Welcome Nikki McCoy

This week, I've got the good fortune to welcome the gorgeous and talented Nikki McCoy. I hope you'll all be as pleased to find out more about this crazy woman and find out what makes her tick.

1. How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?

I have been writing nonstop since November of 2010. My inspiration for this was actually born of two different factors, the first being that I have never been able to shut my mind off. It tends to work on a schedule all its own and demands a constant stream of stimulation that will keep me awake for nights on end. If left to its own devices, it will mull over every aspect, problem, and potential disaster in my life until my thoughts are quickly spinning out of control. And, as you can imagine, there’s nothing worse than filling your nights of insomnia stressing over the things you can’t do anything about.

My addiction to World of Warcraft could only keep me busy for so long, so I turned to creating stories in my mind. Putting myself in the shoes of some of the characters in my favorite books. Imagining what I would do if my life were as hot and exciting as theirs. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about, hehe. We’ve all done it. I just took the next step and started writing about it before my mind and imagination drove me insane with my secret obsessions.

My second inspiration came from the fact that the authors I loved couldn’t produce as fast as I was reading. How dare they not pump out a novel every week to keep me satisfied?! LoL. That and I just couldn’t afford to keep buying nearly a book a day. So I sucked up my confidence, put on my shiny little girl bells, and began to appease my voracious appetite by giving life to my own stories.

2.  Most people envision an author’s life as being really glamorous. What’s your take on this? Can you tell us something unglamorous you did within the last week or so?

I wake up in the morning curled next to my loving husband and do naughty things to him until he’s forced to punish me in ways that leave me breathless and begging for more. After breakfast, I sit out on the veranda and soak up the brilliant rays of the sun in peace while I let my mind run wild with whatever story I’m working on. Sometime in the evening, my husband will remind me that I’m still here on earth and take me out to the latest restaurant that’s opened in our area and spend the rest of the night making me forget the rest of the world exists.

Then I wake up to reality…

 Kids whose entire existence will come crashing to a halt if I don’t give them my immediate attention. A mountain of chores and obligations from which there is no escape. Oh, and did I mention bills? The madness never ends! There is some glamour to be found, though. During those few hours a day when I sacrifice sleep to write… oh yea. That’s my nirvana right there.

Something unglamorous in the last week. Hmm… such a long list to choose from. Well, I’d have to say it was when my fourteen year old asked why my husband and I dropped him and his brothers off at the park every weekend while we went back home for an hour or two. The hubby, sophisticated as he is, came right out and said, “You were the one that complained you could hear us through the vents. Would you rather know what we’re doing and be at home to hear us or know what we’re doing and be at the park where you can’t hear us?”

My fourteen year old never complained about going to the park again.

3. Looking over the past year, what has been the best moment for you in your writing career?

Of all the great moments, I think the day my husband started reading my first book was the best. The genre I chose was essentially the farthest one from the type of books he willingly reads, but he liked it so much that he didn’t want to put it down. I actually managed to make a fan out of him, and now he does everything he can to give me time to write so that he can keep reading. Personally, I think it proves my theory that he’s a romantic at heart, though I’m sure he’d rather suffer untold torture than admit it.

4.  What do you enjoy doing with your spare time, your non-writing time? 

Unfortunately, my spare time is in such short supply that I don’t get to do about 90% of what I really want to, but there are a few things I absolutely can’t live without. World of Warcraft, of course. Because few things in life can compare to the thrill of killing a huge dragon bent on ripping our guts out and eating them for breakfast.

Another would be listening to my kids trying to catch up to my husband’s sarcastic, twisted sense of humor. They have a love/hate relationship with their dad. They love to hate him, and he hates to love them. Apparently their battle of one-upmanship on the insults works for them because I couldn’t tear them apart if I tried. Being the only female in a house with five males, though, I’ve long since given up on trying.

My favorite thing of all, however, is still simply spending time with my husband. It can get kinda soppy and downright, disgustingly mushy at times, but it works!

5.  If you could invite any famous person, dead or alive, for dinner, who would it be and what would you eat?

Cary Grant, no contest. Yea, I know. My age is showing with that choice, but the man’s a god in his own right! If I could have bottled his essence to pour into my writing now, I’d be a millionaire. Funny, sophisticated, and so handsome that his looks were what launched his acting career, he’s definitely a ten in my eyes.

6.  If you found that, for one reason or another, you couldn’t write anymore, what would you like to do instead?

Once upon a time, I got an infection in my cornea and couldn’t game for three weeks due to the pain of trying to keep my eye open. It wasn’t pretty. At that time, gaming was my everything, but looking back now, it never held even a quarter of the passion I have for writing. I imagine I would probably go insane, much like Marquis de Sade, only with an ever so slightly less demented obsession with getting my thoughts out, LoL.

If I couldn’t write, I suppose I would probably go back to reading as much as my budget would allow. The stories of others’ lives - be they fictional characters or real life people I meet - fascinate me. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m severely antisocial and try to escape casual conversation every chance I get. But when people get down to the nitty gritty of the true joys and pains of their pasts, it’s like they’re sharing a whole new world with me and offering perspectives I never would have imagined.  

7.  What are you working on now? Can you tell us a little about it?

Right now I’m working on two books with plans for the third in my series thrown in there somewhere. One I can’t say too much about as I’m working on my mind’s schedule and my mind has yet to choose a definite plot for it. The other revolves around two men on opposite sides of the law forced together in order to bring down a major crime lord.

I don’t have a blurb written for it yet, but the storyline roughly entails the following:

Scott Lanham is an FBI agent with a singular focus in life. To take down as many major drug lords as he can. After watching his mother struggle for years with her addiction only to wither away and die from the drugs she couldn’t overcome, Scott will stop at nothing to avenge her death the only way he can. His efforts led him to Julian Manos but before he has a chance to launch his bust, the drug lord is murdered by the leader of a major crime syndicate. His only lead is a prostitute named Trick.

With the help of his uncle, Trick escaped a life that would only put him into an early grave. His new life on the streets is far from glamorous, but it’s one he can control. When Scott hires his services indefinitely, he’s wary at first but soon finds himself falling hard for the handsome, older man. Scott is everything he’d ever dreamt of finding in a partner. But betrayal threatens to take away his dream when he finds out that he was only being used as a means for Scott to gain information on his father, leader of the crime syndicate that murdered Julian Manos. The instinct to run as far and as fast as he can from the ruthless clutches of his father wars with his newfound feelings for the FBI agent that has captured his heart.

It is up to Scott to convince Trick that his declaration of love had not been a lie while keeping the younger man safe from the dangers of a life Scott had recklessly thrown him back into.

8.  Are you in love? Have you ever been?

I am absolutely in love! But not for the first time. The first was…well, a story that should never be retold, as I’m sure we all have, even if they don’t involve our hearts. This time, however, I’ve found someone that has chained my heart and soul to him and I never want to escape.

At our two year mark, we hit a slump, as most married couples do. The books I was reading inspired me to suggest a change that was the best thing that could have happened to us. I realized that I desired a firm hand and loving control, and he was more than willing to become what I needed – again - hehe. We’re still working out the kinks, but surprisingly, we were able to skip the rough parts and go straight to smoothing out the edges.

This was surprisingly possible due to the fact that he read all of my books. He claimed he could see me in my characters and was able to gain a better understanding of what I wanted and needed. And I have to admit, it seems like he’s definitely on the right track :)

9. What kind of comfort food do you like best?

Any and all! LoL. Food, to me, is like a long soak in a hot tub underneath a cloudless sky while tiny snowflakes drift down to melt on my tongue with my husband on one side of me and a chilled glass of red wine on the other.

Okay, so maybe all foods aren’t as tantalizing, hehe. I tried tofu once and can honestly say my stomach thanks me for the one-time torture. And monkey brains. Haven’t tried them but watching a video where they were featured as a delicatessen was enough to make my taste buds leave on hiatus for about a week. If given only one choice, I have to choose a big, fat, rare, juicy stake (as long as someone else cooked it).

10.  What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success?

I think the only thing I haven’t achieved yet is my PH. D. in psychology. Other than that, I only really had three main goals that I’ve already reached. My kids are happy. I have a great husband, and finally, FINALLY, I have found something that I personally love and am good at. My writing.

In my experience, everyone wants to be great at something. It doesn’t matter if that one thing is as important to the rest of the world as it is to the person doing it. All that matters is that each person finds their personal niche and happiness within it. All too often, we compare ourselves to others and therein find faults that only exist in our eyes. It took me years to discover this, and realize that the only one holding me back from accomplishing my goals was me.

We all have our insecurities and imperfections, and they will always be there at the end of the day. But if you find your true, personal pleasure, grab onto it by the balls – or shiny little girl bells, whichever the case may be – and let it take you on the ride of your life! No regrets. No hesitation. After all, everyone deserves a little bit of happy in the chaos of life 

And here's a sexy bit from one of Nikki's  scrumptious books:

Son of Death

ISBN:  978-0-85715-550-4

Genre:  Gay MM/Fantasy/BDSM/Gods and Goddesses

Publisher:  Total-E-Bound

Erotic Rating:  Total-e-Melting

Book Length:  Super Novel

URL:  www.total-e-bound.com

Book one in the Keepers of the Gods Series

When Seth, a Keeper of the Gods, finds the two men he is destined to live eternity with, he must defy the very Gods themselves to save his mates and preserve the existence of man and love.

 

Discovering love with the one person who is fated to compliment everything that you are is blessing enough, but what do you do when another knight in shining armor sweeps you off your feet?

 

Jamie found a second chance at life when Loland rescued him from the ignorance and abuse of those who should have protected him. For years they struggled together to cope with Jamie's powers of precognition and his ability to absorb energy from living things.

 

After centuries of waiting for his other half, Seth finally met Loland, a man that embodied all he'd ever dreamt of in a mate. Meeting Loland's lover, Jamie, and finding that they are both his mates only made the pot sweeter. But while exploring the love they find as mates and the D/s relationships they crave, all three must challenge the will of the Gods and the twisted plans of Jamie's mysterious family.

Ultimately, Seth knows there is nothing he wouldn't do to save the lives and love of his mates.

Excerpt:

As soon as Jamie heard the spray of water hitting tiles in the bathroom next to their room, he sprang into action. It was a short trip to the kitchen where he filled and started the coffee machine, then prepared two mugs with just the right amount of sugar and cream.

Theirs was a small house, but shabby by no means. The kitchen was almost as large as the living room, and while that wasn’t saying much, they managed to keep them both free of clutter. This gave their home a cosy atmosphere instead of inducing the claustrophobia one would expect to feel in such small spaces.

There were two bedrooms—one they shared, and one which had been deemed Jamie’s office, although that was more of a title than a fact. A jumbled collection of decorations and household items that Loland had accumulated over his years as an interior decorator reigned supreme.

Every week, Jamie was forced to clear a path to his work station, consisting of a worn pine desk, chair, computer and fax machine, but he didn’t mind. He loved to imagine the kinds of homes that would eventually house each piece as he was working.

Jamie returned to their bedroom and began to rifle through the clothes inhabiting Loland’s side of the closet. Most of them had either designer tags or were close knock-offs. The significance of the names on the material went right over his head but he knew it was important to his partner.

He’d also been keeping tabs on the outfits Loland wore on his dates with his boyfriend. He knew exactly which shirt to match with which pants to give Loland a fresh look every time he went out.

It had been odd at first, helping his lover prepare to meet another man. No other Dom Loland had met had ever had him this flustered. For that matter, no other man had piqued Loland’s interest enough for him to want to engage in more than just casual scenes at the club. Jamie knew this one was special. The energy Loland gave off following each date was sizzling with love and lust, and somehow it only enhanced their own relationship.

Loland had informed him that this was another actual date, not a club rendezvous, so Jamie decided on a pair of dark grey slacks and a long-sleeved, white button-up shirt that shimmered even in dull light. After laying the clothes neatly on the bed so as not to wrinkle them, he went in search of Loland’s watch, cell phone, and wallet, lying in various places throughout the room, and lined them all up on the dresser. 

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I'm sure, like me, you'll want to know more about this fantastic author, so here's her bio:

A little about me…hmm. I’m afraid to say I’m not all that interesting. A hermit at heart, nothing would please me more than being locked away with a few hundred shelves of good books, a laptop to write my stories on, and an endless supply of food I don’t have to cook! With a little time with my husband for good behaviour!

Ahh…the sweet life.

Can’t really complain, however. My four boys provide more entertainment than Jeff Dunham and Ron White combined (well, most of the time) and my husband keeps me on my toes with each new level of nerddom he surprises me with. Apparently it knows no bounds.

We’re all planning a move to Colorado soon, a state made wonderful by presence of my Mom. Gotta love a woman who agreed to get her first tattoo a few years ago simply to please her daughter. It only took me two decades to talk her into it but hey, it worked!

Overall, there are some days that I still see the grass as greener on the other side of the fence, but most times, I’m happy right here in my own backyard of dysfunctional daisies and exasperating roots.

 Where you can find Nikki:

Website: http://www.nikki-mccoy.com/index.htm 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Nikki-McCoy/574409083 

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/nikkimccoy