For Mom...

I know it's not Mother's day, but I've had a Dad poem on here for quite some time, so it's time I honored mothers too. My mother and I are very close, so when I wrote this poem, I meant it. She has been my inspiration and my biggest fan my entire life. Since I was a very small child, she encouraged me to write poetry and to never stop. So here I am - years later still writing poems.

This one is for you Mom. Thank you for your never ending support, I love you.

Comes on many gifts.

Click here to find & read this Mom poem at my Zazzle gift shop

Thankfulness

It's that time of year again when everyone has turkey and Thanksgiving on their minds. The past few years have led to some big changes for me in my life and family. And I must say I'm very thankful for all of it. The good and the not so good.

I've learned through some hard knocks that sometimes even though we may resist certain changes in our lives, they usually turn out for the best in the long run. Sometimes things are not what they seem at first, but given time, they turn out to be exactly what we needed or wanted all along.

This year, I'm am so thankful for the new additions to my family, my lovely granddaughters, and great niece, and to those little ones still on the way. I'm especially thankful and overwhelming honored to still have my Grandmother with us, who is now 96. There is nothing more humbling than having 5 generations of women at the same time, all in the same room! The word "Mom" or "Ma", traveled up the scale of generations and back like lightening! What a privilege and honor to experience that.

This past year has also brought some of my own personal dreams to reality. I'm so thankful for the technology that has allowed me to express my creativity and put it out for anyone who may happen by. Publishing has become an ever changing entity, and self-publishing is here to stay. I had my very first book signing event this year, and for that I am exceedingly grateful. It truly was a dream come true for me on many levels. And to all my supportive friends who have held my hand through my brave new endeavors, I'm especially grateful to you. I don't think I would have had the courage enough to try without my friends and family by my side. Thank you.

So this year, as I cook up my Thanksgiving turkey, I'll reflect on the past years and look forward to future ones. My hope is to continue writing, designing, and having fun with the children at school and home for as long as possible. And maybe someday, if I'm very lucky, I'll be the 96 year old Great-Great Grandma looking down at the line of my daughters... I love you Gram!
Happy Thanksgiving.

New Look

Hi all,

Today, I'm revamping my blog, to give it a new look and to showcase my books with order information on separate pages. I've also added an event page because I have my first event coming up! So excited! So feel free to look around, I'll be adding more book pages in the coming days.
Have a great day!

Happy Independence Day!

This year to celebrate Independence day, I'm going to do it by celebrating Independent Authors and Artists everywhere! This is a fabulous time to be a writer or designer/artist or any other kind of creative person. Being able to self publish has given authors the chance to not only express themselves, but the possibility of making a living or even supplemental income, that they may not have been able to do before. Along with ebooks and  POD's for printed books, as with Amazon, Barnes & Noble and CreateSpace. And many products and gifts, through Cafepress and Zazzle, and Etzy, authors and artists are being heard and seen and discovered. Those are just a few of the companies that can be found on the internet. How wonderful to have the freedom to do that. Creative people are the flowers of the world...and we are in full bloom! Happy Independence Day!

Creative People Mouse Pads & More by nikiclix
Create a custom mouse mat on zazzle.

Father's Day is coming...

Hi all,
In case you didn't get a chance to see my latest picture books, I've included one just for Father's and their children called Your Father's Love. It's available in print and ebook.

My latest addition; When I Build With Blocks, will be available in print next week! Very excited about this one, as all the children in my Pre-K class loved it. They are just the greatest block builders ever!

And if you're looking for something a little more thrilling, check out my brother William G. Aitken's latest collection of 6 stories that will thrill and chill you, titled; Eclection 6. 

Here are our author pages:
Niki Alling's Author Page
William G. Aitken's Author Page

Have a great day!

Mother's Day is coming!

Hi all!
Happy soon to be Mother's Day. Just a small note to say hello and to invite you to check out my new picture book all about Mothers titled, Your Mother's Love and one for Fathers too - Your Father's Love.

For those of you who haven't seen my author page in awhile, it's growing all the time! Currently, I'm working on a new picture book specifically for children in the pre-k/kindergarten class room. I expect it to be ready in about 2 or 3 months. Also, I'm working on a Young Adult fantasy series, not sure of the publish date for that one. I'll keep you posted!
Here is my updated author page at Amazon:
amazon.com/author/nikialling

You'll notice that most of my books are now offered in print too!
Have a great weekend!

The Beauty of Print

Hi all,
I just want to share that I now have three of my books, (picture books), available in print! I'm very excited about this. As much as I love publishing to the Kindle and other ereaders - holding a printed book in my hands is a great feeling!

My Novella Ginny's Sacrifice is going through the process of print also, and will most likely be available by next week. I'm waiting for the proof right now and if all goes well, it will be ready soon!

This is a great and fun time to be a writer and designer, with the ability to publish work in a short period of time, it's just amazing to me. I'm enjoying every minute of it! I'm currently working on a new picture book, and also a fantasy trilogy. That along with designing gifts, and my day job, I'm a busy girl. But loving every minute of it.

For those of you who are wondering how it's all paying off, I'll just say for now, it's nice to have a little extra income in combination with my day job. I'm pretty sure that the more I build up my library, the more it will increase. In any case, the joy is in the process for me.

Here is the link to my Amazon Author page with links to my new paper back books:
Niki Alling's Author Page

Take care! 

Love is in the air...

What better way to say I love you than with a poem? Well, that's my thinking at least. :)
So I've written a special poem for Husbands and Wives for Valentine's Day. I'm showcasing the Husband poem here, but you may also find the Wife Love version on my NikiClix Shops.
(Husband and Wife love poem available on many gifts.)
Happy Valentine's Day!
(Click picture for gift shop with Husband poem on many gifts.)

Husband Love Gifts from Zazzle by nikiclix
View other tiles

UPDATE: A colorable version of this poem, Husband, is included in the new adult coloring book: Color-A-Gift: All Occasion Gift-Poems to Color and Give, by Niki Alling. Click Here to view, Color-A-Gift, on Amazon!

Be the first to learn of giveaways, new poems, latest book release, designs and more - 
Sign up for Niki Alling's newsletter here!

Proud Indie Author/Publisher

Hello all! I'm sorry I've been away so long, I've been very busy working and writing and designing as usual, but I'd like to take a few minutes to share some exciting and fun stuff.

Last month Amazon introduced the KDP Owners' Lending Library into their program. Because of this, many Independent authors, like myself, have been able to take advantage of this. If enrolled, an author is able to promote their books for 5 free days, during the 90 day duration they are enrolled along with receiving royalties for any books that are borrowed through this program.
To make a long story short, this has been amazing for me and many other writers just starting out. Having a book be free for 5 days or a day at a time, or however you want to arrange the 5 days, is fabulous. Not only does it get our books out of the bottom of the pile, it can lead to some real sales in between the free days! Plus, as was in my case, I received some nice reviews for some of my work. I'm thrilled.

Not all authors feel the same way with this program, for various reasons. But for myself and anyone just starting out, I highly recommend it. As time goes on, I'll make the decision of whether or not to continue offering my books in the program or not. In the mean time, I have been building up my list of short stories, poems, children's books and novellas. Here is my author page: Niki Alling's Author Page

And to celebrate this new world of publishing, I have designed some gifts for the Proud Indie Author! It's a fabulous time to be a writer!

Proud Indie Author by nikiclix
Sell art online at Zazzle.

Have a great day!