Meet Nina
I guess that’s how I’d describe myself (though it makes my husband crazy :D)
By profession, I’m really an archaeologist (an Egyptologist) but I’ve worked all kinds of jobs, from real estate to a fabric store clerk to a student counselor at the Fulbright Commission in Stockholm, Sweden. My favorite was a work-study job in grad school, reorganizing the ancient Egyptian pottery at the University of Chicago’s famous Oriental Institute. The pay was lousy, but holding ceramic jars actually touched by Ramses II and King Tut was awe-inspiring and unbelievably exciting.
I’ve lived all over the USA, and even spent six years in Europe. I love to travel. Maybe because my great-grandfather was an Hungarian gypsy–my only ancestor who was not Danish. A few years back, my family and I moved to Charleston, South Carolina, which has also been a wonderful adventure. It’s amazing here, and I’ve finally found “home.”
I love archaeology, but doing fieldwork in The Sudan, Africa (my area of specialty within Egyptology) isn’t too practical with children and a husband who has a normal job. So when I thought about what I’d like to do instead, I set out to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a writer. Now I have my adventures through my characters. I can give my heroines the thrills and excitement all women dream of having, but I never have to change out of my jammies to do it. My kind of job!
My novels to date have done me very proud by walking away with wins in such prestigious contests as the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award (twice), the Dorothy Parker Award (five times), the Golden Chalice Award, the Beacon Award, the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Lories, the Write Touch Readers Award, and the Aspen Gold, to name a few. My books have also made onto the WaldenBooks Bestseller List, as well as been named favorite book of the year by several review website. Recently, ENEMY HUSBAND was nominated for a RITA Award, the equivalent of an Oscar nomination in the movie biz, and 2008 is off to a great start with a double nomination from the Romantic Times Bookreviews Awards as well as winning the CataRomance Award for Best Silhouette Romantic Suspense of 2007.
Sensually, I’ll admit I like to push the envelope in my stories. I think much of the appeal of romance is the seductive fantasy it allows women to indulge in safely. A woman whose days are filled with diapers or spreadsheets, PTA or sales meetings, wants to be swept away in a romantic fantasy for a few hours, into a world where she can quench her thirst for love and romantic adventure, and fulfill her dreams of a man who instinctively satisfies her deepest yearnings. I love writing about feisty heroines who do things I would never dare to do in real life. My heroes are dark and dangerous men who ooze sensuality-but who know how to treat a lady.
This year I’ll be starting another fabulous adventure, having sold my first three single title (”bigger”) books to the NY powerhouse Berkley Publishing (part of Penguin/Putnam). I can’t tell you how excited I am to be stepping onto a larger stage with longer, more complex suspense stories. But not to worry, I will still concentrate mainly on the emotional and sensual sides of the relationship between the hero and heroine, along with the fast-paced suspense. For me, there is just nothing better than creating a heart-tugging love story along with a thrill-ride adventure with lots of danger. I hope you agree!
Please, drop me a line! I love to hear from readers.
