N. B. Piccirilli

N. B. PiccirilliMy life is best presented in two sections: my childhood and my children’s childhoods. Though I didn’t have children till the ripe age of 31, I was a child until they came into my life. That was a time of walking out the door without planning it, traveling the world at the spur of the moment with a backpack, listening to live music in smoky bars and studying at university for too many years to be respectable (Art in Kutztown, PA and TESOL and Cultural Studies in Humboldt, CA). Jobs during that period included: potter, art restorationist, café worker, fisheries worker and English teacher. And my hobbies were enjoying those jobs, being outside as much as possible, science (fiction and non-fiction), enjoying the people in my life and art in every sense of the word.

Life with children means structure; not too rigid, but approximate, consistent structure. This meant adjusting to more time at home, regular eating, bathing and sleeping and using my time to learn about them and their flow without completely losing me and mine. The job that best suited this new life-style was being a translator and proofreader of scientific texts in a home office. The home base for these years is Levanger, Norway (on the Trondheim fjord) where my hobbies are still the same with the addition of writing books and fishing with my husband, children and our dog Arriba (no opposable thumb, no fishing pole).

Because I’ve spent much time as both a student and a teacher it’s natural for me to run things a bit like a classroom with me as the forgetful, yet willing student. After making various mistakes repeatedly, I realized that if I wanted to pass these tests I was going to have to take a few notes. The books I write are my notes and we are tested, as you have probably noticed, every freakin’ day.

If you have questions or comments, please email me at nancy@NBPbooks.com .