Meet Nina Marie

We were lucky to catch up with Nina Marie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nina, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

I think my ability to take risks came from having the regret of not taking them. When you have a teenager, you kind of always look back and remember who you were at that age and what you wished you would have done differently. There were so many times I passed up opportunities- partially from poor self-esteem thinking I couldn’t do those things, but also from fear of failure and embarrassing myself. While I obviously can’t go back and change things, I can change how I approach my life going forward. I also started to wonder how being afraid to take certain risks could impact my daughter and her ability to take risks as well. If she sees me scared to do new things, to try new things, would she be scared too? I guess what I realized in the long run is that you only live once. You might only be faced with a certain opportunity once. The worst people can tell you is “no” and that I shouldn’t worry about what people think of me for wanting to try something different because at least I’m trying. When it really comes down to it, I’m taking a risk and facing fears daily. Whether it’s me making a reel and putting it on social media or writing a new book and submitting it to a publisher. It’s become second nature now. For five seconds I freak out about taking that risk and then I just do it and hope for the best!

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?

My name is Nina Marie and I’m a local Indie Romance Author. This means that I write, edit, publish, distribute, and market my book myself, without the backing of a traditional publisher. As a romance author, I love to write about strong female main characters that are usually healing from trauma and fall in love with the guy next door. I love stories that are more realistic and deal with real-life issues and feelings. I’m currently working on a story about a woman who escapes some pretty severe abuse and is on the run, hiding from her abuser. When she thinks she’s finally safe, she settles down- here in Colorado- to try to make a normal life for herself again, when she happens to fall in love with her introverted neighbor. It’s been a hard story to write because it dives into some pretty dark themes, but what I love about it is the healing aspects, her self-discovery, and her ability to love and trust again- because so often after abusive relationships, we don’t think we can do that. I should be launching this book in January 2026.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

One thing about being an Indie author is that you really need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Everything you’re going to do from the moment you decide to become an Indie author is going to be uncomfortable. From writing and publishing your book and worrying about if anyone is going to like it or read it. From marketing and distributing your book- because you don’t have a traditional publisher doing this for you, if you want people to know about your book and to read it, you need to market it- and if you don’t know how to market it or how to place ads, you’ll want to learn how. A lot of us are fine behind the camera, but your audience wants to know you too. So that means putting yourself out there, letting them see you, talk to you about your book, get to know you as an author. You have to talk to people and that can be uncomfortable too.

Patience is huge as an Indie author. Sure, you can blow up on social media, but most of the time that isn’t the case. Shoot some of the books that have blown up on social media were terrible reads, and yet I’ve read some of the best books by Indie authors who barely have followers. It just takes time and consistency. For example, it took me over a month to get my book into some local bookstores and into some libraries. And just because it takes time doesn’t mean that your book sucks. Be patient, I swear it will pay off.

Lastly, social media should be a major player in your marketing. Focus on one platform for at least one year. Post consistently about your book, your process, you as an author. Pay for ads (let them run for a week see how it impacts your sales, your views, your growth, reassess.) Consider your social media as a whole ad experiment to what works and what doesn’t. Pay attention to your audience- what they engage with, what they love. Social media can be a great tool if used correctly. For example, I was using Facebook to promote my books (I’ve had social media for awhile…) Facebook was not showing up for them at all. So I tried with Instagram- my views were already quadruple what they were on Facebook and I wasn’t even putting in an effort there. So I started to focus solely on Instagram. Let’s just say, it’s been fruitful! And even without paying for ads, you are marketing your book for free on social media- so don’t miss that opportunity.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed I take a break. Sometimes that looks like a walk in nature and sometimes that looks like a relaxing bath with bubbles or a bath bomb. I think it’s really important though to create some sort of schedule for yourself if you can. My writing schedule itself can be a little all over the place because I like to write when the house is quiet, however, I do take days off where I won’t touch my story just so that I do have a break away from it to recalibrate. I also think that maintaining a good self-care regimen is important as well to keep form getting overwhelmed. I meditate daily, go for walks, do yoga, and work out too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://authorninamarie.square.site
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_ninamarie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorninamarie/
• Other: Unexpectedly Yours https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F855LG28
  https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nina-Marie/author/B0FBXMR9DF?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=0c27aab8-7444-47db-a698-7dac8f5a14e8