Who is Nicki Sosebee?
Years ago, when Nicki Sosebee introduced herself to me, I had a good sense of her character even as I began writing the first few words of the first chapter. I envisioned her as being an adult version of Nancy Drew—but with a potty mouth, definitely not well-to-do, and a woman who knows what she wants.
Nicki was, to me, an everywoman—at least that was how I pictured her. Relatable, a little (okay, a lot) naïve, loving life. Of course, not everything in her world was coming up roses, but she made lemonade out of lemons. (Sorry for all the shi*tty clichés!) She persevered. She sought a better life. She wanted lots more and realized that the only way to get it was through hard work.
But she also discovered along the way that the odds were stacked against her, partly in thanks to her corrupt little town. And it was something she’d never quite seen, living in her happy little bubble, until she decided to report for her hometown paper, the Winchester Tribune. It was then that she began to figure out what her best friend Sean Ramsey had known all along: Winchester was being run by the rich and powerful at the expense of ordinary citizens. Some of them obviously knew what was going on and just accepted it; others knew and got out. Most of them, though, just lived their lives in what they thought was their idyllic quiet hometown, never bothering to peel back the veneer to find what was really underneath.
After over half a million words, I am going to miss writing about Nicki and her adventures—not just her “sexcapades,” but the intrigue, the danger, her family and friends, her self-discovery and growth. She really was like a best friend to me, and I know many of you felt the same way.
So on today, the launch day of the final Nicki book, I have one question: What did/do YOU love about Nicki?
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