Now it’s time to learn more about the authors we read. . .
What drew you to the genre you write?
I like to write the fiction that I most want to read. From a young age, I loved reading historical fiction as a way to be transported to a story that was beautiful, exciting, or tragic. I’ve always been fascinated by history—I studied American history at college—and I love to make other times come to life in a reader’s hands. I also relish a challenging mystery!
How did you come up with your pseudonym?
I only use my own name, the one I was born with, in all my writing and in all parts of my life. I began as a newspaper and magazine writer, and they rarely, if ever, use pseudonyms.
Tell us how you got into writing?
I’ve enjoyed writing since I was eight years old. We came back from a field class trip and wrote what we saw, and my teacher praised what I wrote about the fallen leaves. I wrote for the high school poetry journal, for the college newspaper, and then in my professional life I’ve earned a living almost exclusively in the media and newsstand magazines. I started writing novels around 2006.
What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
My first job after graduating from college was as a copy editor for The Boca Raton News in Florida. I’ve worked as an editor at newspapers and magazines when I wasn’t employed as a writer. I was a staff editor at eight different magazines, including Good Housekeeping and InStyle.
How many books do you have published?
I have published eight historical novels or mysteries. My ninth will be published on September 1st, and I am writing my tenth.
Where do you write?
I’ve never had a separate room for writing in any home I’ve lived in. I write on a laptop on the couch, at the kitchen table, at a desk in the bedroom, in coffee shops, or in public libraries.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I adore thick historical thrillers like The Eight by Katherine Neville or The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, or Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I once snuck into a Bob Seger concert! Throughout the late 1970s and the 1980s, I was obsessed with rock & roll and going to concerts. My parents were not very strict, to put it mildly. I was 15 and told them on a school night, “I’m going with my friends to see Aerosmith at Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit.” Their response: “Have a nice time.” My encyclopedic knowledge of rock music was helpful when I got a job as an associate editor at Rolling Stone.
Who is an author you admire?
Kate Quinn for writing fantastic historical novels that are so well researched and constructed while being kind to other writers.
Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?
Sooner or later, you have to accept that writing for publication requires a thick skin. You can’t escape it. I’m sensitive and have had to develop coping skills, like never respond to a review and never send an email when you’re upset.
What is next for you?
I’m looking forward to my novel The Heiress of Northanger Abbey being published on September 1st as a paperback, hardcover, or e-book.
Where can we find you?
All my news is on my author website: www.nancybilyeau.com. I write about history, media, books, and pop culture on Substack. I’m on Facebook and Instagram.
Now to have some fun . . .
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
I love to eat at all times! I think that when God created the Full English Breakfast, that was a good day’s work.
Fruits or vegetables
Fruits by a slim margin! And only because tomato is a fruit
Sweet or salty snacks
I’m such a salt addict! I don’t find cookies or candy tempting, but I can’t resist a huge salted pretzel.
Ice cream or cake
Not much of a cake person. My favorite ice creams are vanilla with caramel in it or mint chocolate chip.
Cooking or baking
Cooking! I really enjoy it, whether it’s fish tacos, lasagna, beef stew, or a pasta primavera.
Dining in or dining out
My husband and I like to go out to a restaurant with a really talented chef once or twice a month. The Hudson Valley in NY has some mind-blowing restaurants. Other than that, it’s my cooking!
City life or country living
I lived in New York City for over 20 years, and it ground me down riding crowded subways and living in small apartments owned by terrible landlords. We moved to the country six years ago and I’m a lot happier.
Beach or mountain
I have “Irish skin” that burns easily so it’s the mountains. I live near the Catskill Mountains right now.
Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
I look forward to Fall the most intensely, but I’m happiest when spring arrives.
Extrovert or introvert
You can’t be a newspaper reporter and be an introvert. And I’m incurably nosy.
And even more fun . . .
What is your favorite movie?
The Red Shoes. Runners up: The Godfather, Alien, Vertigo
You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
My Kindle with an inexhaustible battery, a hammock, and a set of sharp knives.
My bio:
Born in Chicago and a graduate of the University of Michigan, Nancy moved to New York City to work in the magazine business as a writer and editor. After working for publications ranging from Rolling Stone to Good Housekeeping, she turned to fiction. She wrote the Joanna Stafford trilogy, a trio of thrillers set in Henry VIII’s England, for Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. For her Genevieve Planché novels—The Blue, The Fugitive Colours, and The Versailles Formula—she drew on her heritage to create a Huguenot heroine. Nancy’s mind is always in past centuries but she currently lives with her husband and two children in upstate New York. Her quest to cook the perfectly flavored cassoulet is ongoing.