Nikki Sheehan is an author, journalist, mentor, and mother of three teenagers. She has published three MG and YA novels and also writes poetry, and books for younger children. She has been shortlisted for, and won many awards, and her books Swan Boy and Goodnight, Boy were both nominated for the Carnegie medal.
She is passionate about nurturing creativity, and is a very experienced workshop leader and mentor. Nikki is used to facilitating original stories, poems and scripts with all ages and abilities, and particularly enjoys working with advanced writers to extend their work and achieve their writing goals.
Nikki lives in Brighton and is available for one-to-ones locally and in London.
To buy Swan Boy from Amazon click here and Goodnight, Boy here (affiliate links).
Testimonials
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Writing Coach. I was ‘stuck’ with a novel I’d written, knowing it was flawed, but not knowing why. It turned out that the main issue was that I’d written something that read like a memoir rather than a work of fiction. Nikki explained this would stand in the way of getting it published and why this was the case. Her manuscript assessment was thorough. She pointed out unlikely events, unconvincing character voice and several areas where I should have been showing rather than telling. Nikki told me everything I needed to know in a no-nonsense way, but was never in any way patronising. Our phone conversation was very fruitful. I came away buzzing with ideas about the rewrite, and more importantly, the confidence to give it another go. Jo P, Writer
I worked with Nikki Sheehan for a year and completed a children’s book. She was a joy to work with, sometimes painfully honest but as we know, writing is rewriting and my work was always the better for her honesty. She rejoiced as the book progressed, enthused by the characters, engaged by the plot, steering me with a light touch. She supported me completely as a writer. She knows the children’s market backward and told me what children are and aren’t interested in. It’s been a great process; she’s moved me forward hugely. C Chapwell
“This book would not exist if it wasn’t for author and literary consultant Nikki Sheehan,” is what I wrote on the acknowledgments page of my novel and I meant every word! Although I was working on an adult novel, my protagonist was a teenager. Nikki’s YA background meant she was the perfect person to point out the instances where I’d made him sound older than his years, and congratulate me when I’d got his voice just right. She also had some brilliant ideas to tighten up the plot and cut unnecessary characters when my book was suffering from the dreaded ‘saggy middle’. Nikki’s positive attitude and sage advice meant I came away from our Zoom meetings feeling inspired and ready to put her suggestions into action. It is thanks to Nikki that I ended up with a book worthy of publishing. Jaime Southwark
I have been delighted with all the help, advice and support I have received from Nikki and Jacqui at The Writing Coach. All the way through the process I knew I had their expert knowledge to help build and maintain my confidence to write a book that I could be proud of. Nikki helped with all aspects of the process; structure, wording, rhythm/rhyme as well as putting some great ideas forward for me to consider. Accountability was very important for me when choosing a coach to help me with the book. After my initial call and meeting with Jacqui she paired me with Nikki and it was a great match. Nikki pushed me out of my comfort zone, kept me on track and was a great advisor without being too pushy. I am delighted with the outcome. A book that I am proud to say I wrote, with a great personal connection at the heart of it to Operation Smile. Every purchase of the book helps Operation Smile towards creating a smile on a child, which is something I will be forever grateful to TWC for helping me to achieve. I can’t recommend them enough. Thank you so much. Paul Toms
Delia Lloyd