Nancy is officially on a roll with her latest book. Once again, her retreat with the High-Test Girls was very timely. This time they were in a new retreat house, in Plymouth, MA. Perhaps it was the assembled throng -- all nine made it this time! -- or perhaps it was the physical space, but for whatever reason, the discussions of their work were even more fruitful than usual. Nancy made lots of progress and came away reinvigorated and once again in love with her new work.


It was a fun retreat on personal levels as well. Franny Billingsley arrived fresh off the news of her nomination for the National Book Award (watch this space for more on that soon), and Dian Curtis Regan arrived fresh off the news of her engagement! There were other tidbits of interest as well, and it all added up to a lively, fun, productive week.

Impossible has been translated to (and published in) another language -- Polish. Click here to see a write-up and another gorgeous cover that's reminiscent of the U.S. version.

Impossible has been translated to (and published in) another language -- Polish. Click here to see a write-up and another gorgeous cover that's reminiscent of the U.S. version.

Thanks to Erzsi Deak for posting on Facebook a link to this NPR story: http://n.PR/lxmwKa.

Thanks to Erzsi Deak for posting on Facebook a link to this NPR story: http://n.PR/lxmwKa.

While in Portland, our pal and fellow bibliophile Amy Conklin dropped in to the wonderful Powell's City of Books. She zeroed in on the Young Adult section to look for Nancy's stuff, found a nice selection of four titles, and was kind enough to share this photo with us. A Werlin collection is but one measure of the quality of a bookstore...

While in Portland, our pal and fellow bibliophile Amy Conklin dropped in to the wonderful Powell's City of Books. She zeroed in on the Young Adult section to look for Nancy's stuff, found a nice selection of four titles, and was kind enough to share this photo with us. A Werlin collection is but one measure of the quality of a bookstore...

We've been keeping a low profile here on the blog, which isn't exactly the point of the thing. But Nancy has had a quiet time schedule-wise, and has been busy writing. Trouble was, she wasn't getting to where she wanted to be in her latest book; she'd been wrestling with a major plot point that didn't feel exactly right. Then came Kindling Words West, a writers' retreat held annually in Taos, New Mexico.

There she had the whole day blocked off for writing, which left her lots of time to work and focus. Just as importantly, she was surrounded by peers sharing ideas at breakfast, lunch, and the end of the day. She talked out her problems with the gang, and lo! The plotting point that had been plaguing her suddenly seemed surmountable, and she wrote her way through it in better shape than ever -- the story coalesced, and the words tumbled out. She still has plenty of work to do on this book, but now it's starting to feel like a downhill effort rather than a steep uphill.

Retreats almost always work this way for Nancy, and KWW was in a fantastic setting to boot. Did I mention the beautiful mountain surroundings, the warm, dry air, and the hot springs? Those didn't hurt a bit. We're already looking forward to the next one...

We've been keeping a low profile here on the blog, which isn't exactly the point of the thing. But Nancy has had a quiet time schedule-wise, and has been busy writing. Trouble was, she wasn't getting to where she wanted to be in her latest book; she'd been wrestling with a major plot point that didn't feel exactly right. Then came Kindling Words West, a writers' retreat held annually in Taos, New Mexico.

There she had the whole day blocked off for writing, which left her lots of time to work and focus. Just as importantly, she was surrounded by peers sharing ideas at breakfast, lunch, and the end of the day. She talked out her problems with the gang, and lo! The plotting point that had been plaguing her suddenly seemed surmountable, and she wrote her way through it in better shape than ever -- the story coalesced, and the words tumbled out. She still has plenty of work to do on this book, but now it's starting to feel like a downhill effort rather than a steep uphill.

Retreats almost always work this way for Nancy, and KWW was in a fantastic setting to boot. Did I mention the beautiful mountain surroundings, the warm, dry air, and the hot springs? Those didn't hurt a bit. We're already looking forward to the next one...

While we're on the subject of Nancy's books in different languages, I just received a comment from a reader who would like to see Nancy's books published in Hungarian, which raises a larger issue. Nancy doesn't determine which languages her books will get published in; publishers can bid on the language rights for a given book if they feel there will be a market for it. So if you speak something other than English, contact the folks at your favorite publisher and let them know of your interest in Nancy's books, and maybe they'll give it a chance...

While we're on the subject of Nancy's books in different languages, I just received a comment from a reader who would like to see Nancy's books published in Hungarian, which raises a larger issue. Nancy doesn't determine which languages her books will get published in; publishers can bid on the language rights for a given book if they feel there will be a market for it. So if you speak something other than English, contact the folks at your favorite publisher and let them know of your interest in Nancy's books, and maybe they'll give it a chance...

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? If so, you can now get Impossible in German, under the title Der Fluch von Scarborough Fair.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? If so, you can now get Impossible in German, under the title Der Fluch von Scarborough Fair.

The King County Library System in Washington has come up with an imaginative way of promoting books: they've set up a virtual gallery of 100 book covers sprinkled around the county at various businesses. At each stop, you can read about or listen to a description of the book behind the book cover.

Nancy's Black Mirror is on display in CC's Lounge at 635 SW 152nd Street in Burien. If you don't live anywhere near Seattle, you can still follow the tour from the website, and get an audio description of Black Mirror here, nestled right between works by T.S. Eliot and Dr. Seuss in the Burien section of the page. If you do live in those parts and want to do some or all of the walking tour, the instructions are at the top of the page.

The King County Library System in Washington has come up with an imaginative way of promoting books: they've set up a virtual gallery of 100 book covers sprinkled around the county at various businesses. At each stop, you can read about or listen to a description of the book behind the book cover.

Nancy's Black Mirror is on display in CC's Lounge at 635 SW 152nd Street in Burien. If you don't live anywhere near Seattle, you can still follow the tour from the website, and get an audio description of Black Mirror here, nestled right between works by T.S. Eliot and Dr. Seuss in the Burien section of the page. If you do live in those parts and want to do some or all of the walking tour, the instructions are at the top of the page.

The Russian-language version of Impossible is now licensed to Ripol Classics of Moscow, under the KIT imprint for YA. Books are affordable in Russia: the hardcover is expected to retail for somewhere around the equivalent of $2.60, while the paperback is expected to go for around $1.50.

The Russian-language version of Impossible is now licensed to Ripol Classics of Moscow, under the KIT imprint for YA. Books are affordable in Russia: the hardcover is expected to retail for somewhere around the equivalent of $2.60, while the paperback is expected to go for around $1.50.

When we were in Austin a few months ago, Nancy was interviewed by Stacy of Girls in the Stacks.com, who wanted to know about Extraordinary. Here's the video of that interview, in which Nancy discusses the ways in which Phoebe is both ordinary and extraordinary.

When we were in Austin a few months ago, Nancy was interviewed by Stacy of Girls in the Stacks.com, who wanted to know about Extraordinary. Here's the video of that interview, in which Nancy discusses the ways in which Phoebe is both ordinary and extraordinary.