About Me

          Nancy divides her writing days between her hilltop home in Central California and her rustic cabin in the High Sierras.  And although she wasn’t lucky enough to be born with Mr. Einstein’s brain power, she’s not one to park her imagination at the curb.  In fact, some have even accused her of revving her imagination into overdrive.  Her current writing projects include a mystery involving a Civil War ghost, a story about the power of friendship bridging cultural divides, a series involving the misadventures of a group of fourth grade book buddies, and the perils of a high school junior’s killer schedule.

          I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I became a reader.  Escaping into other worlds through books was great, but creating my own worlds was even better.  I remember during fifth grade I was obsessed with the Star Trek television show and wrote my own episodes.   (Yes, I admit, the original series.) Mrs. Pack, bless her indulgent heart, read every “script” and never once laughed, which must have taken a huge amount of self-control, I’m sure, since every one of my episodes involved Spock, whom I had a huge crush on back then.  C’mon, give me a break, I was only eleven.  Writing not only allowed my imagination to soar, it also helped me cope with life’s hardships.  Whenever I encountered painful situations, I can remember thinking to myself, even at a very early age, someday I’ll use this when I write.

          It was probably inevitable that I became a teacher.  Teaching and writing both have a lot in common – you get to work with possibilities.  I have been an educator for over thirty years, with a wide range of experience, preschool through college.  And let me tell you, preschool is not for lightweights.  I’ve only fainted once in my life and that was in a preschool class.

          My favorite writing spot is at my mountain cabin in the High Sierras at the edge of Yosemite National Park.  Off the grid, with no electricity, the cabin has no television or phone and that makes it the perfect writing getaway.  When not writing, I enjoy spoiling my chickens; traveling in search of new ideas; and whipping up special desserts like the mocha brownies featured in my young adult novel – Killer Schedule.

Call me nuts, call me a life-long learner, (my high school seniors called me nuts), but I have spent many hours in the classroom as a student. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and a Master of Arts degree in Education with an Emphasis in Literacy in Multilingual Contexts. My California teaching credentials include a Multiple Subjects K-12 Credential and a Reading/Language Arts Specialist Credential.