Motivational speaker, author and creative writers’ coach, Nikki Vallance, is judging the Page Turner Writing Mentorship Award, and offering one outstanding writer a writing mentorship and a 6-month coaching program to support them in writing their novel, worth £1500!
Novelist and Creative Crusader, Nikki began writing her debut novel ‘Pivotal’ whilst working in her recruitment career, having set a goal to inject creativity back into her life. This book club fiction novel, a finalist in both The People's Book Prize and the Page Turner Awards in 2020, explores the chaos and possibilities that unfold at the crossroads of life's significant decisions.
When the pandemic hit, Nikki saw an opportunity. She created 'The Lost Books of Lockdown', a Facebook community that connected authors with readers in a time when face-to-face events were impossible. She hosted 42 online Author Showcases and 10 Business of Books Live interviews with experts from the publishing sector to share their knowledge and advice with the group.
This experience sparked a new passion in Nikki - broadcasting. In 2023, she expanded her community and launched 'The Creative Switch', a podcast dedicated to exploring the how, what, why, and who of creativity. Its mission? To inspire those who have been ‘sensibly successful’ to switch on their unexpressed creativity for a more fulfilled life. Her moto – ‘Why survive when you can thrive?’
In 2022 and 2023, Nikki had the honour of judging the Page Turner Writing Mentorship Award, each year offering one lucky unpublished writer a mentorship and a 6-month coaching package worth £1500. She is looking forward to discovering another talented writer as a judge again in 2024.
Nikki is an avid reader, drawn to stories brimming with emotion and characters so real they leap off the page. Whether they make her laugh or cry, she doesn’t mind, but she does want to be simultaneously challenged and entertained through beautiful writing. Books that leave her thinking are her favourites.
She's a familiar face at book club events and festivals, having run writers' workshops at the Herts Book Festival in 2022 and 2023. She's also chaired engaging author conversations on topics like 'Life and Love' and 'The Rules of Romance'.
A mum and step-mum of 5 adult children across two hemispheres, Nikki lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and cheeky goldendoodle Lola. Creativity runs through everything she does, and last year she realized a long-held dream to learn the Argentine Tango with her husband on a holiday of a lifetime to Buenos Aires.
Nikki firmly believes that you don't need to wait until retirement to pursue your creative ambitions. She's living proof that you can achieve your dreams, one recipe, painting, book, or aria at a time. As George Eliot once said, "It's never too late to be who you might have been.
Whether you make me laugh or cry, I don’t mind but just want to be simultaneously challenged and entertained through beautiful writing
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