A 'Pick Me Up' Writing Result

“I do seem to have a lot of family secrets in my novels. I guess I'm one of those writers who is often writing about the same sort of themes, but taking different angles on them.” – Nancy Werlin

Born on Oct. 29, 1961, Werlin has made her name as a writer of young-adult novels, winning a National Book Award nomination for The Rules of Survival, and winning an Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel for The Killer's Cousin.  She also was an Edgar award finalist for Locked Inside. 

A native of Massachusetts, Werlin was a reader by age of 3, she was reading up to 10 books a week by 3^rd grade and even read encyclopedias, especially those that contained an appendix of plot synopses for famous novels.  “By the time I was ten, I knew I wanted to be a writer to create what I loved so much,” she said.  "I just read all the time and it occurred to me that somebody had to write these things—and why shouldn't it be me?"

A graduate of Yale (in English) Werlin has written 10 young adult novels, including New York Times-bestselling fantasy Impossible.  Her newest book is And Then There Were Four, a suspense thriller.   

                                              One thing that often bothers writers – especially new writers – is how publishers choose cover art, but Werlin said it’s no longer a concern for her.   “I used to want covers that represented the book's contents very closely and were also pretty. Many folks automatically believe that this is what makes a good cover. But I've changed my mind about this. While the cover should not lie (by implication or outright), its job is simply to say: 'Pick me up!' to someone who might like the book.”

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