Nina Schindler was born in Germany shortly after the end of World War II. Nina’s parents, who were fugitives after the war, lived near Bodensee in southern Germany for a few years before moving to Idstein im Taunus, near Frankfurt, where she grew up. She and her younger brothers and sisters loved playing outside. When they returned from their outdoor adventures, their parents would ask them where they’d been and what they did. They responded by saying that they’d been nowhere and did nothing. Her parents wanted Nina to take care of her little brothers and sisters and to help out around the house, but she much preferred finding a place to hide and read instead. When she was young, her first favorite books were The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Heidi, and Russian fairy tales. Besides reading, she also enjoyed horseback riding and being with her friends. On top of these activities, Nina liked to write. She practiced by composing letters, essays, and diary entries, playing with words, giving them special meanings, and also experimenting with different ways of constructing sentences. Her family supported her writing and was a good audience. Nina continued writing into adulthood, combining it with a teaching career that spanned more than 20 years. Her background in writing and teaching proved useful when she became a book reviewer. During that time, she reviewed all types of books, including ones for children. After reviewing so many bad books, she began writing her own because she believed she might do better. She doesn’t like to give advice very much because she thinks every creative work has its own fuel, but if pressed, she’d say: “As a writer, don’t lie, but if you do, do it well.” Nina enjoys doing nothing—just sitting and daydreaming. She still reads like a maniac, mostly mysteries these days, loves watching movies, likes to knit her own patterns, and cooking. Nina also wrote a book about cooking and kitchen styles from eight European countries. She is always in the process of writing a book or thinking of ideas for the next one. Nina has written children’s books, novels, short stories for young adults, short mystery stories, a play about Edith Piaf, a script, and reference books. She has been honored for her translation work and has been on various honor lists. Nina has five children and lives in Bremen, Germany, with her husband. The younger children are still at home while her two older sons are married with their own children. The family is so big now that when everyone gets together for traditional dinners and special occasions, there is barely enough room at the table!