Debut Author Interview: Nicole M. Hewitt and The Song of Orphan’s Garden Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to have debut author Nicole M. Hewitt here to celebrate the release of her novel verse, The Song of Orphan’s Garden. I’ve known Nicole for a long time because I follow her blog, Feed Your Fiction Addiction, where she features MG and YA book reviews. I recommend you follow her blog.  It’s been fun watching Nicole on her journey to publication. I’m excited to read her book because it sounds like it has fantastic world-building and high stakes. 

Here's a blurb from Goodreads:

Combining the gentleness of Miyazaki, the wintry wonderland of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the whimsicality of Newbery winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Nicole M. Hewitt's debut middle-grade novel, The Song of Orphan's Garden, is an enchanting fantasy tale with all the makings of a new classic.

In an arctic world that's getting colder every day, Lyriana's only hope of survival is to get her little brother Zave and herself to the fabled Orphan's Garden. It’s rumored to be the one place in the world not controlled by deadly Winter Spirits or ruled by the tyrant Giant king. In Orphan’s Garden, healing trees will melt away Winter’s pains, and Lyriana and Zave can live safely in the warmth of Spring. If the garden exists, they must find it. They won’t live much longer without it.

Brob, a Giant boy, also needs sanctuary. When the Giant king banishes his family to the Winter Blight, it’s a death sentence. Orphan’s Garden is his family’s only hope, and as far as Brob’s concerned, it belongs to him. After all, he was the one who accidentally used an ancient magic to grow the garden years ago. He has no intention of sharing his haven with pesky humans, who will just use up its magic and ruin it.

When it becomes clear that Orphan’s Garden is in danger of being destroyed, Lyriana and Brob are the only ones who can save it—but only if they can put the ages-old battle between Humans and Giants aside and find a way to work together.

Follower News

Before I get to Nicole’s interview, I have Follower News to share. Jacqui Murray recently released

Endangered Species,  book 1 in a new series. Here’s a blurb: Savage Land is the third prehistoric man trilogy in the series, Man. Vs. Nature. Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth's history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each tribe starring in the story considered themselves apex predators. Here are a few links:
Buy link: http://a-fwd.com/asin=B0DJ9Y7PQ8
Website: https://jacquimurray.net

Interview With Nicole M. Hewitt

Hi Nicole! Thanks so much for joining us.

Thanks for having me! I’ve been reading these interviews on your blog for years, and I’m excited to be included here now as an author!

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

I first wanted to be a writer after I won the Young Authors competition at my school in third grade. After college, I tried to write a fantasy novel. I started but kept getting stuck in the “messy middle.” I didn’t understand how to structure a novel. It wasn’t until years later, when I started blogging and going to bookish conferences and generally firmly entrenching myself in bookishness that I decided to learn more about writing and try again!

2. It’s cool that you got more into writing through your blogging. Where did you get the idea for The Song of Orphan’s Garden?

When I was a child, I listened to a recording of “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde over and over again. The themes of this story and the image of a little boy crying in his one corner of winter while the rest of the garden is bathed in spring stuck in my head for a lifetime. Those themes and images eventually blossomed into this book. (I actually wrote a whole post on this, with more detail over on the Middle Grade Escapades blog. You might want to check that out!)

Your Writing Process

3. What made you decide to write this story as a novel in verse instead of in prose?

This is a tough question for me because the real answer is, it just always lived in my head as poetry. From the first moment I thought of this concept, it was writing itself in my head in verse. I tend to write introspective stories, so they lend themselves to verse anyway, and then I reinforced that with the musical themes of the book, which also work well in poetic forms. One unique aspect of this book is that it contains some formal poems in addition to the free verse. I have always loved formal poems, and I think they add an extra layer of beauty and depth to the story.

4. How did you plot out The Song of Orphan’s Garden? Is the process any different because you’re telling the story as a novel in verse?

I did a rough outline of the story in bullet points at the beginning. I actually just went back and reread it, and it is very rough indeed! (It involves lots of questions and brainstorming still on the page.) But that outlining process wasn’t really any different than it would have been for a prose novel. I then worked on character development by doing the exercises in the book Story Genius by Lisa Cron (an excellent resource that I would recommend to all writers out there!). Finally, as I wrote the book, some of that plotting and worldbuilding changed. One major change I made came after submitting the first ten pages to an editor, Melissa Manlove, for a critique—she pointed out some things that made me restructure parts of the narrative and made the book much better!

5. It’s interesting to hear that your plotting process was similar to writing a book in prose. Discuss your world-building process. Was it easier or harder to show your readers the world you created through your verses?

I do think it’s a lot harder to write a fantasy in verse (which is why not many people do it!). With verse, you necessarily have to leave a lot up to the reader’s imagination. It’s really about providing the basics of the magic system and vivid images that will help readers fill in those gaps. Of course, I mapped out the entire world-building in my notes, but the reader doesn’t necessarily see all of it on page. Magic is incredibly important in my book’s world, but it’s used sparingly because the costs are high. So I had to make sure the times it is used are impactful for the reader. Hopefully I did that!

Your Journey to Publication

6. Deborah Warren is your agent. How did she become your agent and what was your road to getting a publishing contract like?

I actually met Deb at an SCBWI conference. She did a session on pitches and described what she likes to see in a pitch very directly. (It happened to be different than a lot of other agents like—Deb likes you to tell her the why in your pitch. Why is this the book of your heart, the book only you could write? Most agents don’t want that sort of background.) Because of the conference, I was able to query Deb when she was normally closed to submissions, and I was able to structure my pitch specifically to her tastes. It worked! Knowing as much as you can about the agents you’re querying makes a big difference!

I’d love to say everything was rainbows and unicorns from there on out, but my first book on sub actually didn’t sell. Looking back at it now, I’m thankful because I think TSoOG is a much stronger debut, but it was definitely tough to swallow at the time. The only thing you can do is keep writing and try again. On a positive note, TSoOG was only on sub for a month before it sold, so you never know what will happen!

7. A lot of authors don’t sell the first book they got an agent with, so you’re not alone in your experience. What has it been like working with your editor? What advice do you have for writers working with an editor for the first time?

Emily Settle is incredible. She has such a passion and belief in my book, and I really needed that. The publishing process is HARD—even once you’ve sold a book, imposter syndrome looms, and Emily’s fast belief in the quality of my writing and the importance of this story was key to me holding it together.

One thing I’ve learned is that the editing process itself varies wildly from person to person. There is no “one way” things are done. My editing was relatively light, which actually threw me at first, but the small changes had a big impact, giving Lyriana more agency in the story. As a side note, I also added one new scene that was recommended by my sensitivity reader (she didn’t recommend a specific scene, but she wanted a deeper understanding of why Lyriana felt the way she did). Again, this added scene helped my characters feel more real and balanced.

So, I guess my advice to authors working with an editor is just to be prepared to expect the unexpected. You can talk to ten different authors who will all have had wildly different experiences with the editing process.

Promoting Your Book

8. How are you planning to promote your book?

Oh, this is a good question, and I wish I had an equally good answer. The truth is, marketing middle grade is difficult. Your readers are kids, so you’re really promoting to educators and gatekeepers. Right now, I’m focusing on booking school visits to reach as many kids as I can. I also sent my ARC out to a few ARC sharing groups. If I’m being honest, I’ve been a little disappointed with the lack of early reviews (which translates essentially to a lack of buzz), but this isn’t something I have control over, and I can only focus on the things I can control!

One big thing I’m doing is a pre-order campaign. It’s open until tomorrow—one week after publication—so there’s still time to get in on it! (And, actually, if you happen to read this too late, still fill out the form because if I have goodies available, I’ll honor your entry after the due date, since I’m talking about it now.) The campaign includes a sticker, a bookmark, a signed bookplate, and a double-sided art print of the maps from the book. (These are particularly special to me because my daughter drew the maps!!) You can find details on my website.

Oh, and I created a fun trailer with music that was written by a friend of mine (which she based off the little tune I created for the bookplate). You can see that on my Instagram or my (barely used) TikTok.

9. You’re also a member of Middle Grade Escapades, a group of debut middle grade authors. How did you join this group? How has it helped you navigate your debut year and promote your book?

Sara Shacter, a fellow SCBWI-IL member, contacted me with a proposal to start a debut group when she saw I was also debuting with a middle grade novel in 2025. I belonged to a general 2025 debut group on Discord, but Sara and I agreed creating a small, focused MG debut group would be really helpful, so I basically went onto the larger Discord and asked if anyone was interested. Not surprisingly, almost everyone was. (We actually had to make the decision to cap our membership at 16, just to ensure things didn’t get unwieldy.)

The group is a fantastic resource, both for information and comradery during this lead-up to our debuts and as a marketing tool, because we have 16 other people cheering us on at all times!!

I would love it if everyone would check out the Middle Grade Escapades website, where you’ll find 15 other debut MG books I just know you’re going to love!!

10. Being in a more focused group sounds like a great idea. You’re also a bookseller at Barnes & Noble. Has this helped you get your book in their stores? Do you have any advice for the rest of us on getting our books on their shelves?

Oh, if only I had a magical formula! I actually found out recently that being a bookseller has helped me get my book on the shelves at B&N. Apparently, it’s getting sent out to about 175 stores, which is good considering not all MG titles make it onto their shelves at all these days (as most of you know). And a little birdie told me there’s a note on the order that says I’m a B&N bookseller. 😊

As far as advice I can give, I honestly can’t tell you how to get corporate to carry your book. This is really between your publisher and the B&N buyer, and there’s basically nothing you can personally do to make it happen. But you can contact your local BNs and ask them to carry it. Most booksellers won’t hesitate to request a traditionally published book by a local author (they don’t necessarily have control over whether it gets actually ordered, but the person who orders for my store is very receptive to bookseller requests). Unfortunately, if you’re self-published or published by a very small publisher, that complicates things because those books are harder to get in and often not returnable if the store can’t sell them—it’s still worth a shot, but just know the road will be harder for you.

11. Thanks for the honest advice. What are you working on now?

I’m currently editing a book I’d previously written in prose into verse. I think it works much better that way! Hopefully I’ll be going on sub with that book at the beginning of next year. Wish me luck!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Nicole. You can find Nicole at NicoleMHewitt.com or on Instagram or Bluesky!

Giveaway Details

Nicole and her publisher is generously offering a hardback of The Song of Orphan’s Garden for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by February 8th. If your email is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or follow Nicole on her social media sites, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S. and Canada.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Saturday, February 1st I’m participating in the Heart to Heart Giveaway Hop

Monday, February 3rd I have an interview with Rosanne Parry and a giveaway of her MG A Wolf Called Wander

Wednesday, February 5th I have an interview with Shelly Page and a giveaway of her YA Brewed With Love and my IWSG post

Monday, February 12th I have an interview with Elly Swartz and a giveaway of her MG Same Page

Sunday, February 16th I’m participating in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop

Monday, February 17th I have an agent spotlight interview with Jim Averbeck

Monday, February 24th I have an agent spotlight interview with Reiko Davis and a query critique giveaway

I hope to see you on Saturday!