Nicki Jacobsmeyer - October 2025 Featured Author
Nicki Jacobsmeyer is the author of The Ghostly Tales of St. Charles: Spooky America (Arcadia Children’s Books, 2025) and other nonfiction books. She is represented by Senior Agent Heather Cashman of Storm Literary. She is the Co-Host of the Way-Word Writers Podcast and a certified career coach. Besides reading and writing, she loves to travel, the outdoors, sunsets, family barbeques, and watching a storm come in from her front porch.
Congrats on your newly released middle-grade nonfiction book, The Ghostly Tales of St. Charles. Tell us a little about it!
The book’s blurb states it best:
Stay alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms.
Did you know that on moonlit nights, ghostly pioneers stroll St. Charles's historic Main Street? Or that at Grandma's Cookies, you might just meet a spirit with a sweet tooth? Can you believe that whispers from the past still echo at the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Museum?
Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see St. Charles forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on!
You can order the book here: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/the-ghostly-tales-of-st-charles-9781467196048/?queryID=e820a9887363d594f60af498917a67f6&objectID=9781467196048&insightsIndex=arcadia-publishing_products
How did you get started? Did you always want to be a children's author?
I started entertaining my imagination by writing stories down in elementary school. Even though the written word has been a passion, I went to college (MIZZOU-RAH!) for a business degree. It wasn’t till after our youngest went to kindergarten did I follow my dream of becoming a writer. Since I’d been raising my two sons, children’s writing seemed like the natural choice since ideas were floating in my head. I enjoy writing for adults also, but there is something precious about watching a child light up from a book.
We'd love to hear more about your writing journey. What's the process been like?
A journey, for sure! When I began writing in 2014, I adored reading but knew nothing about the craft. I became a sponge and read books and took as many free or low cost workshops I could. I joined a chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild and SCBWI, where I found my community and critique groups. After tons of research, hard work, and rejections, I was blessed to get my first two pub deals in 2016 & 2017. When I volunteered to be the Assistant Regional Advisor for our region, I got the opportunity to meet more agents and editors. SCBWI has been a beacon in a tough yet rewarding industry. I found my first agent through a KSMO critique, and after five years, we parted amicably. Since then, I’m grateful to have found my current agent and have sold three books and more to be announced soon. I make a point to celebrate EVERY win along the way. Whether it’s a promising critique, a champagne reject, or a book deal. Just like you all, the journey has been an adventure, and I’m grateful for the Way-Word Writers and SCBWI communities.
What is your daily writing routine?
Honestly, one day doesn’t look like another. Like you, I wear many hats, so organization and time management are a key to my survival (and sanity!). I’m blessed in that writing, Way-Word Writers, and my family are my full-time jobs. Self-discipline is a skill that doesn’t always come easy because writing is HARD. Even though we love the art, it’s not for the faint of heart. My brain does best when I focus on one task a day. On a good week, when life doesn’t throw me a curveball, I do my marketing on Mondays, writing on Tuesday and Thursday, research on Wednesday, and Friday for whatever I need, depending on where I am in a project. Weekends are for family and recharging my battery. Unless, of course, I’m on a deadline. Then it’s for caffeine and furiously writing.
How have you stayed connected to the writing community?
SCBWI provides many opportunities to connect with other writers and illustrators on a regional and international level, both in-person and virtually. Connecting with critique partners and groups has made all the difference. Last year, two of my dear friends and critique partners launched the Way-Word Writers podcast. Our mission is to nurture and enrich the established writer’s journey of all genres, age groups, and publishing paths through video podcasts, online classes, in-person retreats, and more. The writers in our community have filled my cup in many ways.
How has networking with other writers helped you along the way?
As a business major, I’m biased, but networking is essential in the publishing industry. Yes, you have to learn the craft and know how to write. First and foremost, it’s about the story. However, many of my book deals, with and without an agent, started with a contact. A critique partner suggested a publishing house to send my submission, a writing retreat introduced me to an acquiring faculty member, etc. The publishing industry is big, but it’s also small. Making connections and building authentic relationships can only help your writing career, in my opinion.
Do you have a critique group? And if so, how has that group been beneficial to your career?
Absolutely! Everyone should have a critique partner or group if they are seeking publication. I’ve learned from my critique group and being a critique partner to them. My SCBWI group not only have been my cheerleaders but they’ve been kind, honest, and challenged me to become a better writer. My career would look much different without them.
Who would you say influences you and your writing?
Everyone. Mostly my family, friends, and loved ones. Ideas are always coming from people I meet or see. The world is full of possibilities, and they influence my writing.
What challenges have you experienced that you didn't expect?
When I first started as a writer and people said writing and publishing was hard, I thought they meant hard like running out of coffee in the morning. Obviously, I was wrong! Part of the reason it’s hard is that anything can and will happen when you least expect it. My challenges include: my agency closing during the pandemic, a rejection after two rounds of revise and resubmits with a big five editor, and being agented for five years and not selling a book. We’ve all had plenty of challenges. But dwelling on those things doesn't serve me, so I try to focus on the next joy.
What do you love about being a writer?
I can travel to any place, learn any profession, be any kind of person, and experience the unthinkable, all from daring to be a writer.
What do you do when you are not writing?
I’m addicted to reading, of course, and puzzles. I’m a sucker for themed events and traveling. Watching a storm come in from my front porch and sunsets give me warm fuzzies.
What is the best advice you've ever been given about writing? What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?
The best advice I’ve been given is not to waste time and energy on the uncontrollables. The market, timing, book deals-these are uncontrollables. The only thing I can control is the amount of time I put my butt in the seat and write AND how I’m going to respond to the rest. For those starting out, or any writer for that matter, BE BRAVE! I’ve found over the past decade that when I force myself to get uncomfortable (try something new, challenge myself, stretch my goal, get out of my comfort zone), this is where the MAGIC happens!
What are you currently working on? Anything else upcoming you'd like us to know about?
On the children’s front, I’m researching for a book that hasn’t been announced yet. Stay tuned ;) For the adult market, I’m in the beginning brainstorm and outlining process for my first thriller novel under my maiden name, Nicole Hunt. I’ve a forthcoming non-fiction children’s book, Tales on Trails: The Packhorse Librarians of Appalachia with Arcadia Children’s Books in 2026.