Interview with Dark Romance Author Nikki Watson

Let's sit down and have a chat with dark romance author Nikki Watson.

So, Nikki, when did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Gosh, I can't remember the first time I knew I wanted to be a writer, mainly because I can't remember ever *not* wanting to be a writer! *laughs* The first thing I remember is writing on my old little clanky computer that my dad gave to me, because keeping all my writing on there was much easier than trying to keep track of all the loose bits of paper that I would write on, leave around the house, and then get all worked up when I couldn't find it. I started a series on that computer called "The Twilight Zone", never even knowing that that particular title had been taken from me loooong before I knew about it!

Who are your favorite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?

I loved Enid Blyton growing up. My mother's English, so she had a whole stack of Blyton books that I used to read over and over. Truly, if you don't believe me, you can just see how worn the covers are, and the pages, which are almost falling out now. Much as I'd like to pass them on myself some day, I really don't think they'll hold together that long. After that, I suppose I grew to love fantasy and social realism, but writers who incorporated my love of those genres with a romantic twist became my favorite writers of all! Even now, my writing hedges on darker romance, or fantasy romance. I love to delve into the nitty gritty of more complicated love, because let's face it, life is complicated, and books that reveal that are refreshingly honest to me.

Do you have a favorite genre that you write in, or do you like to jump around as the mood takes you?

*smiles* I think I answered some of that in the above question. There is a lot of jumping around where the mood takes me. I think my attention span is a little bit shorter than most people's, and so the idea of working on one series written in the same vein always kind of stunts me, creatively speaking. I'm working just fine, bouncing between a romantic fantasy series and some stand alone social realism novels right now, however.

Where do you think the ideas for your stories come from?

Life, sometimes. I'm very inspired by what I see. I love to actively go outside and explore places I write about, if I'm writing with the backdrop of a place that actually exists. Of course, I change names, when I know them, and embellish events for a stronger story. A woman on a train can tell a story of her own, especially if I'm sitting a couple of seats in front of her, surreptitiously writing notes in my little book as I try to make out what the expression on her face might mean.

What is your favorite part of being a published author?

You mean, apart from the realization of a lifetime goal? I think my favorite part is getting to do what I love, and actually calling it work. I wish everyone was so lucky as that.

Can you tell us a bit about your books, and where we can find them?

My books are sold both through www.aphroditesapples.com and Fictionwise. My debut novel, 'Spiral', has been dubbed "dark romance" in some places, "mainstream fiction" in others. It tells the tale of a young woman who finds love, but when she loses it, she doesn't want to leave herself open to that kind of pain again. It is a very honest coming of age story, where in parts, you want to comfort the heroine, Elena, and in other parts, want to just shake her to make her see sense. I enjoyed writing it, and I'm glad that it's the first novel I had released. I also have three short stories published through both Aphrodite's Apples and Fictionwise, in the anthologies 'Masquerade 2 & 3', with Jude Mason, CJ England and Michelle Houston in Vol 2, then Kate Sterling, Yolanda Sfetsos, Desiree Lee and Katrina Strauss in Vol 3, then in 'Regency Romp', where I contributed with Katrina Strauss once again, as well as Emma Wildes, Kayleigh Jamison and Jennifer Mueller.

Do you have a website or blog that interested parties could visit and learn more about you and your books?

My website is still a relatively new entity, but it can be found over at http://www.nikkiwatson.110mb.com/ It's a fantastic place. As well as telling more about me and my books, there are website links to all of my books, as well as for most of my favorite authors up there. I can also be found at both livejournal and myspace:
http://unity-of-hours.livejournal.com/
http://myspace.com/nikkiwatsonauthor

Do you have any upcoming books you want to tell us about?

I really would love to, but my lips should probably stay sealed until I get the official acceptance letter from the publisher saying that I really do have upcoming books with them! *grins*

How have your friends and family responded to your becoming a published author?

With the size of the grin on my face, and the way I have bounced up and down excitedly whenever I've said anything about being published, I think they have laughed at me, mostly. But yeah, there is also pride. I'm only 23 now, so I figure I'll be writing for a long time yet!

What is your least favorite part of the publishing process?

The waiting for weeks to see whether what you sent in was good enough to be accepted by your targeted publishing company. You slave over this manuscript for however long it takes you, and then you bundle it up, still mewling and close to your heart, for someone else to see. I think that is just as hard to go through every time!

What is your favorite part of the publishing process?

You know, a writing teacher once said to me that the best part of the publishing process was getting that acceptance letter, and from there, everything else went downhill. I don't believe that. For me, the best part of the publishing process is the editing, where two people work together to make this story the very best story that it can be. I love the throwing back and forth of ideas, the different drafts that go by, and I know I'm probably the only writer in the world who would so happily admit to such a thing, but what can I say? It's true!

Do you have any words of advice for aspiring authors?

Definitely. If you want your stuff to get out there, you have to keep trying to get it out there! The only way you're not going to get published is if you stop trying. There are so many publishing houses out there today that someone is definitely going to pick up your work and say, "This is the one!" Don't be too picky with places you send your stuff to. Any kind of publishing history is worth having.

Thank you!

Thank you Nikki for such candid answers, and good luck with your career!