Author of the Month - Nikki Rae: Interview + Giveaway!

by - Monday, March 02, 2015

"Author of the Month" is a new feature that I have recently created to honour my favourite authors who have written some of the best books I have ever read. 

This feature will: 
  • Run for the entire month. 
  • On every Sunday of the month (excluding the first week where I will have a blog post introducing and interviewing the author), there will be a blog post dedicated to the author. The content of the blog post is entirely up to the author's choice. 

For the entire month of March, I am proud to feature Nikki Rae, author of one of my personal favourite novels, The Donor as Dreamland Teenage Fantasy’s author of the month! My first exposure to Nikki’s work was through Netgalley. Getting The Donor approved on my request list was one of the best thing that has happened in my reader’s life! Overwhelmed with adoration and excitement, I had sent my first fan mail to Nikki and she was so friendly in her replies, I swear it was a celebrity meet and greet moment. In conjunction with her new release of Animal, I have decided to feature Nikki Rae for the entire month of March! Stay tuned for an author interview with Nikki Rae and my thoughts on her new book, Animal.

Without further ado,

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Nikki Rae

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Nikki Rae is an independent author who lives in New Jersey. She explores human nature through fiction, concentrating on making the imaginary as real as possible. Her genres of choice are mainly dark, scary, romantic tales, but she’ll try anything once. When she is not writing, reading, or thinking, you can find her spending time with animals, drawing in a quiet corner, or studying people. Closely.



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Hi Nikki, I am so very excited that you’ve agreed to be Dreamland Teenage Fantasy’s March Featured Author! I absolutely adore your writing (if you remember my fanmail :P) because it was so relatable and real. Before we start off with the interview, can you tell us something about yourself. What genre of books do you normally write?

Hi! I'm happy to be here! I usually write paranormal romance, but I've been delving into horror and Scfi-fi recently, and even have a few contemporary books I want to eventually work on. I try not to put myself in a genre box; I just write well and hope for the best. : )

I have to honestly admit that your horror pretty much creep me out, it was that good! 

What was your inspiration behind your works? How did you started writing and why?

So many things inspire all of my books. Mainly, people inspire me. It sounds boring, but I watch people. I see how they react to things. I try to mimic real life in my stories and draw information from those around me. I started writing as a form of escapism. It was something I did when I wanted to go into my own thoughts, explain things to myself that I didn't understand, or just have fun. Making up stories and people is one of my favorite things to do. 

So far how many books have you written? And if you can pick a favourite, which one will it be?

I have written 5 books that are published, and parts of countless more. lol. I feel like every new release is my favorite because my writing grows so much between books. So right now, my favorite book that I've written is Animal, which came out yesterday. ; )

Congratulations on your new release! I have read Animal, and wow, it was definitely something else! *trying not to reveal any spoilers* 

Your Animal Blog Tour has just kicked off recently, what are your expectations for the tour?

The same as my expectations are for every blog tour: that people find out about my work and like it. That's all I can really hope for.

The cover designs for your books are beautiful! Some even emits an ominous feel, I admit the cover for The Donor was the first thing that attracted me to your book. What was the inspiration behind your book covers? Do you design them most of the time?

Regina Wamba of Mae I Design designed all of the covers for The Sunshine Series, but other than that, I have done the covers for my books. I majored in Art in college and I figured I shouldn't let all that design knowledge go to waste. As far as inspiration goes, I go the symbolic route every time. I try to think of a major image or symbol in the story and use it to my advantage.

I am a loyal fan of Regina Wamba! I followed her on instagram and love the pictures that she posted. She is gifted for sure. And I could say the same for you, I really love the cover for Animal, you did a really great job. Looking forward to see more of your cover designs in the future :) 

I am a hardcore music fan and listen to all sorts of genre from pop to rock, metal to screamo, I’m also a huge fan of the indie scene. Do you have a playlist of your own when you are writing? 

I don't really listen to music while writing, but when I'm editing it's a must. I absolutely love rock and punk music, but I find I get most work done to electronic music like Purity Ring or Glitch Mob.

What was your best encounter with a fellow reader?

ANY encounter with a fellow reader is the best. It doesn't matter if they've read my books or we're mutual fans of the same author, I love talking about books. Finding someone to share your love with is always special.

Besides writing, what are your other passions?

I love animals, I love reading. I also like to sit and watch movies, and spend time with my family. I'm a big boardgame person and will try to kick your butt in Pictionary any day of the week.

What was the most difficult part you experienced throughout your writing process?

Any time I come across something that I learn about myself that I wasn't prepared for, if that makes sense. When I write, I go into it knowing that it's going to be a learning experience, but sometimes things are brought up from the depths that can confuse and scare me. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing--we need darkness to appreciate light--but when it catches you unaware, it can be a little jarring.

I have to agree with you on that. Writing is only genuine when you can connect to the words on some emotional level. I'm sorry that you have to go through such confusing state, but at the same time I'm glad that you did :) Or else we, readers won't have such great works to admire! 

Leave a shoutout for your fans! 

I LOVE YOU GUYS LET'S GO EAT CANDY TOGETHER!

~ Quick fire questions ~
Cold or hot? 
Cold

Coffee or tea? 
Tea

Fame or fortune?
Fortune

Favorite person in the world?
Al (my boyfriend lol)

Favorite pet? 
Hammy Potter (my hamster) and Neil Gaiman (my gecko) You can't make me choose!

Favorite celebrity?
Amanda Palmer

Would you rather sit in a tank full of spiders or swim in a lake full of alligators?
Alligators. 

Favorite movie? 
The Rocky Horror Picture Show

If you have the chance to become a supervillain, what superpowers would you choose?
Mind control!

Your life motto? 
"I will not let someone walk through my mind with dirty feet."



Thank you Nikki for being such a humble person! I enjoyed my time interviewing you and absolutely love your answers! Congratulations on your new release! 

~ What's next ~ 

Stay tuned for the entire month of March for more news and posts by Nikki Rae!

The blog tour for Animal is running from February 16th to March 17th. Keep a lookout for the blog hosting the tour!

My review of Animal will be posted on March 17th - Tuesday for my Animal Tour Stop!

Comment down below if you have any questions you would like to ask Nikki, thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog! 

Have a wonderful March! 

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2 comments

  1. I've never heard of her, but I'm definitely intrigued to look into her work. I think this is such a cool idea to showcase your favorite authors! I would've been so nervous trying to reach out to them for an interview lol. Ugh I wish I knew about the blog tour, if it is a standalone novel, I would have signed right up! Good interview Tasha, I look forward to seeing more of these cute posts :)

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  2. I absolutely adore her author pic. Donor and Animal both have really great reviews on GR. Definitely going to check them out.

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