Nancy Crocker

Nancy Crocker grew up in Wakenda, Missouri. She earned a B.A. in Music at Columbia College, Columbia, MO, then lived and worked as an actor in St. Louis before moving to Minneapolis in 1993. Crocker also studied writing at the University of Minnesota and The Loft Literary Center.

Crocker authored Betty Lou Blue (Dial Books, 2006), and Billie Standish Was Here (Simon & Schuster, 2007). Although Betty Lou Blue was generally well-reviewed, its only official citation was as a listing in Rocky Mountain News' "Our Favorite Books of 2006."

Billie Standish Was Here was named:
    — a Book Sense Pick for Summer 2007
    — finalist, Society of Midland Authors Book Awards
    — Kirkus Editor's Pick, Best Books for Young Adults, 2007
    — Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth, 2007
    — New York Library's Books for the Teen Age 2008
    — finalist, 2007 Cybil Award
    — finalist, Minnesota Book Award

Prior to her books, personal essays she'd written were published in American Heritage magazine (plus inclusion in their anthology My Brush With History) and in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and son.

Full-length interviews may be found at http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=857 and http://blbooks.blogspot.com/2008/02/nancy-crocker-interview.html

THE SOCIETY OF MIDLAND AUTHORS