Interview with Nicole Greylily: Winter 2025 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up

Nicole’s Bio: Nicole is a writer and aspiring novelist currently working in the Cybersecurity realm. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, attending her little sister’s school and sporting events, and snuggling with her two cats, Athena and Nyx. Nicole credits the strong women in her life, primarily her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, for supporting her dreams and aspirations. “Greylily” is an homage to Nicole’s late great-grandmother who would proudly point out a small statue of a girl reading in her house and call it her “little Nicole.” Connect with Nicole on Bluesky @nicolegreylily. 

If you haven't done so already, check out Nicole's award-winning story "Boxed Fate" and then return here for a chat with the author. 

WOW: Congratulations on placing in the Winer 2025 Flash Fiction Contest! What excited you most about writing this story? 

Nicole: This piece came from a weekly challenge I like to do to keep my creative juices flowing. I use a random number generator and write a story based on whatever prompt correlates with the number. This piece came from the prompt of "music box." Ballet immediately popped into my mind, along with an old music box I had as a child. 

WOW: Ooh, I’d like to use that process for creating a weekly challenge. What a great idea! What did you learn about yourself or your writing while crafting this piece? 

Nicole: This piece helped to boost my confidence both in my writing and sharing it with others. Writing is something I've always enjoyed, but up until now, it wasn't something I'd shared with others outside of coursework. 

WOW: We’re so delighted that you chose to share it with us! Your bio states that you’re an aspiring novelist. Are you working on a novel now and can you tell us about it? What draws you to novel writing? 

Nicole: Yes, I am currently working on a novel! It is a fantasy novel that explores themes of family expectations, propaganda, and discrimination. With the madness of our world, I'd love to create and share stories that can offer other readers a moment of reprieve as my favorite authors do for me. 

WOW: What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it? 

Nicole: One of the books I'm currently reading Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. I chose to read this because it has been long overdue, and I believe it's something similar to the novel I'm in the process of writing. I also live close to UNC-Chapel Hill, which is a fun perk. 

WOW: If you could give your younger self one piece of writing advice, what would it be and why? 

Nicole: My advice would be to just write. Don't worry about whether it's going to be an award winner. Continue to hone your craft, have fun, and the rest will come. 

WOW: I love the advice to “have fun” with your writing. That’s an important aspect of having a sustainable writing practice. Anything else you’d like to add? 

Nicole: On a similar note to the above point, I'd like to share one of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelou: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” 

WOW: Excellent quote! Thank you so much for sharing your story and your thoughtful responses with us. Happy writing! 

Interviewed by Anne Greenawalt, founder and editor-in-chief of Sport Stories Press, which publishes sports books by, for, and about sportswomen and amateur athletes. Connect on social media @greenmachine459.