Derek Nikitas

Derek Nikitas
Born	(1974-12-13) December 13, 1974 (age 50) Manchester, NH, United States
Occupation	Writer
Language	English
Education	State University of New York College at Brockport (BA), University of North Carolina at Wilmington (MFA)
Period	Contemporary
Genre	Crime fiction
Notable works	Pyres The Long Division
Spouse	Caroline Reed Nikitas
Website
dereknikitas.com

Derek Nikitas (born December 13, 1974) is an American author known for his novels Pyres and The Long Division. His short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine , The Ontario Review, Chelsea and New South . Nikitas is also a professor at the University of Rhode Island.

Early life and education

Nikitas was born December 13, 1974, and was raised in Manchester, New Hampshire and Fairport, New York. ^[1] He received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the State University of New York College at Brockport in 1997, a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2000, ^[1] and a Doctor of Philosophy from Georgia State University. ^[2]

Career

Nikitas taught at the State University of New York at Brockport and Delta College. Starting in 2008, he became an assistant professor at Eastern Kentucky University, ^[1] where he directed the low-residency MFA creative writing program, the Bluegrass Writers Studio.^{[ citation needed ]} As of May 2024, he teaches English and Creative Writing at the University of Rhode Island. ^[2]

Nikitas has published many short stories. His short story "Wonder", published in the Ontario Review, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Joyce Carol Oates. ^[1] Nikitas's debut novel, Pyres, was published by Minotaur Books in 2007, ^{[3] [4]} and was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel. ^[5] His sophomore novel, The Long Division, was published by Minotaur Books in October 2009. ^{[6] [7]} His third novel, a science fiction novel for young Adults, Extra Life, was published by Polis Books in 2015. ^{[8] [9]}

Nikitas has cowritten two "BookShots" novellas with James Patterson, Diary of a Succubus (2017) and You've Been Warned—Again (2017). A third novella, The Murder of Stephen King , was canceled before release. ^{[10] [11]}

Nikitas' work has been translated into several languages including Japanese, Italian, French, and German. The German translation, Scheiterhaufen , was selected as 'Crime Novel of the Month' by Radio House Europe.^{[ citation needed ]}

Personal life

After receiving his MFA, Nikitas traveled abroad, spending time living in Costa Rice, England, and the Czech Republic, during which time he focused on writing. ^[1]

Nikitas is married to Caroline Reed Nikitas.^{[ citation needed ]}

Publications

Novels

• Nikitas, Derek (2007). Pyres. Minotaur Books. ISBN   978-0-312-36397-0.
• Nikitas, Derek (2009). The Long Division. Minotaur Books. ISBN   978-0-312-36398-7.
• Nikitas, Derek (2015). Extra Life. Polis Books. ISBN   978-1-940610-53-5.

Novellas

• Patterson, James; Nikitas, Derek (2017). You've Been Warned—Again. Little, Brown.
• Patterson, James; Nikitas, Derek (2017). Diary of a Succubus. Little, Brown.

Short stories

• Nikitas, Derek (1999). "Do You Know Thom Hoover?". Ontario Review. 51: 105–116.
• Nikitas, Derek (2001). "Damage". Ontario Review. 54: 116–127.
• Nikitas, Derek (2004). "Hungry". Chelsea (76): 18–29.
• Nikitas, Derek (September–October 2004). "Skippy". Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: 80–88.
• Nikitas, Derek (Winter 2004). "Wonder". Ontario Review. 61: 22–37.
• Nikitas, Derek (March–April 2005). "Waiting". Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (33): 123–133.
• Nikitas, Derek (April–June 2006). "All Nite Video". The Pedestal Magazine (33).
• Nikitas, Derek (2008). "Runaway". In Child, Lee (ed.). Killer Year: Stories to Die For. St. Martin’s Press. pp. 192–211.
• Nikitas, Derek (2008). "My Flick". New South. 1 (2): 147–148.
• Nikitas, Derek (October 2008). "Razor". Thuglit (2p).
• Nikitas, Derek (November 2008). "Bronze Horsemen". Plots with Guns. 4.
• Nikitas, Derek (2009). "All Nite Video". Show and Tell: Writers on Writing (6th ed.). The Publishing Laboratory: University of North Carolina at Wilmington. pp. 70–80.
• Nikitas, Derek (2010). "My Dolly". In Golden, Chris (ed.). The New Dead. St. Martin’s Griffin. pp. 213–228.
• Nikitas, Derek (Winter–Spring 2012). "Voicemail". Washington Square. pp. 58–59.
• Nikitas, Derek (2014). "Runaway". In Kiesbye, Stephan (ed.). Amazon Story Front. pp. 11–51.
• Nikitas, Derek (November 2016). "We're in the market for a fixer-upper". Five Points. 17 (2).
• Nikitas, Derek (2017). "The Call". In Kiesbye, Stephan (ed.). Cover Stories. Volt Books. pp. 11–51.

References

1. "Nikitas, Derek 1974-". Encyclopedia.com . Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
2. "Derek Nikitas". University of Rhode Island . Archived from the original on 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
3. "Pyres by Derek Nikitas". Publishers Weekly . 2007-08-20. Archived from the original on 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
4. Gaughan, Thomas (August 2007). "Pyres". Booklist . Archived from the original on 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
5. "Nominees for 2008 Edgar Awards Announced". Publishers Weekly . 2008-01-17. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
6. "The Long Division by Derek Nikitas". Publishers Weekly . 2009-09-14. Archived from the original on 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
7. Kraus, Daniel (2009-09-15). "The Long Division". Booklist . Archived from the original on 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
8. "Extra Life by Derek Nikitas". Publishers Weekly . 2015-09-28. Archived from the original on 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
9. Welch, Cindy (2015-10-01). "Extra Life". Booklist . Archived from the original on 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
10. Smith, Andy (July 6, 2017). "Plotting a partnership". The Providence Journal . Archived from the original on March 31, 2025. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
11. "URI English professor co-authors books with world's best-selling writer". University of Rhode Island . April 6, 2017. Archived from the original on March 31, 2025. Retrieved March 31, 2025.

External links

• Official website