Meet Stacy Nyikos of Children’s Writer in Hillcrest

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Nyikos.

Stacy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My road to becoming an author is pretty curvy, with a lot of other roads first being taken before arriving at this profession. I spent the early part of my career completing a Ph.D. in political science. I taught on the European Union, Constitutional Law, and Statistics while completing my Ph.D., as well as ran the Statistics Lab for the University of Oklahoma. It was during that time that I first began to write for children. The idea began to percolate when I had my first child. I took her to zoos and aquariums in our city and when we visited others. For her, the gift shop was almost as exciting as the animals we saw, sometimes maybe even a little more. Here was something she could touch, interact with, make a part of her experience. At the time, I was struck with how meager the book selection was. That was when I decided to try my hand at writing for children.

Breaking into any art scene is hard. Writing for children is no different. It isn’t always about the quality of the work, but what is hot, what is the next wave, what publishers know they can sell. I have read so many amazing stories that never sold because they weren’t mainstream enough. That’s the harsh reality of the life of an artist. Some of the best pieces are enjoyed by only a lucky few who get to see them. Take Van Gogh, for instance. He only ever sold one piece while he was alive, and that was to his art dealer. Today, however, he is a widely respected artist, considered groundbreaking during his time. Unfortunately, he never got to know that success. He dealt only with the rejection. It can be crushing.

I also continued writing, branching out into children’s novels. I sold my first, Dragon Wishes, to an indie publisher in Texas in 2006. In 2011, I completed an MFA in Writing for Children at Vermont College, and during that time I also signed with my agent, Stephen Fraser. I’ve gone on to publish three books since then.

I have also continued to publish books through Stonehorse and with traditional publishing houses. Whenever I’m asked, “what is your dream job”, my answer is: “I’m doing it.” I love writing. I love writing for children, being able to go to schools and teach them about writing, speaking at conferences about writing. Writing is my verb. It’s not the only one, but it is the one that challenges me anew every day and makes each one an adventure.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been so many struggles along the way. Art is not for the faint of heart. As a writer, I’ve had books make it all the way to acquisitions and then die on the floor more than once—heartbreaking!—contracts fall through, story ideas be ahead of their time–or behind–subject matter be too controversial, or not exciting enough. As a publisher, I’ve dealt with disreputable printers, shipping disasters, shipping strikes, printing too many copies of a title and tying up capital the wrong way, or printing too few, delays that threatened launch dates and marketing campaigns, losing talent, searching for new talent. Every day is an adventure!

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck is where preparation and opportunity meet. It always plays a bit of a role in any life. I can’t say it’s defined my career, but I have had some lucky moments. I was lucky to meet the buyer for Monterey Bay Aquarium at Book Expo one year, be invited out to their in-store holiday event to sign books, and when I went, meet another kidlit author who ended up writing a blurb for the cover of another of my books. That was amazingly serendipitous. But I don’t (yet) have one of those, “I was riding the A train when the editor I’d been wanting to work with my whole life got on, I pitched my book, he loved it, and a week later, I had a contract.” Although, I would be thrilled to have that kind of luck strike. Are you listening to Fates? Or Matthew Ringler (he’s my dream editor for my latest finished ms, Skin Deep). Mostly, in my case it’s been about hard work, doing the legwork, writing the good stories, pitching them to my agent, collecting rejections and then eventually, for reasons I’m not sure any author (or person in love) understands, finally finding that perfect match of an editor. All of us writers bemoan the slowness, the heaping mountains of rejection, and yet we love writing. LOVE. IT. That’s why we do it. It is our Everest, challenging us each and every day to be a better writer than the day before.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stacynyikos.com

Image Credit:
Stacy Lynn Nyikos Photography (this is my sister-in-law), Alysia Kohrs

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