Interview: Nikki Addison talks about the year i turned thirty

Nikki Addison has a Master of Arts with First Class Honours in English and began her career as a magazine journalist before moving to the book publishing industry. She loves cats, coffee and hiking, and her hero is Barack Obama. Her favourite authors are John Steinbeck, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, Stephen King and Sally Rooney.

The year i turned thirty is her first novel. Nikki talks to NZ Booklovers.

Tell us a little about the year i turned thirty.

The year i turned thirty is a light-hearted fiction novel about three Kiwi friends who are leaving their twenties behind and grappling with their own issues, which range from imposter syndrome and body image to sexuality and a long-term breakup. They spontaneously decide to go on a three-month road trip across the US, where they bond, drink their weight in bottomless filter coffee, and ultimately reassess what life in their thirties looks like. 

What inspired you to write this book?

There were two key motivators. In 2022, right after the world opened up following the COVID-19 pandemic, my partner and I quit our jobs, flew to Miami, bought a van we named Stanley, and spent 7 months driving across the US, living in Stanley and hiking the national parks. It was the best thing I've ever done, and I wanted to capture the freedom and joy of that experience, as well as the overwhelming kindness we encountered and the beauty of America's diverse landscapes.

At the same time, I was approaching my thirties and having conversations with my girlfriends about how our lives looked totally different to the way we thought they would at this age – we were either unmarried, childless, or didn't own our own homes (or in some cases, all of the above!). I was interested in how some millennials are rejecting traditional timeframes for 'settling down' and doing things on their own schedule – or not at all – and thought this was an empowering concept we don't read about very often. I also wanted the story to be a love letter to female friendship, because by that point in my life my circle of close girlfriends had grown smaller, but stronger – these were friends I knew would be in my life for the long run. I wanted to reflect that kind of enduring, authentic friendship that is one moment deep and meaningful and the next, silly and absurd.

What research was involved?

The novel starts in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland where I was born and raised, so I drew on my own observations of the city to construct that aspect of the setting. For the road trip setting, I referred back to the daily journal I kept during my own US adventure. Everywhere the characters go are places I visited (including in many instances the exact restaurants and campgrounds), so I hope it feels authentic and honours the great American road trip experience. The characters and their journeys are 100% fictional, but certain themes and ideas stemmed from things I read, saw on social media or in the news, and from conversations with peers.

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

I’m an obsessive planner, so I first mapped out a story structure and wrote detailed descriptions of the three core characters. I actually started writing when my partner and I were living and working at a pub in the Scottish Highlands – I was waitressing the night shift, so I would write during the day before I started work. I probably wouldn't have finished without all that time! Now back in Aotearoa and working standard business hours, it's challenging finding time to write. I try to dedicate a few hours each weekend or an hour after dinner here and there.  

If a soundtrack was made to accompany this book, name a song or two you would include.

I can see the characters vibing out to ‘Summer Season’ by my favourite Kiwi band, LEISURE, as well as to ‘High’ by Miley Cyrus and ‘Ivy’ by Frank Ocean.    

If your book were made into a movie, who would you like to see playing the lead characters?

Harper is described as a Margot Robbie lookalike in the novel, and I think Margot would absolutely nail her carefree nature (and the Kiwi accent!). Bailey is part Māori, so I would love to see her represented by a local actress like Tatum Warren-Ngata. I'm a big Zoey Deutch fan and can't think of anyone more perfect to play Rach. 

What did you enjoy the most about writing the year i turned thirty?

Once I got to know the characters, I loved slipping into their friendship and being a fly on the wall through all their banter. The dynamic between Rach and Harper was so fun to write, as was writing anything from Rach's perspective; she's a bossy, brilliant queen. I also loved mentally revisiting some of the places I travelled to back in 2022, although it made me desperate to do it all over again!

What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?

Cocktails with my girlfriends at Mezze Bar, and family craft beers and pizzas at my local brewpub, Hallertau.

What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?

I finally got around to reading Dolly Alderton's Good Material this year, and loved the complex characters she created. To me, she's the ultimate millennial writer; her stories are so relatable and nuanced.

What’s next on the agenda for you?

My partner and I are headed to Alaska in July for a month-long road trip – North America is so huge we didn't make it there the first time! Outside of my full-time job, I’ll be working on the next book – another millennial fiction novel that follows a somewhat self-destructive, flawed but fabulous protagonist living fast and loose in central Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.