Blog – Nicki Bratton

Welcome to the Inner Circle

This is where the veil lifts.
Here you’ll find personal reflections, behind-the-scenes chaos, and deep dives into the writing life—grief, growth, creativity, and all the messy magic in between. Some posts are heavy, some are silly, and some are just me figuring things out in real time.

Blog categories

The Matriarch’s Grimoire

🍼 Let’s Talk About It: My Breastfeeding Journey (and Why Formula Moms Deserve a Medal Too)

The Book in Flames When Evie was born, I fully intended to breastfeed. I had the pillows. The pump. The determination. The vision of that perfect latch. But breastfeeding doesn’t always go by the book. Sometimes the book bursts into flames and you’re left holding the ashes, wondering… Read More
The Matriarch’s Grimoire

I Didn’t Plan on Screen Time—And Then I Had Kids

The Best-Laid Plans I spent the first six months of Evie’s life trying to avoid screens. Even when Dave was gaming, I’d prop her on my knees, tiny butt balanced on my belly, facing me instead of the TV. I wanted to be intentional. Present. The kind of… Read More
The Matriarch’s Grimoire

Let’s Talk About Co-Sleeping: The Choice I Didn’t Plan to Make

The Plan That Went Up in Smoke When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I did what so many expectant moms do—I planned. I bought the crib. I bought the bassinet. I fully intended to do things “by the book.” But parenting rarely follows a manual—it follows… Read More
The Coven Dispatch

Teaser Tuesday: Welcome to Rookrest 🌒

📖 This is a location teaser for my upcoming novel Echoes of Rowan. The Living Town Alive, Rookrest is warm. Sunlight spills over red-brick storefronts and the glinting lake beyond them. Porch swings creak lazily as neighbors call out greetings from across the street. The scent of fresh… Read More
Creative Musings

Movie Monday: Freakier Friday (2025) – A Little Magic, A Lot of Heart

Spoiler Alert: Mild Spoilers First Impressions Alright, let’s talk Freakier Friday. Call me enchanted, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. To all the skeptics out there? They’re probably younger than me, so I’ll forgive them for not fully embracing the cheesy, feel-good charm of a body-swap flick. It’s like… Read More
Roots & Remnants

The Girl Who Directed Herself Into the Spotlight 🎭✨

Act I: Finding the Stage In middle school, drama club was where I got my first taste of the spotlight — and I devoured it. I started as Charlene Bumiller in A Tuna Christmas — sassy, starstruck, and full of teen angst. Then came my role as the… Read More