Nancy Orlando

I was born in Galion, a wonderful small town in Northern Ohio, in 1934. I think I decided to be a writer when someone first put a pencil in my hand. I have notebooks filled with poems and essays I wrote in grade school and high school.

After graduation I attended Ohio State until my marraige. I never gave up the idea of being a writer but raising four children kept me busy. I did manage to complete the first course with The Institute of Children's Literature. The writer in me finally came to life when I attended a Self as Source Seminar with Christina Baldwin. Everyone's Child, my memoir of growing up in Galion during WWII finally took shape during that glorious week on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound of Washington State.

My first children's book, A Garden! A Garden! has been through 2 publishers and is currently a third edition published by Nancy Orlando Books. All of my books are now published by me. Good Grief! It's Winter! follows the Garden and tells how the animals survive northern winters when there are no gardens to raid. Where's Pumpkin is the story of my rescue Shih Tzu who is terrified of storms. Pumpkin tells her own story in first person. The Cincinnati SPCA has endorsed her book and they receive part of the profits so they can help other frightened lost animals.

Spring Babies, The bees told the robin and the robin told me, was written because illustrator, Debbi Kern wanted to draw spring baby animals but I didn't write the story. She sent an email with the first few lines of the story. I responded with a few additional lines.

After quite a few emails back and forth, we had our story and Debbi got her wish to draw spring babies. The poem grows as each new baby is found. When we read it at schools, I am always amazed how quickly the children recite the poem along with us.

GOD'S HILL, a history of love and stewardship is a history of a beautiful area in Kentucky settled by German immigrants in the early 1800's. They developed a wine business that flourished, then fell victim to blight. They built homes of limestone rocks from the fields and creeks, that stand today protected by the National Register of Historic Places. The school that moved from homes to a log cabin in 1851, has been in operation for 164 years. This is the inspiring story of their struggles, triumphs and heartaches.

I just published another memoir. Life begins at Seventy-Five is a book about family, obligations, death, and finding a new direction at retirement age. I recognize the great change from the "go along" unassuming person I was before "seventy-five" and the new person forged out of years of fear, calamity, desperation and hope......always hope.

I am 83 now and I love being "old". I'm expected to be a little cranky and no one cares if I miss a little dust here and there. I enjoy people saying I don't look or act my age. Life is great. I now have seven books published. It seems the more I write - the more I have to write about.

With writing, practicing piano (I love ragtime), and planning visits to the schools to market our books, I'm looking forward to an exciting year. Life just keeps getting better! I enjoy every day and look forward to every tomorrow.