Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed author Nikki Sitch, a Land Negotiator in the Energy Industry and author of Love, Lust & WTF!?!, an entertaining take on internet dating during COVID-19 pandemic (Read the review here.)

Nikki Sitch has first-hand experience in all the crazy that is online dating. A vast array of special humans, who graced her presence on the dating apps, inspired her to write Love, Lust & WTF?!! Writing has become a cathartic and exciting new passion for Nikki.

A Land Negotiator in the Energy Industry by day, Nikki fills her off hours, when not writing, with things she loves to do: spend time with family and friends, swim, volunteer coach, bike, rollerblade, read, golf, and walk. Nikki wrote Love, Lust & WTF while living in Okotoks, AB but currently lives in Calgary, AB with her two boys and one dog.

Love, Lust & WTF is Nikki’s first book. Stay tuned for book two, picking up Daisy’s adventures where Love, Lust & WTF leaves off.

Website: http://nikkisitch.ca

Facebook author page: https://www.Facebook.com/nikkisitchauthor

How often do you base your characters on real people?

Mostly never. I purposely avoid doing this. That being said, some “may” be loosely inspired by the odd person I know.

How many hours a day do you write?

My life is incredibly busy. I have a full time and demanding job in the energy industry, two boys, I volunteer at the YMCA coaching masters swimming and I like to keep active. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of time to write. I’ve always been masterful at multi-tasking, so I make it all go round! Many days I don’t write at all. Other days I write for hours. When suddenly inspired, often I’ll type a few notes on my phone, so I don’t forget to write about it when time allows. Sometimes, I write late into the night after my little guy is in bed. Often, I have to force myself to stop typing and go to bed, for fear of pulling an all-nighter. I sure as heck can’t pull those off anymore!

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Writing energizes me. It makes me laugh. It lights my soul and heart on fire. It’s a new passion for me, one that I absolutely adore. I look forward to the moments and hours where I can kick back and write.

Do you read your book reviews? Do they please you or annoy you? Do you think you can learn a lot from reading criticism about your work?

Yes, I do. So far, all have been very complimentary. I think constructive criticism within reviews provide me with the opportunity to improve, to write even better, to continue to reach for the stars.   

Do you Google yourself?

Ha! Yes, all the time. My book and me. It’s fascinating to see what gets picked up and where. Germany, Australia, China, the UK, the USA, and Canada, of course!

Who and what ultimately inspired you to become a writer?

Writing wasn’t an item on my bucket list. It just happened. Honestly, it never occurred to me to write a book. There I was, living life, sharing my crazy online dating stories with friends and a couple of them suggested that I blog my experiences. NO WAY was I doing that. I’m not airing my dirty laundry for the entire world to see! One friend suggested that I flip it around and write a fictional novel loosely inspired by my experiences, maybe even inspired by the experiences of my other single friends. I laughed at the idea. I definitely didn’t have time to take on a project like that. Blogging seemed too onerous, never mind the idea of writing a whole novel. But my curiosity was piqued. One day, I shrugged and thought, “What’s the worst that could happen?” I started writing and it flowed. And flowed. I loved it. I found a new and mostly untapped potential within myself. I typically write business letters and take factual notes. This fictional writing stuff is a riot.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

I started writing in October 2020. My first book took roughly 6 months to write. It was 65,000 words. Then I sent it for editing and requested comments from my friends. Based on their feedback, I rocked out another 25,000 words through increased dialogue and digging a little deeper into my creative side. It was ready for publication approximately 9 months after I started hitting random keys on my computer. Ha! I started formulating ideas for my second book while I was still writing my first book. I’m hoping to have book 2 ready for editing at the end of Q1, 2022.  

How do you begin a book?

Quite simply, I sit down and start writing. I don’t plan anything out. I just go! I write chapters but in no particular order. I figure that part out at the end, just before I reach out to my beta readers, or sometimes after they’ve read and provided feedback. For example, chapter 1 in Love, Lust & WTF?!! was the last chapter that I wrote. Computers are lovely tools. Copy and paste is my favourite feature.  

If asked, what would your friends and family say about you?

A My family and friends would say that I’m driven, kind, I accomplish what I set out to do, a great multi-tasker, that I have a good heart, I’m logical, intelligent, and I have a good sense of humour. Ha, some would say that I accomplish more in a day by 9:00am than they do in and entire day.

What inspired the premise of your book?

A Life! Ha! My experience on the rollercoaster dating train through hell shocked, horrified, baffled, and excited me. The mostly bizarre folks I met on dating sites were too much larger than life not to inspire some crazy characters in my book. To quote Jim Morrison, “People are strange.”

Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?

This was a somewhat difficult question to answer as I have so many favourites. It feels like someone asking me which of my children is my favourite. The answer: both, of course. If my feet are to the fire and I must choose a chapter, my favourite is Chapter X, when Daisy meets David in real life for the first time. This is a pivotal experience for Daisy in so many ways. She starts to come out of her shell and allow herself to explore her inner goddess, her long held, and somewhat mislaid, beliefs about dating, and her mostly untapped sexual prowess.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I want readers to laugh-out-loud, to learn about the current, and ridiculous, status of online dating, to open their minds, to be entertained, to see dating and life from a different perspective, and to push their comfort limits.

What makes this book important right now?

It’s timely. It’s relevant. It resonates. It’s educational. It’s laugh-out-loud funny. These days we’re dealing with so many restrictions in our daily lives, this is a great book to kick back, enjoy and bring laughter back into our lives in the face of so much melancholy blah.

What’s next for you?

I’m in the midst of writing Daisy’s Continued Adventures . . . book 2! I love how Daisy’s journey continues to morph and change. My goal is to have it to editors in Q2, 2022 and on bookshelves by Q4, 2022.  

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