Conversations with Nikki T. Anthony

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki T. Anthony.

Hi Nikki, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
My love for writing sparked as a teenager. I grew up in a housing project, where I lived in poverty. I experienced and saw things there that left me to feel as though I would never amount to anything. I lived with my great-grandmother, who didn’t have much, yet what little she did have, she stretched those resources as far and wide as she possibly could. She would always encourage me that if I put my mind to it, I could do anything. 

During that time, I knew I wanted to be something, but I didn’t know exactly what that something consisted of, so in the meantime, I figured to become more than what I was doing, I needed to change my environment. The real question was how is that possible with no money, little resources, and lack of encouragement from the other influences around me. 

Then one day, I had this epiphany: I loved to read, and what better way to explore different environments than through literature. I found a way to escape my everyday reality by visiting the neighborhood public library, which allowed me to explore different environments through reading fiction. I would visit one library every day from sunup to sundown, exploring new worlds. When that one closed for the day, or if I was escorted out because my friends came in causing trouble, I’d find a way to ditch them and travel to the nearest neighborhood library. That was the beginning of how I started to use literature as leverage to better my life circumstances. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely been a rocky road, but it has also been a road worth traveling. I say that because it was during the hard times that I learned what it takes to survive. 

Waking up every day with a hopeful attitude that a change is on the horizon isn’t an easy thing to do when everything around you demonstrate otherwise. I didn’t have it easy growing up because I didn’t look like the other kids at school, which ultimately resulted in me dropping out of high school. I didn’t know where my next meal would come from whenever I ran away from home, yet I wholeheartedly believed the outcome of my life would one day be favorable. 

To believe that I could turn things around in my life was bold of me. It was daring. Often it was even scary, but I knew it wasn’t impossible. Knowing there was even the slightest possibility I would prevail fueled my ambition. My mentality became my reality in opposed to my reality, altering my mentality. 

I experienced many obstacles, but I didn’t allow those pitfalls to stop me. I kept going, and I didn’t take no for an answer along the way. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Of course, I’m Nikki T. Anthony, the Author behind the young adult novel The Price We Pay, serial entrepreneur, literary consultant, and not to mention resilient. I’m best known for my advocacy for young adult females. 

I’m best known for transforming my own personal experiences of being an underserved, troubled teen into being a motivator for the marginalized. Not allowing the product of what was once known as an impoverished environment to stop me, I actively pursued a career within the publishing industry. 

My personal life experiences and persuasive stories demonstrate to teen girls that overcoming challenges can be transformed into a skillset, in opposed to being seen as obstacles. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My lifelong mission is to give back to young adult females by inspiring them that when empowered, she too can rewrite her story. It’s the driving force behind my book tour titled Girls Like Me, which also serves as a seed tour for the youth. Throughout my career, I’ve been transparent about how troubled my own childhood was. Not only was I a high school dropout, but I was also a runaway teen. 

The troubles I experienced growing up many would be ashamed to speak about, but in my case, I wear those scars shamelessly because those pitfalls are the exact things that built my character. I want to teach young adult females that it’s not how you start; all that matters is how you finish. 

Hence the reason why optimism was one of the characteristic traits that I wanted the main character, Zenetta, to have in The Price We Pay. I wanted her personality to demonstrate that it’s important to have a hopeful attitude and believe that change is coming, even when everything around her indicated otherwise. 

Pricing:

• $34.95

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamnikkitanthony.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkitanthony/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thequeenofstorytelling/