After Nikki Turner read The Coldest Winter Ever by Sistah Souljah she was dismayed that there weren't other books like it. "I wanted to write the kinds of books I wanted to read," said the bestselling author, whose 2002 debut novel, A Hustler's Wife, would go on to sell more than a few 100,000 copies.

But becoming a novelist wasn't an easy transition for Nikki. A gentleman she was dating at the time had given her a computer as a Valentine's Day gift but when they broke up he took the computer with him - as well as the first half of Nikki's novel. She purchased another computer but her creative process had lost its steam. Her favorite uncle asked her how the book was coming along at a family cookout. When she mentioned that she bought a new computer but hadn't even taken it out the box her uncle said he would set it up for her if she promised to finish her book. He came the next day to set it up and 37 days later Nikki completed A Hustler's Wife. "The novel just came to me," Nikki said. "I started from scratch and didn't even want to go back to my earlier try. When I wrote A Hustler's Wife everything else - except for my kids - became a distant priority. And when I finished writing it, I was a very different person."

At the time she started her novel, she was a travel agent, but her passions shifted after finishing her novel, and that, combined with a post 9-11 downturn in the travel industry, led Nikki to make a choice. "I told my friends, family and the people I worked with that I was going to devote myself to becoming a bestselling author. No one believed me, but I knew I had found my calling." And four bestselling novels later, her friends and family aren't laughing any more.

While Nikki's first two novels were published by a small publishing house in the Midwest, in 2004 she signed a 2-book deal with One World, an imprint of Ballantine Books, which is part of The Random House Publishing Group. After publishing the first book under that deal, The Glamorous Life in 2005 as well as a short story collection edited by Nikki, Street Chronicles: Tales from da Hood, One World quickly signed Nikki up for three more Nikki Turner Original novels and negotiated a deal with her for her own book line, Nikki Turner Presents. "I want to give new authors the same kind of opportunity I was given," said Nikki. "I want to produce authors who will be household names."

Nikki creates urban fairytales, but her female characters don't sit around waiting for their prince and are accomplished in their own right. In A Hustler's Wife Yarni becomes a lawyer, in The Glamorous Life, Bambi runs a successfully event planning firm, and in Riding Dirty on I-95, the main character Mercy goes from being a drug mule to a successful screenwriter of urban dramas. But in these fantasies, there is usually a price for the lavish lives the characters lead.

"I want my readers to be entertained but also know that all that glitters isn't gold," Nikki said. "So many people have glamorized street life, but I try to hold a mirror up to reality and show the consequences of living a "fast" life. I try not to condone or condemn some of the actions of my characters but at the same time I try to be as truthful as possible about the situations of which I write." Nikki does her homework in an effort to be as authentic as possible whether it's shadowing an attorney to ensure that her courtroom scenes are realistic or talking with truckers and drug mules to uncover the dirty dealings that take place along Interstate 95.

Time and time again, Nikki has demonstrated a profound belief in herself and her abilities and when she sets her mind to something, whether that is becoming a bestselling author, running her own book line, brokering book deals for other authors, seeing her books turn into films (A Hustler's Wife has been optioned), and, last but certainly not least, being the best mother she can be - she makes it happen. "My dreams have come true, and I'm so grateful to be able make a living doing what I love."

Nikki Turner has been called the "Queen of Hip Hop Lit" and is the author of four bestselling novels: A Hustler's Wife, A Project Chick, The Glamorous Life, Riding Dirty on I-95, Forever a Hustler's Wife (which hit the USA Today and Essence bestseller lists), as well as the forthcoming Black Widow (May 2008). In 2007 she published a novella under 50 Cent's G-Unit book line, Death Before Dishonor, which 50 Cent optioned for his production company. Turner is the editor of the short story series Street Chronicles. The first in the series, Tales from da Hood was soon followed by Girls in the Game and Christmas in the Hood - the first holiday themed street lit book ever published. Also, her "Nikki Turner Presents" book line under One World/Ballantine will debut in June 2008 with Gorilla Black by Seven. She is currently accepting submissions for "Nikki Turner Presents." She lives near Richmond, VA.