Nikko Lee is the pen name she uses to write genre fiction from erotica to horror, and to blog about hiking, writing and science at www.nikkolee.com. She's a scientific curator. Born in Canada, she moved to Maine after
completing a PhD in Zoology and her post-doctoral training. She resides near
Bar Harbor with her husband, daughter, two cats and malamute.
Josh is willing to risk his life to get away from his oppressive pack. He gets a chance to earn his freedom after his leader suffers a fatal heart attack. As a rare omega werewolf, Josh is the only one who can find an alpha strong enough to control the pack. The only problem is that Josh has no clue how.
During his search, Josh befriends a ditzy Amazon trainee and a disarming park ranger. They become more of a family to him than the pack which is at each other's throats. Things only get worse when a local is mauled to death and the Amazons order the entire pack killed.
Now all Josh has to do is restore order to the pack, convince the Amazons to reinstate their treaty, survive a new best friend who might be more dangerous than his enemies, and stop himself from falling for a man who wants someone else.
Maybe then he can start a new life.
As is my habit with guests, I asked her some questions
What do you have in mind
for your next writing project?
I’m
currently working on a BDSM thriller. Psychiatrist Jacob Riley is used to being
in control, especially in the bedroom. The murder of a former submissive
thrusts him into the middle of the investigation. He must find the killer
before he becomes the prime suspect.
Is there anything you
remember which prompted you to start writing? When do you remember first
wanting to write?
I
can remember writing my first story that was not a school assignment in seventh
grade. For me, it was a way of confronting feelings and emotions that were
bottled up in my head. I was always very shy and, at least in my fictional
worlds, my characters acted in ways that sometimes I wished I had the courage
to act.
How long did it take you to write this book?
Wolf Creek started off
as a National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) project. In 2012, I took an
outline that I had written the previous summer and dedicated the month of
November to writing the first draft. I did manage to write 50,000 words of the
novel during the month. Needless to say it took a lot more writing and
re-writing before the finished manuscript that I started shopping around last
year. Three days before my daughter was born, I signed the contract with Prizm.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
I would love to
find a book that I’d written for sale in an airport. I want to write stories
that entertain and allow people to escape the mundane of the everyday.
Do
you have any strange writing habits (like standing on your head or writing in
the shower)?
Sometimes I find that my most productive writing
sessions occur in a busy environment. I used to write during class in high
school. A busy café or a work meeting provides suitable background and allows
me to focus on creativity instead of being bored. But it requires a little bit
of stealth. The outline for Wolf Creek was written during a basic first aid
course. Don’t worry, I still passed the course.
Do
you have a day job as well as writing?
My educational background is in genetics. My day
job as a scientific curator keeps me immersed in mouse genetic research.
Do
you ever experience writer’s block? If so how do you get past it?
I experienced a long writer’s block when I started
undergraduate studies. I’d finished my first novella about a drug company using
a small town as an unwitting test population. After that, I didn’t feel the
passion to write until I discovered erotica. I started writing short pieces for
myself, then for online groups in a roleplay community. There’s nothing better
for a writer’s ego that an appreciating audience. Whenever I hit a block, I try
to remember why I write and what I love about my story. That usually gets me
writing again.
What’s your passion in
life?
Writing
is high on my list of passions. I’m also an avid hiker. My husband and I are
slowly making our way north along the Long Trail by hiking sections every year.
I’m a volunteer search and rescue team member. Generally, I love being outdoors.
Tell
us about the genre you write in.
I often struggle with pinning down my
stories and novels to a specific genre. Take Boson’s Mate (published in Valves
and Vixens), it’s gay steampunk sci-fi erotica.
I think most works of fiction contain elements
of different genres. Beyond letting booksellers know where to shelve a book,
genres also set up the basic expectations of a reader.
What’s a romance without a central couple
that get together? What’s a mystery without a perpetrator? What’s erotica
without sexuality?
Wolf Creek presented me with a particular
challenge as far as defining its genre. The story is about werewolves and other
fantastical creatures, but the setting in central Maine is hardly metropolitan.
So urban fantasy was out.
Then there was the age range of the target
audience. The main character Josh is around twenty-one. Too old for young adult
but not old enough to be well-established in his own life. Turns out that’s
exactly the right age for new adult fiction.
I hadn’t heard of the genre before looking
for a publisher. The threshold into adulthood is full of its own challenges.
From making it on your own to finding out who you are. I think the struggles in
new adult fiction are ones we never outgrow even after our first romances,
careers and gray hairs.
In Wolf Creek, Josh is given a chance to
escape his oppressive werewolf pack, but only if he finds its next leader.
Instead of running away from his problems, Josh learns to face them and his own
self-doubts head on. He makes new friends, finds an unobtainable crush, and
learns to believe in himself.
So what genre is Wolf Creek? I’m leaning
toward new adult gay paranormal fantasy.
Website:
www.nikklelee.com
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/nikko_lee88
Thanks for letting me talk about Wolf Creek.
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