NARCISSIA NETAL
Narcissia Netal, a prolific writer and artist already at 18 years old, is set to release her sixth book, “A Poem for a Sorry Soul,” this month. “This book is probably one of the darkest concepts I have ever written,” she said. “This story has two major questions: how can someone justify tragedy and if someone can be redeemed. That last one is for you to decide.”
Narcissia wrote her first book when she was 10 years old, about a post-apocalyptic world with aliens and different species, she said. “For a 10 year old, the book was pretty avant garde.” She now has a total of seven manuscripts completed, with an eighth in the works. “I hope to release a book every season,” she said. “Usually with my books, I like to have some sort of lesson with the premise or some concept…I joke that I write fables, not stories.”
Usually with my books, I like to have some sort of lesson with the premise or some concept.
Her stories take a dark slant, featuring mystery bunkers, failing mental health, toxic relationships, narcissism, domestic abuse. Narcissia uses art to process her lived experience, and while her childhood may have been mired in similar experiences as the characters in her books, she is finding freedom in expressing herself as a young adult. “I have gone through a lot in my life – mental health struggles, toxic relationships, etc. But I have grown from it,” she said.
Her appreciation for where she grew up has blossomed as she’s gotten older, as well. “There’s a vibrant community under the surface, and being raised here, I came to appreciate it much more,” she said. “I have finally come to appreciate the beautiful people. Being raised here, I saw all the negatives. But having grown, I have seen all the positives, and if I become famous, I want to give back to the community that made me.”
here’s a vibrant community under the surface, and being raised here, I came to appreciate it much more.
You may have seen Narcissia at any number of vendor markets this past season, where she could be seen selling not only her catalog of books, but also a wide array of mixed media art inspired by video games and horror media. “I have been doing art all my life, but when I was 10, I quit because I couldn’t draw a straight line,” she said. “Eventually, I actually embraced that, and used the jagged, sketchy lines that I could draw and turned that into art. I used to see it as a weakness, but now I see it as a unique feature of my art.”
She started featuring at vendor markets just this past April, and has already lost count on how many she’s attended. “I just started doing them this year, and have from moderate to great success. I am hoping to do way more, and I love the people at them,” she said.
Photos by Kristy Lock
Narcissia also expresses herself through the medium of music. “I love writing music and making it, as it lets me tell different stories in different formats,” she said. “I actually make a lot of fan-made soundtracks, and all of my books have a soundtrack too. It’s another way to tell stories and share my art with the world.”
Narcissia hopes her artwork, in one of its myriad forms, strikes a chord with others. “I just want people to appreciate it. I don’t do a lot of this for myself, I hope that someone enjoys what I make,” she said. “To know that maybe I made one person’s day, or changed one person’s life with my music, art and stories, is enough for me to be happy. I just want to be able to say I helped people through my work.”
Narcissia can often be seen posted up at the Dollar General on Lake Ave in Wrights Corners, where her books are available for purchase and signing, and will be part of the Lock City Books Cozy Fall Book Crawl October 4 and a show hosted by the Niagara Art Trail in November.
Find her books on Barnes & Noble and Amazon, or see Narcissia in-person at a community market sometime real soon.
Written by Kristy Lock
My name is Kristy and I’m an American journalist, specializing in profile writing. I’ve told the stories of frenetic & fascinating people in Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California, and my hometown of Western New York for nearly two decades. Feel free to drop me a line! I would love to hear your story sometime.
Photos provided except where noted.