Meet Nina Neilson Little

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nina Neilson Little a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nina, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I believe in the power of books to educate, alter perspectives, and inspire. After suffering through five years of infertility including miscarriages, high-tech fertility treatments, an international adoption effort and a diagnosis of a genetic blood disorder; I figured I had a relatable and relevant story to share with the world.

As a former newspaper reporter and magazine editor, I had the writing background and once I had an answer to my “unexplained infertility” and an unexpected windfall in my motherhood journey, I knew I had the story. And so, my book Spirit Baby: Travels through China on the Long Road to Motherhood was born.

Part memoir and part travelogue, Spirit Baby tells of my five-year-long journey through infertility, my international adoption effort, my medical diagnosis, the many wonders of China and the healing benefits of travel. Spirit Baby weaves together themes of longing, loss, and learning to live again, while offering hope and celebrating the many paths to motherhood. My editor once said, “think ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ but for infertility set in China.”

If I can spread the word about my diagnosis of MTHFR (a genetic blood disorder that can cause fertility issues) and help one person avoid a devastating and potentially avoidable miscarriage and stressful and expensive fertility treatments and/or inspire someone hurt and suffering to travel, I will consider my book a success and my job well done.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

As a reader, writer, and lover of books, what is most important to me is making connections (whether to characters, setting or storyline). I absolutely love to hear from readers who have had a strong emotional connection to my book. I’ve heard from couples dealing with infertility who could relate to my journey; parents, siblings, friends and partners who have shared my book with those suffering infertility; and numerous readers who have been tested for blood disorders after reading Spirit Baby. Not to mention, the countless readers who enjoyed my book based on a connection to China, an interest in Chinese history and culture, and/or a love of traveling.

Writing about infertility is intimidating; the topic can be triggering, depressing, and overwhelming. This is why, instead of creating another book focused solely on the technical side of infertility or the overwhelming emotions, I chose to blend my journey through infertility with a cathartic trip to China (sharing a few Chinese legends and feng shui beliefs about virility along the way). I traveled to China during a time of great anxiety in my life, while languishing on an adoption waiting list. I strongly believe that traveling during times of trauma and stress can be very healing. It’s hard to carry emotional baggage across an ocean and remain depressed when everything is exotic and new and you’re served snake wine and hairy crabs for lunch!

I am always happy to hear feedback that “while her journey is one with sadness and loss, she writes with such positivity that the overall feel of this book is uplifting and wonderful.” One of the greatest compliments I have received is that my writing style is like “being taken by the hand” and “sitting down over a cup of tea with a dear friend.”

I have been featured in several magazine articles and podcast episodes relating to infertility. Plus, Spirit Baby has been selected for the Staff Recommendation Shelf at several bookstores throughout Colorado. I was thrilled when readers on Instagram voted Spirit Baby a Top Memoir (2019), a Top Ten Book of the Year (2020), and a Book of the Month (2021). Reviewers have called Spirit Baby, “a heartfelt and honest memoir,” “a reminder of why we travel,” and “a heartwarming and inspiring journey.”

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Fuel Your Passions: As a journalist, I have always been a keen observer of human nature, which has manifested into a passion for travel. My love of travel began at an early age. I traveled all over the world via books (I was obsessed with Prince Edward Island, Canada due to my love of the Anne of Green Gables series). Lucky for me, my father was a pilot and together we traveled all around the United States and sometimes the world. Reading and traveling fuel my love of world history, literature and folklore/mythology. I love meeting new people, trying new foods and experiences, attempting to speak foreign languages, learning about various traditions and folklore, and immersing myself in local culture. I keep very detailed travel journals, one of which turned into a book.

Helping Others: As an infertility survivor, I am passionate about helping others suffering through infertility. I am a member of Resolve, the National Infertility Association, I have been interviewed by numerous infertility magazines and podcasts and I was a speaker at an infertility conference. I met my best friend in the waiting room of an infertility clinic by sharing my story and listening to hers. This passion for helping others dealing with infertility is very much reciprocal as it builds my platform and spreads the word about my book.

Commitment to Craft: As a child, I wrote stories and drew pictures in a diary, in my youth I worked as a newspaper reporter interviewing others and telling their stories, and as an adult, I funneled my life and travel experiences into a book. These days, I read several books a month, focusing on a variety of genres and writing styles. Plus, I write book reviews for several publishers and websites. I am a member of numerous organizations for writers and attend a variety of workshops and conferences. After researching my family history, I have written a work of narrative non-fiction about the lives of women during the Civil War era. As a mother, I am always reading books with my children and have kept a journal detailing each year of their lives. In conclusion, I am always reading and writing!

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

It hasn’t been easy publishing and promoting a memoir, in a market saturated with memoirs, during a pandemic and the closure of numerous independent bookstores. It seems every fading celebrity, retired athlete, world traveler, soccer mom and loveable senior has a story to tell. Anyone and everyone can self-publish these days; but while it’s easy to publish, it’s impossible to promote when up against major publishers and corporations. I’m proud to have kept my book local and high quality by publishing with a hybrid, boutique publisher in Colorado.

I’ve learned to quickly let go of disappointments, always search out new opportunities, and enthusiastically celebrate achievements. While it has been challenging to grow my audience, those that have read my memoir have predominately shared glowing reviews and the readers who have learned from my book and gone on to become parents make it all worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ninalittlebooks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninalittlebooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NinaLittleBooks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-little-b851975/

Image Credits

Nina Little