About

After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in linguistics, Nancy was an apprentice to a master piano tuner and rebuilder in Chicago. As she learned to tune and repair instruments, she listened to classical music and fell in love with Chopin’s études and nocturnes. But she also marveled at his fortitude to push through a debilitating illness to create some of the world's most enduring music. That was when the seed was planted for her historical novel, The Education of Delhomme, a story told from the point of view of Chopin's piano tuner during one of the most turbulent times in French history. It is her tribute to Chopin's life and creativity.

It took her years to return to her piano tuner roots to write this novel. In the interim, she tuned pianos in the U.S. and abroad, work that financed two master’s degrees (journalism and English), and a Ph.D. (linguistic). Since then, she has published 15 scholarly articles, three literacy textbooks and another on critical thinking. Most recently she wrote a biography about a tear-gas mogul. Along with writing, she has taught critical thinking and writing in Kazakhstan and Russia for four years. She loves to travel and sharpen her knowledge of French, German, Russian, and Spanish.

Now, she works as a writer and editor. She also prepares international students for college and graduate entrance exams. Her son attends medical school in Vermont. For fun, she plays racquetball, swims, and bikes around the beautiful Pacific Northwest.