Interview with Nikita Slater

 

Biography

Nikita Slater is the USA Today Bestselling Author of action-packed suspenseful romance. She writes dark romance, mafia romance, and post-apocalyptic dystopian romance. She lives on the beautiful Canadian prairies with her son and her crazy awesome dog. She has an unholy affinity for books, wine, pets and anything chocolate.

Despite some of the darker themes in her books (which are pure fun and fantasy), Nikita is a staunch feminist and advocate of equal rights for all races, genders and non-gender specific persons. When she isn't writing, dreaming about writing or talking about writing, she helps others discover a love of reading and writing through literacy and social work.

Credit for biography : Meet Nikita | Nikita Slater (authornikitaslater.com)

Picture credit : Amazon.com: Nikita Slater: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Questions

What do you like the most about writing?

I’ve always had a big imagination and writing gives me the opportunity to express the creative side of myself. I love being inspired by something in real life, then running to my laptop to integrate the experience into a story. And I love sharing my inspirations and imagination with others through the stories that I write.

Why did you decide to write dark romance?

I have always been attracted to the darker side of romance, which I consider fantasy (I would never advocate for toxic relationships in real life). When I was a teenager, I read my first bodice ripper romance, a Johanna Lindsay novel, which set me on the path to writing my own dark romance stories. My very first “book” was a terrible re-telling of the Hades and Persephone story that I wrote when I was around fifteen. I’ve always been attracted to the fantasy of being swept of my feet and whisked away by a tall, dark, and dangerous stranger.

Which comments do you heard the most about that genre and what do you think about it (or them)?

For the most part, my experiences have been very positive. There is obviously a demand for dark romance, and the readers who do reach out tend to be very kind in their comments about my work. I stay away from negative comments and reviews, but if I do happen to get into a discussion with someone who believes that dark romance is glorifying abusive relationships, I simply explain that I believe dark romance is an outlet for people who enjoy some edge with their entertainment. It’s no different than someone enjoying an action movie or a horror flick.  

What struggles did you met when you wrote your first novel?

My biggest struggle when writing my first novel, Prisoner of Fortune, was finishing it. Due to a lack of experience, I struggled to know how to finish the story in a way that would be satisfying to a potential reader. At the time, the book ended at around 30,000 words and that was the most I’d ever written in a single story. I have since added a few more chapters to the book and cleaned up the spelling and grammar. Now, I have trouble keeping my word count down, so I have definitely overcome that issue.  

What advices will you give to a new author?

I suppose my biggest piece of advice would be, don’t spend money you don’t have. I’ve seen new authors burn out fast in this industry because there is so much to know and do and when they don’t see a return on their investment, they become demoralized. Get to know the industry, make connections with other authors, PAs, editors, cover designers, and gradually, the resources will come to you. Then, when sales pick up with each new release, reinvest some of the money coming in on nicer covers and better editing. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to produce a book. I didn’t spend a dime on my first book, but I made $200 in my first month of sales because I wrote in a genre that was getting popular and I advertised in Facebook groups with readers who were interested in dark romance.

Do you prefer to write series or stand-alone and why?

Both have their charms, and I enjoy writing in both series and standalone formats. A series is a wonderful way to revisit and spend time with characters I love while also expanding the world the series is set in. There’s something very comforting about returning to a series. The benefit of writing a standalone is there are fewer rules. If an author establishes a certain feel or trope in a series, it’s best to continue that way to meet reader expectations. Writing a standalone allows an author to explore other themes and tropes without having to meet any pre-established expectations. 

Which one of your books will you recommend to a new reader?

It really depends on what a reader is in the mood for. If they want high drama, strong female characters, and dominant, jealous, and possessive male leads, then I recommend starting with Scarred Queen or Sin of Silence. If a reader is more interested in fantasy, then I would recommend my new wolf shifter release, Damaged Mate. If a reader is new to me and wants a taster, then I recommend Loving Vincent. It’s a novella that will give a potential reader an excellent introduction to my work without investing in a long book or series.

What are your future projects?

Toxic Love Story, a standalone captive dark romance novel, will release November 21^st, 2022.

I’m currently working on Gangster Life, the first book in my Gangster’s Empire Trilogy, which is a spinoff of the Sinner’s Empire Trilogy. Gangster’s Empire is a captive dark mafia romance that is set in Prague. I don’t have a release date for this one yet, but when I’ve a little further along, I will set a date.