Ask the Author: Nikki Johnson
Answered Questions (6)
Nikki Johnson
For a long time, I was concerned that I would run dry after A Different Kind of Hero, but I've already started scratching out a rough draft and I know how to do things better this time.
The characters for Midnight Moon are very different from Caleb and Lexi. Their strengths, weaknesses, and their relationship dynamic are new. But the theme of navigating the path to love and then having that love bring strength in the face of pain or tragedy will be there. I have brand new and surprising obstacles in mind for this one, and I'm really excited to see what it becomes.
I'm gonna throw my husband under the bus here and say that I hope this one will also make him both laugh out loud and ugly cry at work within the span of an hour like Hero did. Like, ugly cry to the point a coworker asked him if someone died. My big softie.
But, yes, I'm very excited about what I've got planned.
The characters for Midnight Moon are very different from Caleb and Lexi. Their strengths, weaknesses, and their relationship dynamic are new. But the theme of navigating the path to love and then having that love bring strength in the face of pain or tragedy will be there. I have brand new and surprising obstacles in mind for this one, and I'm really excited to see what it becomes.
I'm gonna throw my husband under the bus here and say that I hope this one will also make him both laugh out loud and ugly cry at work within the span of an hour like Hero did. Like, ugly cry to the point a coworker asked him if someone died. My big softie.
But, yes, I'm very excited about what I've got planned.
Nikki Johnson
Lexi says it best in Chapter 1. "Writing was the one place I could both hide and scream out loud at the same time."
While I don't face the same problems as Lexi, I used writing in high school to express myself even when no one was listening. Now, my writing is in a different form, but it's no less therapeutic. There are bits of me in each and every character, and I get to go back and do things differently. Or I get to be in someone else's head and remind myself that I'm my own worst critic.
Part of it, though, is that it's just who I am and who I've always been. I think my mother was aggravated with me for waiting this long because she's watched me write and help others write since I was a kid. Need a good angry email? I'm your woman. Need to rationalize with an insurance company and get them to change their mind about covering you? I'm on it, and actually managed that with BCBS once. I've written for causes that I believe in. But I'd stopped writing for myself.
Right now, the best part is just getting back to letting my mind do what it wants to do and letting the characters run wild. Which explains Caleb...because there could be no other explanation for a lovably twisted mind like that. Caleb's bold, balls to the wall, slightly insane love, Lexi's strength, sass, and determination, and the antics of the BFFs have each afforded me a different way to let loose a part of myself.
And it feels great to have done it at all!
While I don't face the same problems as Lexi, I used writing in high school to express myself even when no one was listening. Now, my writing is in a different form, but it's no less therapeutic. There are bits of me in each and every character, and I get to go back and do things differently. Or I get to be in someone else's head and remind myself that I'm my own worst critic.
Part of it, though, is that it's just who I am and who I've always been. I think my mother was aggravated with me for waiting this long because she's watched me write and help others write since I was a kid. Need a good angry email? I'm your woman. Need to rationalize with an insurance company and get them to change their mind about covering you? I'm on it, and actually managed that with BCBS once. I've written for causes that I believe in. But I'd stopped writing for myself.
Right now, the best part is just getting back to letting my mind do what it wants to do and letting the characters run wild. Which explains Caleb...because there could be no other explanation for a lovably twisted mind like that. Caleb's bold, balls to the wall, slightly insane love, Lexi's strength, sass, and determination, and the antics of the BFFs have each afforded me a different way to let loose a part of myself.
And it feels great to have done it at all!
Nikki Johnson
I take a break. I put it down for as long as it takes. I read or drown myself in Netflix for a while. The worst thing I can do is try to force myself past it. I end up with something that just doesn't feel right, and then I have to go back and rewrite every bit of it. So, after taking a break, I sit down with my earbuds in and read at least the previous chapter as I would any other book. At one point, I went back and read the entire thing over again with a fresh perspective and that inspired some of the best aspects of A Different Kind of Hero. So do things that will help clear your mind and approach it as something new. At least, that's what works for me.
Nikki Johnson
Just start. Anywhere. Write a scene and let it build. Sitting down to a blank page titled "Chapter 1" is probably the worst thing you can do. For me, it was the kiss. That one kiss turned into an entire book that I never intended on writing. And have an idea of what you want, but be willing to let your characters and plot develop on their own. I actually wrote Hero twice. With the first version, I tried to force it to fit what I originally thought I wanted, but when I took that general outline and just let loose, connecting with the emotion, it grew into so much more than I thought it could be.
Nikki Johnson
I actually use a lot of music, as you can probably tell. While there are bits of me scattered through each character, and I draw from my own life and those I've known over the years, what really keeps me connected is music. I create playlists for different characters and moods. For example, the scene that references the song Dive by Ed Sheeran...I had my earbuds in and that song on repeat. But I created specific "Caleb-chosen" love songs, emotional songs, and songs that get you all worked up. They were a part of his personality and helped me stay in the moment.
Nikki Johnson
I actually never intended to write a book. One night, I realized I'd never read a truly detailed, subtle first kiss. I wondered if I could write a good one, just for fun. I shared the first version with a couple of friends and they started asking questions about the characters when I had no answers. But ideas started randomly popping in my head about who they were and the dynamic between them. Before I knew it, I was going back to the beginning and diving in. With this being my first book, I don't know that I can say I came up with the idea. My original ideas were completely different from what the book came to be. Caleb and Lexi shaped themselves and became their own people. All I knew was that I didn't want them to be stupid about their feelings and I didn't want to follow a template that we sometimes see in romance. I did also want to draw attention to the fact that we could be doing more to educate our children on trauma and abuse. But I wanted to write on my own terms because this book has been very personal and very therapeutic for me. I just hope those who read it come away with more than simply being entertained. (Although Caleb is definitely entertaining and was so much fun to write!)
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