Who Am I?

Nina (N. A.) Nelson was born in London, England, and grew up on a cattle farm in rural Missouri. Living on a thousand acres of wilderness provided plenty of opportunities for adventure, but it also created a sense of wonderment about what else was out there.

Luckily, she married a pilot and as the saying goes, “Marry me, fly for free!” Her adventures include: summiting the glaciered peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, waking up to her cabin being broken into in the Amazon, crocheting a baby blanket with airport workers in Vietnam, biking cherry blossomed parks in Japan, learning how to tie a headscarf in Vietnam (a lot of twists and make it tight!), shooting a commercial in Ireland, hiking her way around New Zealand, buying a car in Sweden, running a marathon in Alaska, and navigating the many one-way streets in Europe for her husband who loves to drive.

Betwixt and between those trips, she: had two kids, won the HarperCollins Ursula Nordstrom Fiction Contest, published her debut novel, got an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, became a photographer, competed in a few triathlons and got a job at the local YMCA teaching hydrofit.

When she’s not doing those things, you can find her stalking estate sales and thrift stores for vintage clothes.

Bringing the Boy Home is her debut novel. She’s currently working on several picture books, while shushing a very loud and persistent middle grade novel who keeps calling to her from the desk drawer.