Nikki Smith

Nikki was born on a Connecticut chicken farm, but by 8 lived on a Southern California beach. The good life didn't last long since her parents required her to help them with their apartments, and to assist in the care of mentally unstable veterans. By 9 her mother had gone back to her childhood religion of Seventh-day Adventism, and brought the family along with her. Nikki's life changed dramatically.

For 30 years she was a devout Adventist, serving in 2 mission fields and teaching for 12 years at the SDA affiliated Loma Linda University. It took years for her to disentangle herself from this all-consuming church, but when she did she has never looked back, nor ever been happier.

She is one of the authors of the anthology The Washington Post calls one of the best non-fiction books of 2013, "Beyond Belief: The Secret Lives of Women in Extreme Religions". She has recently released a short book as a Kindle Single "Shunning Within the Seventh-day Adventist Church". And is currently working on her memoir tentatively titled "Scoring the Orange".