Niki Burnham was born in Colorado. When she was six years old, her father joined the Army, so she moved—a lot. To date, she has lived in Colorado, Germany (twice), Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, and Nebraska. She now lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Niki graduated from Mannheim American High School in Mannheim, Germany (a Department of Defense high school for kids whose parents work on an overseas Army post), then attended Colorado State University. After graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in political science, she obtained both her M.A. in political science and her law degree from the University of Michigan. She clerked for a federal magistrate in Colorado and practiced law briefly in St. Louis before turning to writing full time.

When Niki's not writing at the computer in her home office, she plays softball, does power yoga, and is an avid gardener. She continues to travel throughout the United States and Europe whenever possible and has become adept at writing on airplane tray tables.