Renee Daniel Flagler Explores Love, Identity, and Empowerment Through Compelling Storytelling

PHOTO: Author Renee Daniel Flagler, champion of women’s voices and celebrated storyteller, continues to inspire through fiction, mentorship, and community leadership.

A Passionate Voice in Contemporary Fiction and Romance Who Champions Women and Uplifts Communities

Renee Daniel Flagler crafts emotionally rich stories that celebrate love and identity while empowering young women and future writers through advocacy, education, and heartfelt storytelling.

Renee Daniel Flagler is a dynamic force in contemporary fiction, romance, and beyond. A literary talent who writes under her name as well as the pen name Nicki Night, Flagler captivates readers with richly layered stories that centre love, self-discovery, and the vibrant lives of Black characters. Her storytelling is both compelling and emotionally resonant, offering journeys that entertain, uplift, and reflect the complex beauty of human experience.

As Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Long Island and a seasoned nonprofit leader, Flagler merges passion with purpose, empowering the next generation while crafting narratives that speak to the heart. Her career in marketing and leadership has further sharpened her insight into character, motivation, and the power of a well-told story. Her upcoming novel, Unlikely Neighbors, promises another unforgettable experience—filled with authenticity, heartfelt emotion, and irresistible romance.

Flagler’s novels are moving, relatable, and beautifully crafted, blending social impact with romance and introspective journeys readers won’t forget.

Mosaic Digest magazine is honoured to spotlight Renee Daniel Flagler in this exclusive interview, celebrating her literary achievements, philanthropic dedication, and unwavering commitment to using storytelling as a tool for transformation.

Your literary works span various genres, including contemporary fiction and romance, and you’ve also written under the pen name Nicki Night. 

What motivates you to explore such diverse themes in your writing?  I just love getting lost in a good story, whether I’m writing it or reading it. I enjoy contemporary fiction to explore various themes and delve into interesting conflicts and complex characters. I also love romance because what’s better than love? I specifically enjoy writing romances centered around Black characters to showcase Black people in positive and loving ways. Love is compelling. People long for love, die for love, desire love, and chase love. What could be more interesting than taking a journey with someone in the pursuit of love? I started writing contemporary fiction as Renee Daniel Flagler, so when I got my first book deal with Harlequin, I wanted to create a distinction between my contemporary fiction work and the romance books that I was writing. So, I decided to use a pen name for my romance titles. That’s how Nicki Night was born.  

In addition to your writing career, you’ve made significant contributions as the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Long Island, empowering young women to be strong, smart, and bold. How has this role influenced your perspective as an author and coach? 

There are two things that I’m passionate about: writing and helping others. Writing was the thing that led me to community service. After writing my first book back in 2004, I was asked to speak with a group of teens in a program. I led a series of writing workshops with teenage girls who had experienced very traumatic situations. Over the six weeks I’d worked with them, we grew fond of each other. I was able to make an impact in their lives through writing, and they changed me from the inside out. I was able to use something I loved- writing- to help them. From that experience, I wanted to get more involved in work that 

mentored youth. Once the program was over, I focused on changing my career, which led to me eventually running Girls Inc. of Long Island. As a successful nonprofit business leader, I began coaching other nonprofit leaders to help their organizations thrive, and that led to me coaching business owners. 

“I was able to make an impact in their lives through writing, and they changed me from the inside out.” – Renee Daniel Flagler

With over 20 years of leadership experience and a background in corporate marketing, how have these experiences shaped your approach to storytelling and character development in your novels?

Being in leadership for twenty years required that I work with all kinds of people from every walk of life. I had to get to know my team members, understand who they were on the inside, and learn what motivated them. I studied people and learned their flaws, ways, fears, and heart desires. This was my training ground for character development. I work on my characters from the inside out. I figure out who they are and what makes them complex and interesting. Then, I send them on a journey where readers can learn about them as they unfold across the pages.  

Before working in the nonprofit sector, I was a marketing professional. My job entailed compellingly writing all kinds of copy to tell stories that motivated, engaged, and convinced people to act. I had to entice people enough to get them to purchase products or services that I marketed. Marketing is all about storytelling. The story hooks people. The skills I developed helped to engage people with my writing skills and promote my books. 

You’ve established the Renee Daniel Flagler Scholarship to support high school seniors pursuing majors in writing and English. What inspired you to create this scholarship, and what impact do you hope it will have on aspiring writers?

My desire to give back and help others is what inspired me to establish the Renee Daniel Flagler scholarship. I just want to help–especially young people who want to pursue careers doing things that I love. When it comes to aspiring writers, I want to encourage them the way other writers encouraged me. I pursued an MFA in Creative Writing so that I could teach and help writers find their voice and fulfill their passion for writing. 

Your upcoming novel, “Unlikely Neighbors,” is set to release on April 1, 2025. Can you share insights into the inspiration behind this story and what readers can anticipate from this new work?

There’s so much that inspired this story. I usually drop a few personal gems into my stories, but this story has more than most. Holland’s breast cancer scare was inspired by a friend who had a similar situation. The cancer scare sparked Holland’s journey of self-discovery. At the beginning of the story, we learn that Holland was adopted. I have adopted family members. Her move from her small town in South Carolina to Brooklyn mirrors the journeys my family members made from the South to New York City. Noble losing his job was also close to home. I’d been laid off several before. I started my writing career during one of those layoffs. That was twenty years ago, and it changed the trajectory of my entire life.  

In Unlikely Neighbors, readers can expect an emotionally gripping story of self-discovery and two people finding love where they’d least expect it, in addition to all the fun trope-ish things we love in our romance. You’ve got opposites attract, some forced proximity, the man next door a few, a little spice, laughs, and a moment or two that might cause you to tear up.