We had the good fortune of connecting with Nina Little and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Nina, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
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 an important, 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, 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, I will consider my book a success and my job well done.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
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 countless readers who have been tested for blood disorders after reading Spirit Baby. Not to mention, numerous readers who enjoyed my book based on a connection to China.
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, 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 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 you’re served snake wine with 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.”
It hasn’t been easy publishing and promoting a memoir, in a market saturated with memoirs, during a pandemic! 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.
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.”
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living in the suburbs, we can easily go for a day trip to Fort Collins, a night out in Denver, a kid friendly activity in Colorado Springs, a commune with nature in Estes Park or brunch and shopping in Boulder.
Our family’s favorite restaurant, one that we can all agree on, is The Pumphouse in downtown Longmont. Closer to home, we enjoy the “upper-crust” pizzas at Echo Brewing in downtown Erie. I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, therefore I love the charming décor and authentic New Mexican food at Santo in Boulder. Lastly, my entire family is eagerly awaiting the grand reopening of the legendary Denver icon, Casa Bonita (think mini-Mexican-themed Disneyland-style restaurant with Acapulco cliff divers, now owned by the creators of South Park).
Lastly, you can’t come to Colorado without visiting a microbrewery! My favorite is the book-themed Fiction Beer Company in Denver or enjoy a beer inside a gondola at Sanitas Brewing Company in Boulder or live music on the patio of Breckenridge Brewing Farm House in Littleton.
We are a family of skiers and snowboarders, so once the snow falls, we spend a lot of time at our favorite resort Winter Park and always stay in a cabin at the fabulous YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch (with on-site restaurants, ice skating, sledding, swimming, roller skating, archery, rock climbing, craft room, horse back riding, even dog sledding). Our favorite summertime activity is dressing up as dragons, unicorns, princesses, and knights for the Colorado Renaissance Festival.
We also love to go camping, hiking and paddle boarding/kayaking (one of our favorite spots is alongside the Dillon Reservoir near Frisco). While our kids love visiting the animals at the Denver Zoo, we drive to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, just so we can get very up close and personal with giraffes. The best place to go shopping, go for brunch, get a coffee, buy a book, or just people watch is the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. Lastly, Denver’s new interactive art installation, Meow Wolf is nothing if not unique and memorable.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Surviving infertility takes a village but most of all an extraordinarily strong, committed, and supportive partner. I would not have made it to motherhood without my husband, Chris, by my side at endless doctor’s appointments, holding my hand through fertility treatments, crying beside me after miscarriages, injecting hormones into my body and celebrating the birth of our children. He was with me, every step of the way, through years of infertility, becoming a mother, and writing a book about the journey.
As for the dedication of my memoir, Spirit Baby: Travels through China on the Long Road to Motherhood, it reads:
“To my Spirit Baby, who gave me hope, and to the country of China, which gave me strength. You will forever remain in my heart.”
Website: https://www.ninalittlebooks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninalittlebooks/
Other: Via my website there is a bookfunnel link to download a free preview (introduction and first chapter) of Spirit Baby.
Image Credits
All photos are personal/promotional photos taken by myself (Nina Little) or my husband (Chris Little).