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Nanette Kinslow, (born November 18, 1953), is an American novelist. She was born Nanette Celina Kinslow in Long Beach, California, the eldest of six children of Roy Kinslow, and his wife, Mary Florence (Bourget). Her family relocated to Venice, Ca in 1960. Her mother died after a long battle with cancer when Nanette was thirteen. It was at that time she started to write poetry and short stories. Kinslow would later remark, "When I lost my mother I began to imagine another life in another time where I might find true love." She married very young, at the insistence of her father, but the marriage ended less than a year later. She left California for the east coast in 1973. In 1979, while living in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire, she met Patrick Warn, the man she often refers to as the love of her life and they were married in March 1980. Together they relocated to Pennsylvania where she currently resides. She began writing her first novel, Stavewood, while their two children were young, but did not submit her novel for publication until the late 1980s.

Stavewood, 2010 Her debut novel, Stavewood, was rejected by agents and publishers because it did not conform to any specific genre. Her stories, in their opinion, did not include the graphic sex scenes found in most popular romance books, yet were too passionate to be considered general fiction. Kinslow shelved the manuscript for several years before resubmitting in 2010. A retired publisher from a major publishing house was charmed by her characters and published the novel. Kinslow went on to write two more books in the Stavewood series, South of Stavewood and Home to Stavewood and the trilogy continues to be her best-selling endeavor to date, with over fifty thousand copies in print. Her fans clamored for a fourth installment and, after several stand-alone novels, Kinslow penned The Secret of Stavewood as the final part of the series. She said she enjoyed the challenge of developing a story that brought new characters to the fore while remaining true to the facts laid out in the first three novels. The result was an exciting mystery with its solution unlocked by revisiting the lives of the original characters.

Writing Style Kinslow is known for her attention to detail and historical research while maintaining a romantic fairy-tale style. She is quoted as saying, ""If, when you read the fairy tale you say that you don’t believe, then I ask you, if you do not believe in something, how can you expect to find it?" Her novels are period love stories set against diverse backdrops, including the American Civil War, The Oklahoma Land Rush, WW1, and the discovery of gold in the Alaskan Yukon. While living in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, Kinslow was inspired by the house she and her husband had purchased. She wrote The Matter with Margaret, which takes the reader back in time to early 1920 when her home was built. The novel has been embraced by the local historical society and praised for its historical and geographical insights to the local area.

The heroines of her novels are varied as well, ranging from young women overwhelmed by their situations to those with perseverance and determination who rise to the challenges set before them. Both the Stavewood and the Whetstone series feature women who start their adventures as mail order brides. Kinslow describes her stories as written for an audience that enjoys taking a literary break from every day, modern life. Kinslow is also an accomplished knitter and lace maker. She incorporates her knowledge and love of handcrafts and art into her stories and many of her heroines demonstrate their creative talents in descriptive and informative narratives.

Bibliography The Stavewood Series: 1. Stavewood 2. South of Stavewood 3. Home to Stavewood 4. The Secret of Stavewood

The Whetstone Series: 1. Whetstone 2. A Winter at Whetstone 3. The Wells of Whetstone

Other Novels: Sweet New England Ill Repute Piecrust Promise The Matter with Margaret Selective Service

Nanette Kinslow official site here