St Albans woman, Nikki Vallance is hoping to be discovered as a writer with her psychological thriller debut novel Pivotal.
Nikki has entered the Page Turner Awards, where published and unpublished fiction and non-fiction from all genres can enter their writing to get discovered by high-profile judges from the literary world. In particular, Nikki is hoping that her book, Pivotal, catches the eye of the LA Film Scout who is one of the judges.
Why Pivotal? Nikki says the story is a relationship mystery where the lives of four women are thrown into chaos by a life-changing bequest.
Three women receive a mysterious potentially life-changing bequest with a deadline. Seeking support from a hypnotherapist they unpick four decades of life choices before they decide, is it yes or is it no?
Nikki describes herself as an amateur psychologist and is fascinated by people and understanding what makes us who we are. The premise for Pivotal centres on the multiple paths a life may take at the crossroads of each significant decision.
The author wanted to explore how four ordinary women might react when faced with an extraordinary decision. It is as much about the decisions they have made in the past as it is about the looming deadline of a bequest which connects them.
After nine years of writing, Pivotal, where the lives of four women in their forties are thrown into chaos by a potentially life-changing bequest, Nikki has pivoted her own life from interim recruiter to author, speaker and writers coach.
Her publishing deal with independent publisher Hashtag Press made her dream of becoming a published author come true in October 2019. She had dedicated Pivotal to her mum and dad, both of whom were passionate advocates of her change of direction.
Sadly, her mum died suddenly before Christmas, just six weeks after she had read and loved her daughter’s first book.
Pivotal is a finalist in The People's Book Prize in the Best Fiction category.
Nikki would love to have the locals supporting her. Readers can vote for her book and add any constructive feedback to her story, thus helping her improve her chances of getting noticed by the judges. St Albans residents can vote and comment here: https://pageturnerawards.com/contemporary-fiction/pivotal
Nikki said, “It is a dream come true to hold my debut novel, Pivotal, in my hands and to be able to say 'I am a published author'. My goal has always been to reach and entertain as many readers as possible. After all, books are written to be read not to line bookshelves as a backdrop for zoom calls! The Page Turner Awards me the chance to propel my book and career to the next level.”
The Page Turner Awards, sponsored by ProWritingAid, writers and authors the chance to enter unpublished or published fiction and non-fiction books, where a group of literary agents will read the work. Two writers are guaranteed to be published.
Hopefully, with feedback and votes from St Albans residents, Nikki will be in with a chance to win the awards.
Find out more about The Page Turner Awards: https://pageturnerawards.com. Submissions are open until 30 June 2020.
