~ all about me ~

Uh... What does a horse and buggy have to do with Nikki Soarde?

 

Ah... that's a good question. Check out the interview below to find out the answer to that loaded question.

Who's asking the questions, you may ask? Well... me! You see I did the old "Author Bio" thing, and looked at it and thought... Boooring! So I decided to change the format of my bio and this is what I came up with. The questions are basically a composite of the most common questions that people ask me about my writing, along with a few blatantly self-serving ones, aimed at getting me to divulge some really juicy tid-bits about myself.

Here goes!

Me: How long have you been writing?
Myself: I've always enjoyed writing, although ironically enough in high school I preferred essays and journalistic styles to creative writing. Strangely enough I could never come up with ideas for stories. Now, I can't seem to turn the darn things off.

It was shortly after the birth of my third son that I picked up the "pen" again, and wrote my first short story. It was an X-Files piece, if you can believe it.  Mr. Duchovny sort of... caught my eye.  Anyway...after that I wrote another. And another. By then I was hooked. I finished my first novel three months later and... as they say, the rest is history.

Me: Okay, I give up. Why the picture of the buggy?
Myself(chuckling): All right. I included that because it's a testament to my roots. Yes, I who write stories of romance and sexual antics, that occasionally involve murder and mayhem, with characters who tie each other up, spew four-letter words, and are often not exactly pillars of the community ... I am a Mennonite.

 Okay, so I've never actually ridden in a buggy, but my mother did spend many, many years wearing a covering and my mother-in-law... well, let's just not go there.

So, now I've revealed my sordid little secret, and you're wondering why you should care. Well, I think we're all a product of our heritage, and while my background may not directly affect my writing, it has affected who I am. I've strayed quite far from the beaten path both in my community and my family.  (Yes, there are those who would look at me quite askance if they knew the full range of my seedy little creative mind.)  I've become a bit of a black sheep, but honestly I like it.

Sure I'd like it if my family understood and was more supportive and understanding of my choices, but in general I like being different, and I like being honest about who and what I am. I believe that kind of fierce independence is reflected in my novels.

Me: What's your day job?
Myself: I work part time in a hospital laboratory. I love my work, and I work with a great group of people, but I'd leave it all in a heartbeat if I could make enough from my novels to pay the mortgage.

Me: Where do you get your ideas?
Myself: Yikes. From everywhere.  One novel, as yet unpublished, was inspired, very simply by the title of a favorite song.  Another by a documentary on amnesia that a friend of mine saw and told me about. And then of course...there's my muse. Oh he--MY muse is definitely male--he is unpredictable and at times downright difficult. But when he inspires...he does so deeply. And he does it with flare, panache--and passion! His stories MUST be written!!

Me: All right, so what kind of music do you like?
Myself: Oh, I like artists like Amanda Marshall, Rob Thomas and Nickelback.  Chad Kroeger may not be much to look at, but his voice sounds like ground glass coated in honey and it sends shivers through my gut, okay?

My favorite song, however is the Bon Jovi tune, "It's My Life." Just listen to the lyrics and you'll see why.

Me: Do you have any hobbies?
Myself: You mean besides keeping my hubby and three boys out of trouble? Well... I don't know about hobbies, but when I'm not writing (or researching!) I like to read, dance to good music, play table games like Dutch Blitz with good friends and go hiking on the Bruce Trail. Never heard of Dutch Blitz or the Bruce Trail? E-mail me and ask me about it.