For our October Author Q&A, we bring you Nikki Haase. The author who “blurs the lines between good and evil” stopped by for a chat.
Nikki Haase is the author of the “Experiment X” series and the standalone new adult fiction “Broken Melody”. She has a degree in English Literature and is on her way to getting her degree in Creative Writing and Marketing.
When she’s not writing, she’s cuddling or playing with her two dogs, curled up somewhere reading, listening to music far too loudly, or putting vivid colors into her hair.
Getting to Know You
What motivated you to become an indie author?
To be honest, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to become an author of some sort. I’ve been writing since I was really really young. It’s just always something I wanted to do.
When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
I don’t really have a lot of free time, but when I do, I like to read and watch videos on YouTube (Ranging from true crime docs to shows like GMM). I also like to go hiking with my pups.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Watching other people fall in love with the characters as much as I did. And, when it came to a book a wrote to help me heal from my own unaddressed trauma (Broken Melody), having people come up to me and tell me it helped them too.
The Writing Process
What is your writing process?
Chaos. Just… absolute chaos. I’ll write a vague outline that’s abandoned about 10 pages in and then I let a writing demon take over.
Nah, I have an idea of where I want it to go, and then I put some loud music on and just… write. Idk. I do not however, under any circumstances, edit while I am writing the first draft. I will not look back until the last word of the manuscript is written. And then I step away for a day or two before revisiting it for edits and rewrites.
How do you get inspired to write?
Music. Headphones, volume up. Loud music that reflects the “vibe” of the scene I’m writing.
What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
Know that your first draft is going to be bad. All of them are. Every single one. Even your favorite writer writes horrible first drafts. Keep writing. You can fix it later.
Reading
What are your five favorite books, and why?
Do you also panic when someone asks questions like this? No? Just me? Okay, cool.
- Hunger Games – dystopian is just my jam and I love how this one was set up. Plus, the sisters’ bond is well-written and I love the bravery and resilience of the main characters.
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – The PLOT TWIST OMG 😀
- Mosh Pit by Krysten Dunnion. You ever have one of those books that are just comforting? Yeah, this is that one for me.
- The Witch Doesn’t Burn in this One by Amanda Lovelace. I found this book when I needed it. It’s empowering, and uplifting, and I’ll recommend it until my voice runs dry.
- Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. It’s a vampire novel, featuring a female vampire, that predates Dracula by 25 years. It’s a fascinating, short story. I find it to be better than Dracula to be honest.
How do you discover the books you read?
A variety of ways. Oddly enough, college. Browsing social media. Suggestions from friends. My dad giving them to me and going “this is a good one” and my grandmother telling me “I loved this, here, read it” and “I hated this, here, read it.”
What books are on your reading list this year?
- Dark Dawn by Jay Kristoff
- If Not For Summer by Emily Annbury
- Touch by K. Marie Smith
- On My Heels by Dahlia Grimm
- Of Steel and Flames by Justin Lynch
- His Victim’s Tormet by Nicole Keefer.
There are more that I’m missing.
Sacrifice – Experiment X Series
Ruby Turner lived a relatively normal life until Jack Cortex showed up. He tells her that there’s a government facility that houses an army of super soldiers known as the Subjects of Experiment X and Experiment A.
Jack soon unveils to Ruby that she is a key part of it all and that the head Lab Coat—Doctor James Thaddeus—is after her.
Ruby knows that Jack is dangerous, and she knows he’s capable of murder, but he’s the only person who can help unlock what’s been hidden inside of her for nearly twenty-two years.
Now the only thing that will keep Ruby’s loved ones safe is to help destroy the very thing that created her. And even that might not be enough.
A vengeful fire burns deep within her and she must take down the Lab if she wants to keep the last remaining strands of her sanity. She only needs to make it out alive.
Sacrifice – Experiment X Series – Nikki Haase
What inspired you to write Sacrifice?
It was the story I wanted to read. I loved the dystopian feel of the Hunger Games and the sci-fi fantasy, found family, aspect of Avatar the Last Airbender, so I took that inspiration and I turned it into what it is now.
Is there going to be a follow up to Sacrifice?
Yup! This is book one of the 5 book series, Experiment X. The series is currently being rebranded!