A natural born writer, Niki had her first piece published at the age of 13 ( a poem of no real consequence). Her love of writing further developed as she began to work for the High School newspaper, first as a features writer then later becoming the Editor in Chief. It is during this time that her natural, self proclaimed, geekhood began to shine through as she developed an interest in computers.
Following the familiar path of most word weavers, she was an English major in college, graduating from ETSU, Laude, with a B.A. in English and a concentration in writing with a minor in philosophy; most of which included Environmental Philosophy and Animal Rights Issues. She also took a heavy interest in the natural sciences such as Oceanography and Marine Biology as well as a handful of out of the ordinary courses including a class on ET's and life in space.
In college she furthered her writing, exploring more of her creative abilities as she also became more impassioned by the Environmental concerns that plague our planet; giving presentations on her hot topic issue of the Environmental Impact of the Commercial Fishing Industry. The two passions of her major and her minor culminated in her senior thesis: An Eco-Feminist Criticism of Feminist Critics of Shakespeare and Appropriations.
After receiving her degree, she moved to the beautiful shores of Florida's Gulf Coast where she spent sometime working in the banking and finance industry for an unnamed institution that she affectionately refers to as “The First National Bank of Satan”. While working the long hours there, she managed a small writer's group and worked on her portfolio whenever possible; however, 11-14 hour days left little time for writing. With the birth of her son, she quit the banking industry and began pursuing Freelancing in both writing as well as graphic and web design. After a handful of hurricanes, one of which was one of the largest to ever hit the area, Ivan, she promptly left the sunny shores of Florida.
Now residing in St. Louis, Niki pursues writing on a full time basis as an Editor and full time freelance writer. She is a proud stay at home mom, and spends her time devoted to her passions of writing, the Environment, and her family which includes her husband who is a fellow writer, former engineer, tree-hugger, and self proclaimed geek. Together they enjoy the adventures of their adorable 2 year old son, and the new addition to their family that arrived in January. When not writing about the environment or computers, she is enjoying her hobby of web design and is currently working on her first novel.
Niki's Experience Has Included:
Running a Nature Themed Gift Shop
Organizing Environmental Education Programs for Children
Public Speaking on a Variety of Issues, Particular the Importance of the Oceans and the Impact of Commerical Fishing
Working in Banking and Finance
Managing a Small Writer's Group
Writing for various sites and content producers
Building a running a variety of web sites over the years