Sometimes in life, we stumble upon a pot of gold, shiny and sparkly. Sometimes it’s a rainbow itself, fresh and clean, an abundant kaleidoscope of color. Well, I found that perfection in the lovely, snarky, witty, yoda-obsessed nerd Nikki Mathis Thompson, and I want to jump up and down and do cartwheels because today I get the opportunity to introduce her to you.

Nikki Mathis Thompson is not only a brilliant and talented author of two books, Rebound and Resilient, and a recently released novella, This Is ME, she’s an avid reader, a strict tree hugger, the mother of two ridiculously adorable and oddly charming children, a devoted wife, and most importantly, one of my favorite people on this planet.

Because I already know her so well, I dug deep into my haywire mind and thought of some questions that even I can’t answer, so without further ado, let’s get to know Nikki.  Shall we?

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You’ve written two books and a novella in the span of a year. What inspires you to write and to keep writing?

Sometimes it’s an idea that won’t let up or a funny quip that is too good to ignore. Now that I have a little following, my fans inspire me with their support and hunger for more words. Because honestly, some days you just want to throw in the towel.

Describe a typical day of writing. What’s to your left and to your right?

I have two kids and a husband and a house and a life, so a day of writing does not exist for me. It is more like the few hours I can squeeze in during my three year old’s nap time, but regardless of the duration, I grab my laptop and head into my writing/reading room. I call it my office. It’s bright and has very comfortable furniture, complete with indention from my rear end. To my left is a large cup of water or wine, depending on the time of day. To my right is my phone playing Zen Garden Radio on Pandora.

One of my favorite things about your style is your snarky one-liners. Where do you come up with them?

Oh if I could only explain the demented workings of my mind. They come to me at the most random times. But the snark is running in a continuous reel. Some are gold and must be shared and some are better left unsaid.

But I will tell you my first book was born from a notebook full of one-liners and I needed a vehicle to put them to page. Sometimes I have a funny line, and I’ll write a whole scene around it.

Friendship is a common theme in your books.  Why did you choose to write such strong friendships into your novels and your novella?

Well, I think when your life falls to shit you need a good friend, whether it be one or a bevy of buds.  My heroine’s life was falling apart, and I don’t think she could have managed without her friends.  I also found that the supporting casts in most of the novels I was reading were a bit one dimensional. In real life, friends are anything but that, and I wanted my writing to reflect as much. A group that you would want to have drinks with or have in your corner.

If you could pick one character from your books to take on a trip, who would it be, and where would you take him/her?

If I weren’t bound by my marriage vows, I would say Ian, somewhere with a beach and hammock. But if I were, it would have to be Katrine, and we would go to Napa.

What is on deck?

I have three novellas planned for this year. I’m working on the second. I hope to release it in August and the third towards the end of the year.

Wow, Nik, you should probably be writing and not talking to me, but since I have you here, let’s have some fun…

If you could have lunch with any author (alive or dead), who would it be and why?

Well, my first thought was Lord Byron. Then I thought am I being a pseudo-intellectual poser?  Not this time…As a teenage girl, I remember being so moved by his poetry, the passion, the devotion.  I was in high school after all, surrounded by inarticulate horny teenage boys, so anyone would shine in comparison.  Not to take anything away from his poetry, it’s amazing. 

I thought if he turned out to be a dullard, at least he could recite prose inspired by my beauty and wit as I lay on his lap under a tree. A man who can pen such beautiful words has to be something quite spectacular, or a complete man whore. I’d love to get inside his head, and if he doesn’t smell like a 19th Century European, then perhaps his pants. 

Oh were we supposed to be eating? Okay, throw in a baguette and some cheese.

Three favorite books of all time…Go!!

This is really hard. Different books have meant different things to me throughout my life, but I would have to say the ones that have stayed in the top spots for making the most impact would be:

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
• Vampire LeStat by Anne Rice
• Katherine by Anya Seton

The penis wielding honorable mentions go to:

• James Tipton for Annette Valon
• Ken Follett for Pillars of the Earth
• Arthur Golden for Memoirs of a Geisha

There you have it. Now you know Nikki. Are you as in love with her as I am? Are you jealous that I get to go have drinks with her Saturday night for her birthday?

Speaking of birthdays…

In honor of the day she was born, I feel like being generous. I will give away one signed copy or eBook (if you prefer it) of Rebound, but first you have to follow her on Facebook and Twitter and leave a comment here.

Disclaimer: If you don’t understand the title of my blog, go read her books…like right now unless of course, you don’t have a sense of humor. Then just sit there and not laugh.