When Nicola Harrison graduated from college, her beloved professor told her NOT to write a novel because she had "nothing to say yet." So, she moved to New York, worked as a fashion journalist, and didn't publish her first novel until she was 40. Now, Nicola is a bestselling historical fiction author with four books and a devoted readership.

In this episode of Literary Prospects, Nicola discusses her sun-soaked new novel The Island Club, set on Balboa Island, California in the 1950s. Nicola opens up about the winding road from fashion journalism to fiction, what it's like to write from three points of view for the first time, the 5 AM writing habit that transformed her productivity, and the real-life 1920s tennis star who inspired one of her central characters.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to find your writing community — why Nicola credits writing groups with keeping her accountable, sane, and moving forward

• The 5 AM Writers' Club — how waking up before the house stirs gave her two uninterrupted hours of pure creative output

• Research before you write — why she spends two full months researching before typing a single word, and why knowing more than you'll ever use is the key to authenticity

• Plotter vs. pantser — Nicola's honest take on why leaving room for surprise is actually a creative superpower

• Jumping into multiple POVs — what made her take the leap from single-narrator storytelling to three alternating perspectives, and how she pulled it off

• From journalism to fiction — how Nicola’s background in fact-based writing became an unexpected asset, and how she got past the fear of "just making things up"

• The road to publication — finding an agent, signing with St. Martin's Press, and why patience is non-negotiable in publishing

• Life experience is your raw material — the professor advice that stuck: get out, live your life, and then write

*To support the podcast and get awesome, bookish merch, check out the Literary Prospects Shop at https://shop.literaryprospects.com

*For books featured on the podcast and other curated booklists, check out our online store at Bookshop.org, Literary Prospects Books: https://bookshop.org/shop/literaryprospects

*More good stuff for writers and readers: https://literaryprospects.com

Topics and Timestamps:

1:10 — Welcome & book introductions: *The Island Club*

2:00 — What is *The Island Club* about?

3:39 — How Nicola discovered tennis and found community as an adult

6:30 — Joining the 5 AM Writers' Club

8:47 — Why Balboa Island? The history, the frozen bananas, and "Bal Week"

11:19 — Real tennis legend Suzanne Lenglen, the inspiration behind Adele

13:57 — Nicola’s research process

16:54 — Nicola’s Writing process

18:41 — Plotter vs. pantser

21:34 — Why *The Island Club* demanded three POVs

26:20 — What draws Nicola to writing historical beach fiction

27:43 — From fashion journalism to fiction

29:16 — Growing up in England, and writing as a child

29:33 — The professor advice that changed everything: "You have nothing to say yet"

30:42 — Road to publication

34:03 — The Taylor Swift boost: how *The Showgirl* got a surprise viral moment

35:46 — What Nicola wishes she'd known before publishing

37:35 — Surviving book tours: why Nicola brings her mom along

38:24 — Nicola's new writing workshop for aspiring authors (nicolaharrison.com)

40:27 — Best advice for aspiring authors: find your writing community

41:39 — Theme song pick