Her Story
About Nancy
I got my undergraduate degree right after high school from Montclair State University, where I was an anthropology major because I was always interested in cross-cultural things and learning about the world. I started writing when I was raising my kids, and I just kind of decided that I needed to professionalize it. So I applied to the Rutgers University MFA in Creative Writing program, which was about new at the time, and they accepted me, and I finished the program in two years. I had a novel in progress which I kind of suspended while I was in grad school and just focused on shorter work. Getting my MFA really did redefine my life after I had an empty nest because the kids were off to college, and so was I. I mean, I was finished with college and focusing on my writing. I've published four books across different genres: young adult, nonfiction, a sci-fi mystery novel, and a short story collection. I've also published a couple of short stories in journals. Right now I'm adapting my first book, From the Abuela's Window, for the stage with a musical composer partner. We did our first elemental stage reading back in November, and it was very successful, but we recognized that we needed to do some significant revision, so we're back at it. My current publisher is going to re-release that first book, which was originally print-on-demand and self-published, probably in 2027. I'm also doing some freelance journalism for TAP Into Montclair, a hyper-local news source. Opportunities just kind of keep being dropped in my lap because of the people I know and the community I live in. I've just crossed paths with so many interesting people trying all kinds of things.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nancy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to never giving up. My friend who was a writer and I have this motto: if you don't quit, you can't fail. Everybody gets rejection, but if you walk away after your first rejection, that's it. So you just have to be persistent.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I don't think anybody's actually ever given me any really good career advice. But if I was going to say to someone else who was young, I would say, if somebody says no, just go watch this. Right? Because you get naysayers and people who say no all the time. So you just go, oh, you don't think so? Watch this. I'm gonna do this.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The most difficult and grueling part of it is the submissions, finding representation, and finding publishers. That's really the challenge, and the marketing of your titles, trying to get media attention to your work if you're not with the Big Five in publishing. That's the hardest thing. That's the toughest work.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say honesty, teamwork, and doing what's morally right. Those are the three values most important to me.
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