Born in Haiti
and moving to the U.S. at the age of 3, she has always had an incredible
imagination. By the age of nine, she was typing away on her word processor,
developing poems and short stories. She remembers the excitement she felt
submitting them to writing contests in grade school and placing 1st and 2nd
place each time. In 2005, an idea came to her and, as she started piecing
together the entire plot and developing her characters for the Omordion
Trilogy, she couldn’t be happier. This is what she wanted to do! Between
working full-time in the financial industry and raising an imaginative son as a
single mother, she developed the fantastical world of Omordion.
Your real name and pen name?
My real name is Ernande Orcel
and my pen name is Nande Orcel, which is really just my nickname that the
closest people in my life call me. For some reason, it’s easier to say than
Ernande which have been mistaken for my last name time and time again and also
mistaken for a boy’s name.
What career did you plan during
your education days?
I went to college for
International Business because I always wanted to work and/or live overseas.
Especially since I have yet to be outside of the Western Hemisphere. But I hope
to change that fact soon! Currently I have been in the financial industry for
fourteen years and, while I do like my job, it’s not what I want to do for the
rest of my life.
What is your biggest source of
inspiration in life?
My biggest influence is J.K.
Rowling. She has been an inspiration for me when it comes to being a writer and
pursuing my dreams. Being a single mother like she was at the time she wrote
the first Harry Potter book, I know there is nothing stopping me from
accomplishing my goals if I keep on working at it.
What is the biggest challenge you
have faced? How did you overcome it?
I have to say editing my first book
was the hardest thing for me. Because I chose to edit the entire book myself, I
became my worst critic. Time and time again, I would think the book is ready
but I would then choose to read it again and find many more flaws that I wanted
to change. I think I read it about two thousand times. It was a long process
but a very fulfilling one.
What is your favorite genre and
why?
My favorite genre is YA
Fantasy. I love reading them and immersing myself in different worlds and
situations that would never—ever happen in real life. The possibilities are
endless and I like to see where the author takes his or her characters.
When did you start writing?What is the purpose of your writing?
I started writing short
stories and poems when I was around nine years old. I would submit them to
writing contests in school and receive these little ‘You’re A Star’ trophies
with my name engraved on it and I absolutely loved it. In 2005, an idea for a
new story came to me and I decided to turn it into a full-length novel. Of
course, I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. Writing an entire novel is nothing
like writing short stories! But overtime, it dawned on me that I was actually
making it happen. My dream is to be an author of many books so this is only the
beginning!
Which of your work has been
published so far? Would you like to share a synopsis of your work?
My
debut novel, Secret of Omordion was released in October of last year, 2013. It
is the first book in the Omordion Trilogy. Secret
of Omordion is a coming of age story about five students who embark on a
journey to rescue their kidnapped teacher. Now these are not just ordinary
students. They are descendents from a clan called the Dokami who have blended
in with the people of Western Omordion for three hundred years. When a severe
threat comes from the East in the form of an evil king, the Dokami were forced
to reveal their secret and train five children not to restrain their powers but
to increase them. Along their journey to find their teacher, the five students
encounter many secrets that Omordion holds. Secrets which could potentially end
their lives.
What are your forthcoming
writings?
I am currently working on Book Two
of the Omordion Trilogy: Rise of Jmugea. I started writing it a few years ago
but took a break to edit and publish Secret of Omordion. I am also starting
work on the third book of the trilogy, Return to Oeua, where my story comes to
a very powerful end.
What are your future plans?
My
future plans are to write more books and become an established author. If I could do what I love all day and get paid for it, it’s
a no-brainer!
Your dream destination on Earth?
There are so many places on
Earth I would like to see, it’s hard to pick just one dream destination. If I
had to narrow it down to two very difficult choices, I would choose either Japan
or India. When I was in college, I wanted to live and work in Japan so I took a
Japanese language course and learned a lot of the language, plus the Hiragana
and Katakana symbols so I could read basic Japanese. Unfortunately, over the
years I lost a lot of what I learned but I’m still very interested in seeing
the country.
I have wanted to go to India
for so long as well… My favorite hobby besides writing is dancing and I have
been taking Classical Indian (Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi) dance
classes for eleven years. Over the years, I have fallen in love with the
culture, the people, the movies, etc. making it one of, if not my top,
destination to visit. Just don’t know where to go first!
Your origin of birth and other
countries you have visited/ stayed. What best things you liked in these
countries around the globe?
I was born in Haiti and came
to United States when I was 3 years old. Like I mentioned earlier, I have only
visited countries in this side of the world, like the Caribbean Islands and
Canada, which is really sad. I have been back to Haiti a few times since I
left. It’s always a surreal and uplifting trip…so depressing whenever I had to
leave. Haiti is a beautiful island and the people there are even more
beautiful. On cruises, my family and I have visited Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Key
West, the Bahamas, and Nova Scotia. My favorite place to visit was Nassau in
the Bahamas because I love water parks and Atlantis is (by far) the best one I
have ever been to. Period.
Your favorite time of the day?
My favorite time of the day
is around 2pm when the sun is at its highest. It sort of rejuvenates me and
carries me further through the rest of the day.
Your zodiac/ sunsign?
I am a Libra, born on October
13th during the Week of Theater I’ve read. If
"all the world's a stage," as Shakespeare wrote, then people born in
the Week of Theater are some of the finest players upon it. I would hope that’s
true for me!
Your favorite color and why?
My favorite color is red. To
me, it’s the color of love and it is very eye catching.
Your favorite book and why?
Only one book? Lol just kidding…Anne Rice is one of my
favorite authors so a lot of my favorite books come from her works: The Vampire
Chronicles (10 books) and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. Her writing is
flawless and she captures the reader, pulling them into her stories as if they
were an actual retelling of human history. I absolutely love her work.
The last line of your
autobiography would be…
“And
she lived happily ever after…” Lol no, it would probably be “And the best is
yet to come.”
