MARY JANE NIRDLINGER

About the Author

The two things I've always loved best are books and people. I believed in leprechauns, magic, abandoned buildings, and science. Still do. Along the way, I've learned a bit about telling stories and sharing them with different audiences. Work and play - there's always room to connect through a story.

About Me

Mary Jane was born in Maryland at the Bethesda Naval Base. She's lived in Maryland, Connecticut, Minnesota, Ohio, France, Switzerland, Washington D.C., Michigan, New Jersey, California, and North Carolina. 

Phew!

Right now, she lives in North Carolina with her family. That's where she works as an urban planner, and writes books.

Ever since she could read, Mary Jane has enjoyed escaping into the world of books. When a teacher in the second grade told her that the Nancy Drew books were for "older kids," Mary Jane read them all. Sometimes, she would get in trouble for reading under the table at restaurants or under her desk when she should have been paying attention to her math teacher, Mrs. Cooke. 

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In the fifth grade, Mary Jane wrote a story about traveling to Mars in a spaceship. She especially liked describing how the sun’s light glinted off the ice caps as the travelers approached. The teacher, Mrs. Lohmeyer, used her blue pen to write, “that’s a nice touch!” Mary Jane kept that paper for a very, very long time. 

Mary Jane realized that even though she was afraid to write stories nobody would like, she was more afraid to write nothing-at-all, so she dove in head first and hasn't stopped.

Get In Touch

One of the greatest perks of my job is getting feedback and interacting with readers. Contact me if you’ve got any comments or questions for me, I’d love to hear from you.

For publishing inquiries, please contact my literary agent, Molly O'Neill of Root Literary: molly (at) rootliterary (dot) com