Tell us a bit about your latest work.
Since 2022, I have been working on a collection of short stories that circle around the theme of revenge titled, Politics of Children and Other Stories of Revenge. These stories range from the black and white vision of children in Politics of Children, to justice being meted out by the desperate in Brother Marvel’s Old Time Revival, to how the vengeance of a protector can last eons in A Beautiful Thing to a modern retelling of Poe’s Cask of Amontillado in Black Cherry. There’s also a quick bit of body horror in Sweet Revenge that I threw in there for fun. If the editing process continues for as long as I fear it will, I might also add the story, What the Cat Dragged In, that was published in 2023 by St. Rooster in the horror comedy anthology, Razor Blade in Fun Size Candy.
Hopefully this will come out sometime in 2024. Sometimes, persistence is more valuable than talent in this game.
What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?
Years ago, a writing teacher told me during a review that everything I write has a vein of anger in it. “If you wrote about kittens, they’d be angry kittens. What’s up with that?”
So, yeah. There’s a lot of anger in my work. Also, loneliness, isolation and injustice.
Just like the real world which, let’s face it, is a shitshow.
SO, as the Creator of my own little worlds, I like to dispense justice as I see fit. Call me an Agent of Nemesis. In my stories, the bad get gutted and the good get what they deserve.
Oh, and monsters because they are fun.
What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer?
I took another path. I became a reader.
I read as a form of self-defense. I shielded myself in fantasy and story to survive.
That’s why I write stories. To give people that sort of shelter and diversion to help them cope. I write stories to give people distractions for when they need one, say, at the doctor’s office, riding the bus or on the toilet. It’s a lofty goal.
What inspires you to write?
I’m not sure how to answer this.
If you mean, “What inspires you to sit down, tap on the keyboard and write stories?” I guess it would be the simple answer of “To maintain my sanity.” When I don’t write or pour myself into something creative, I tend to go dark and that isn’t good for anyone.
If you mean, “What inspires my stories?” Well, that is hard to answer cohesively. Many of my stories that are out there so far were created because I was challenged by a publisher to do them.
“Give me a story about a fairytale creature versus a historical Wild West person.” The Problem at Gruff Springs
“Take two cryptids and make them fight.” Rumble
“Write me a pulp detective story that involves chickens.” A Chick, A Dick and a Witch Walk Into a Barn (The first of the Jake Istenhegy stories)
OR
I’ll read something and have a question: “Why do all the women in Poe’s life die?” The Perverse Muse
OR
A few years ago, my son popped his head in my office and asked, “Hey….if rats ate a golem, would they become the golem? Like a flesh golem made of rats?” Well, HELL! That story rolled around in my brain and I’ve been working on it ever since. It’s the core root of my story, A Beautiful Thing, that will be in the Politics of Children and Other Stories of Revenge.
In the end, I must blame this compulsion on either poor mental health or just a stubborn competitive edge.
What would be your dream project?
I don’t really have a dream project. I start every story as if it were my Breakout Work. So far, it’s not happened but, who knows….maybe the next one will be it. And if it’s not. Oh well. Keep on trucking.
But, if we’re going to dream, let’s dream big.
My favorite daydream is where, out of the blue, I get a phone call from Mike Flanagan.
“Hey, Nikki, this is Mike Flanagan. My brother, Jeremy, met you last year at Authorcon and was so impressed by you at the panel you two did together (editor’s note: this part is true. Jeremy Flanagan and I were on a panel together and I made him laugh. Twice. It was the highlight of the weekend for me.) that he bought all your books and, well, I read them and, damn, girl! You are good! Want to team up and make some movies from your books?”
We’d make movies that would be blockbusters and we’d become BFFs.
The end.
If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?
It’s the Creator’s Dilemma, isn’t it? You look back on past work and see nothing but faults and how you’d do it better now because you’ve grown and changed since the time you created that story.
When I got all the rights back to my Jake Istenhegyi stories, I spent a year rewriting and recrafting that world. Trying to make it better and more polished.
I suppose the same could be done for all my stories but…that’s okay. I like them to stay the way they are. They show my growth as a writer.
They are all my babies, lumpy and imperfect as they are, and I love them.
What writers have influenced your style and technique?
Terry Pratchett, Flannery O’Connor, Stephen King, Rod Serling, Sharyn McCrumb, E.A. Poe, Octavia Butler, Josephine Tey (The Daughter of Time…excellent), Neil Gaiman, et al.
Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?
Writing is a form of magic. Almost necromancy, in a way. I can talk to dead people, hear their voices in my head when I read their work. So, it’s a dab of art and a dash of science.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Getting out of my goddamn way.
Did you know, neuroscience has found the Sweet Spot of Creativity? And, yes, it includes alcohol.
They found that a BAC 0.075 was the magic number when it came to creativity. Why? It was *just enough* to lower inhibitions, shut off your temporal cortex enough so it quieted the inner editor but left you still cognizant enough to actually create something worthwhile.
AMAZING!
How do your writer friends help you become a better writer? Or do they not?
Healthy competition is a wonderful thing. However, more than not, my writer buds have talked me off the ledge more times than I can count. Writers need a special kind of tribe that keep them encouraged and strong enough to put up with the shit we get from publishers, critics and general trolls.
Plus, it’s good to be with people that understand the struggle. They get how hard it is to create a world from nothing.
What does literary success look like to you?
Now, as a grizzled old fart, I’d really like a royalty statement that has more in the front of the decimal than the back.
Sure, I crave external validation, awards and opportunities but, but, in the end, it comes down to writing a story that you believe in, and you know, in your heart of hearts, is a *good* story.
Although having someone give me the thumbs up is nice too.
Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?
No, Politics of Children and Other Stories of Revenge is taking up a lot of 2024. I really want this collection to be good. Maybe even Stoker quality good. Aim high!
I’m not doing too much in the con circuit this year but I will be at Authorcon in Williamsburg, VA from April 11-14.
OH! I am the Co-Chairperson for the Horror Writers Association, Tennessee Chapter and if anyone in the Tennessee would like to become a member, reach out! We are a new branch with 20 people strong and would love to add more members.
For more information, visit:
- My website www.nnhbooks.com
- Sign up to my newsletter, I Don’t Want To Be Here at Substack for FREE! I give away swag every so often and I promise to try not to be boring -- https://nikkinelsonhicks.substack.com/
- Contact me at my email: nikkinelsonhicks@gmail.com
Nikki's Altars:
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| Hecate |
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| Bridgid |
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| Maeve |
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