window instead of listening to the teacher. As a teen, I was a big fan of the Point Horror and Point Romance series of books and I would also steal my mum’s Mills & Boon romance books from her room to read under the covers at night. I think my love of writing romance grew from there.

“I must admit I was also guilty of stealing my mum’s Mills & Boon books or her Blaze series. Oops! Sorry mum. Favourite 90s or early 00s song?”

I love music of all genres and so it is hard for me to pick just one song but seeing as it is my go-to karaoke tune; I think I would have to pick Black Velvet by Alannah Myles. As soon as I hear the opening chords, I’m ready to start wailing along.

“Oh, great choice. Next, where would you say you draw inspiration from?”

Everywhere. It can be another book that I’ve read, a movie I’ve watched, a new song I’ve heard. Or it could be a conversation between two people in the cafe. It can just be me feeling bored with life and craving a little excitement, and a story is a safe but exciting way to act out a fantasy. A lot of my book titles have come from song titles or words, so I think music does have a big influence on my writing due to the emotions it can evoke. A well-written song will make me want to elaborate on the story being told. I also love to write poetry and song lyrics, though my unfortunate lack of musical talents means they have never been more than words on a page.

“I love that. Can I ask what your writing routine looks like?”

As I have a day job, two kids and many animals, my writing routine currently involves me finally getting to sit down at around 9pm and tapping away at the keyboard until between 11pm and 3am in the morning! The bags under my eyes are not thanking me for it, but writing for me is such a release at the end of the day that I need it as much as I need the caffeine the morning after.

“I feel you there. I tend to get my best work done at night. How much research do you do for your books?”

Quite a bit. I remember being told that to write a good book, you should only write what you know, but I soon realised that living a mundane life meant I would, therefore, be writing mundane books. I wanted excitement and travel and interesting people with interesting lives and so I try to research as much as I can about the places I include in my books such as landmarks, the language, the culture. I’m not saying I don’t sometimes get it a bit wrong, but hopefully people will be enjoying my books too much for it to affect what they get from it.

“Thank you so much for sharing your insights and experiences with us today. It has been a pleasure getting to know more about your writing process and personal preferences. If you’d like to check out Noella's work, simply click on the books displayed below. And if you want to stay updated on her journey, you can follow her through the social media links provided.”

Thank you.