Creative Writing Magazine
Universal Creativity Inc.
Author Interview with Nikki Lynn Barrett
As a novelist, how would you
describe a writer's lifestyle as?
Crazy? Fun? Exciting?
It's my expression. Each story
I write, I learn and grow more
as an author.
Interesting question! I think it
varies. As for my particular
lifestyle, it's unpredictable. But
it's not just because I'm a writer, it's just how it goes. Now
inside my head- that's the crazy part. Characters constantly
nagging at me to write their
story (They are FAR worse
than sibling rivalry) I live like a
simple person. (I was going to
say normal, but I'm far from
normal)
Which novel was your very
first one that you published?
And can you tell us readers a
little bit about that novel?
How many novels have your
written so far? And how would
describe the experience of
having written and published
so many novels?
By the time this interview is
seen, I should have 12 completed works in my lifetime.
Three of them will never see
the light of day unless I completely rework them. One was
written when I was ten, another
in my teen years, and then a
romantic suspense when I was
in my early 20's. Then there's
the eight I have published and
the one that I'm attempting to
finish as I write this :)
As for the experience- It's surreal. I look at my Amazon author page and think “Did I really do this?” I've always had a
huge creative outlet, and writing has always been my way to
get feelings and thoughts out.
My debut story was a Christmas novel titled The Secret
Santa Wishing Well. I wrote
this during the late summer
months in Arizona...lol. I'd had
a short story in mind for a
while about a man meeting a
family in need and becoming
their 'Secret Santa' somehow.
What it turned into was a six
year old boy making a grown
up wish for his tired, overworked mother. The grumpy
mall Santa (Now he has his
reasons, mind you) is so
touched by the boy's wish he
nominates him for an award
and ends up meeting his mother. You know the rest from
there...it's a romance novel.
They meet, they enjoy each
other's company, and they
start to fall in love. And things
happen. This story has made
readers cry (that's the only
time I'm okay with making
someone cry!) and it was the
start to my incredible journey
as an author.
child lol)! Each has a special place in my heart! Secret Santa because of course that's my debut, but Baby Stetson is about music
and finally finding the courage to pursue your dreams, even at a
later stage in your life. I'm a singer/lyric writer myself, so writing
Avery (Baby Stetson) was so much of a blast. Then the books that
follow in that series. The Masterpiece books because Becca is a
reflection of two of my best friends, and I adore Hunter. See? I
can't. I can't pick just one.
What is the name of your latest novel? And can you tell us readers
briefly what it is about?
My latest which is almost done, is Fallen Idol. It's the fourth standalone book in my Love and Music in Texas series. Kyra Sanders,
the heroine, broke out in the music scene as a teenager and soared
to the top of the charts until an accident knocked her off the radar
until six years later. She's planning a comeback album, but her
parents are injured in a fire in Texas so she goes to see them. The
hero, Matt, is a single father dealing with his ex-wife’s abandonment when she finally decided to pursue her own music dreams
but goes about it the wrong way. There's a suspense element as
well, as someone doesn't want Kyra to make a comeback on the
music scene.
What would you say inspired you to write your novels? How has
this inspiration helped you as you progressed further as a talented
author in your genre?
My inspiration comes from everywhere. An idea might spark from
a news story, a song title, lyrics...I mean really...my muse is on full
swing and will hit me with ideas all the time. Sometimes while writing my current books, I get ideas for something else. I try to keep
my stories unpredictable and unique. As I progress further, I think
readers are learning easily that my stories don't fit the typical formula. There's many layers and dimensions to my stories, and it's
because I use real life inspirations and aspects to keep them that
way, but still add that element of “Escapism and fantasy' to help
readers get away from reality.
Out of all your novels which
one would say was your most
favorite to write and why?
Oh, this question is too hard!!
It's like asking which kid is
your favorite (I only have one
2