This interview was published in June 2006 on the Crafty Writer message board.
The link is:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Thecraftywriter/message/32
This is the content of the interview -
The Crafty Writer [TCW] Interview with romance writer, Nikki Leigh
TCW: Welcome to the Crafty Writer, Nikki. You write both historical
and contemporary romance, would you like to tell readers a little
about your writing?
NIKKI: Each of my stories are set along the east coast of the US and
lighthouses are involved in the setting and the story. My first novel
Stormy View (contemporary) and Widow's Walk (historic) are set at the
same lighthouse near Gloucester, Mass. and include the same family. I
like strong heroines. Some are born strong and others are made strong
by their circumstances.
TCW: What type of research do you need to carry out for your books?
NIKKI: I like to know that my story details, historic and setting
details are accurate. So, I spend a lot of time doing research to be
accurate. I really think this comes through in Widow's Walk more than
in Stormy View. That is probably because there are so many more
details to research with historic novels. I just spent a week at the
beach at Cape Hatteras, NC working on a novella. It is a murder
mystery and I spent the week talking to local historians, a museum
director and many of the local people to get more details for the
story.
TCW: Where do you get your ideas from?
NIKKI: The original idea for Stormy View was over 17 years ago and I
simply don't remember. But, the idea for Widow's Walk started which I
was creating the family history within Stormy View. MY Cape Hatteras
story is based on an idea I've had for years and the original story
was a prize for a fund raising event I developed for a local animal
shelter. An entrant sent a picture of their German Shepherd in the
surf on the Outer Banks for North Carolina. It was the perfect chance
to write my lighthouse mystery. The Shepherd is a main character in
the story.
TCW: What's a typical writing day like for you?
I write full time. The majority of this work is non fiction which I
write for Atlantic Publishing. These are management books which gives
me a chance to draw on about twenty years of management experience.
Part of each week day is also spent working as a moderator on an
affiliate marketing forum, writing articles for the forum and the
blog. Many of the articles are good for any online marketing
strategies. The address is: www.affiliatemarketingblog.com and the
forum is located at: www.affcommunity.com. I work on both of these
sites under the user ID - litekepr. These things are paying the bills
for now, but I need to find more time to work on my fiction projects.
TCW: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
NIKKI: I knew in elementary school that I wanted to write. A couple
of months ago I spoke with my 2nd grade teacher and she was thrilled
about my books being released. She said, "I always knew you would do
it." I wish that I'd has that much confidence in myself, earlier.
TCW: Who or what inspired you?
NIKKI: I've always loved to read, but I knew at some point I would
write my own stories. Some elements of various authors show up in my
work and my friends have compared my work to many different authors.
But, I strive to have my own style and voice, although I want to have
strong characters, vivid settings and accurate details.
TCW: Do you have any writing advice for readers of The Crafty Writer
who think they have a book inside of them?
NIKKI: Don't let other people be negative and distract you from your
dream. It takes a lot of focus and determination to reach your writing
goals, but its worth the work and frustration. Its also good to go
into writing with the knowledge that learning to write the book is
only the first step in a long and rewarding process.
TCW: What was the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
NIKKI: To stick with the project. I also spoke with Jeffrey Deaver
(one of my favorite authors) a couple of months ago and he gave me
some writing tips and re-inforced the idea of outlining and planning a
story before I write the book. I was reassured to have a successful
author (22 books in 25 languages the last I heard) who agrees about
outlining and planning the story. I was shocked to learn that his
research and outlining takes about 8 months for each book. Whew - and
I thought I did a lot of planning. I'm a very organized person and
find it much easier to write the story once I have a plan in mind
which helps my characters to give me their thoughts and suggestions as
well.
TCW: What are your writing goals for the remainder of 2006?
NIKKI: My latest non fiction project will be complete by the end of
June or July. That publisher has already offered me another contract
to rework their best selling restaurant management handbook for the
4th edition. I also plan to finish and possibly release my Cape
Hatteras novella this fall. It would be wonderful to complete the
sequel to Widow's Walk. If things go well, I will plan to write the
first marketing book in a series I want to write. These are all the
projects I want to work on, but probably won't finish all of them this
year.
TCW: Where can readers purchase your books?
NIKKI: Widow's Walk is available in ebook format and the print book
will be available later this year. Stormy View is available in print
and ebook formats. The easiest way to find the most up to date info is
at my website:
http://www.nikkileigh.com/books_4_sale.htm.
I update that page with the most current information. My first non
fiction was released in May and my second non fiction is pre-selling
well on Amazon and several other online sites. My non fiction work is
released under my given name - Shri Henkel. For more information about
the background I bring to my non fiction work, see:
www.sandcconsulting.com/resume.htm
I can be reached at
nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com
TCW: Thank you for your time!
____________________
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