Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Rome.
Nikki, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. There was a time when I was reading a book series and it just stuck with me. I decided to give writing my own stories a try.
They sat on my computer forever! Finally, I met a dear friend who had Indie published her books, and she encouraged me to give it a try. Fast forward to 2022, I was researching Kink and BDSM for one of my books and I found it was really hard to find accurate information that I could rely on. As a romance author, these elements are commonly written about, but they don’t always show the Kink Community in the best light.
I knew from the start I didn’t want to be someone who caused harm to another human due to my ignorance. I worked my way through, finding people to help, but the entire process seemed too complicated. That’s where the idea of Smut Lovers came from. Now Smut Lovers: The Community comprises our conference, podcast, online community, and Smut Source.
Smut Source is our newest extension of the community, which provides online articles and resources from trusted individuals along with an open-sourced database for authors to find sensitive readers.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is the road ever smooth? Building a business is difficult. Building two is even more complicated. There are things about it that have been amazing and other things that have been a struggle, but I’ve surrounded myself with an amazing team who supports me through all of it.
We have lucked out because nearly everyone we have shared our vision with has loved what we are doing. But in 2023, the political climate in Florida was a cause of concern for many of our community members. This was one of the largest struggles for us at Smut Lovers because we didn’t believe in the changes being presented by our current government but we felt an outstanding need to push forward with our conference in Florida even after many harsh comments from those outside of our state. We issued our “Why Florida” statement outlining the importance of supporting the communities here in Florida that we serve and offered a virtual version of our conference for those who felt unsafe traveling at that time.
Although this was one of our largest struggles, I’m very proud of how my team rallied together. Our conference in 2023 was a tremendous success and a demonstration of inclusivity and diversity within the author, reader, and kink communities.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work is one thing I am truly proud of. I love my stories, my characters, and the universe I’ve built as an author. I never thought I would be a writer. On Smut Lovers: The Podcast I interviewed tons of authors, many of whom have known their whole lives, that they wanted to share stories. I was never that person.
As a child, I danced, and I was into photography, but that was the extent of my creativity. When people talk about the pull to do something they love, I always assumed it was something that was always there. For me, it turned up differently and I’m happy I’ve embraced it.
I write in the largest genre out there, but my subgenre is a predominantly dark romance. There is something about flawed characters who are just trying to make it to a happily ever after that always makes me smile. In one of my more recent books, Erotic Behavior, you will see the owner of a Kink Club who finds a bride through a sketchy marriage auction.
The tropes are popular but it’s things like his relationship with his sister and nephew and helping his heroine understand why he is the way he is that keeps you reading. Those are the stories that for me will last a lifetime.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
Inclusivity. There is a distinction between diversity and inclusion and as a human that hasn’t always felt like they fit in, it’s one thing that stands out to me. By the looks of me, people assume I fit into many major demographics, but the reality is very different.
Spending my life masking who I am and being who others thought I should be took a toll on me. Meeting readers and authors who feel this way every day of their lives has left a lasting impression. Smut Lovers’ goal is to provide a diverse and inclusive community to lovers of smutty books and so far, I think we are doing a pretty good job at it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://smutlovers.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smutloverscommunity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smutloverscommunity
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@SmutLoversCommunity
- Other: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nikki-rome
