Hi, I’m Nancy Bartlett.

I write adventure novels about funny, smart, deeply flawed women who refuse to wait for rescue. You know the type – the ones who panic-Google “how to hot-wire a boat” at 3 AM, talk their way past security guards, and somehow save the day despite having no formal training in espionage, martial arts, or keeping their cool.

If you’ve ever fantasized about being the woman who acts instead of standing around waiting for someone else to fix it, you’re my reader.

My heroines stumble into trouble – sometimes absurd (smuggling rings, international intrigue), sometimes terrifyingly real (dangerous men, corrupt systems). They get out of it not because they’re fearless badasses (though they’re working on it), but because they’re resourceful, stubborn, and desperate enough to try something crazy. They don’t have superpowers. They have spite, curiosity, and a semi-thought-out plan B.

The adventure starts with my Iris Winterbek series, featuring an unlikely action hero who proves that older women with questionable life choices can absolutely take down the bad guys – if they can just figure out which end of the flare gun to point away from themselves.

I write from a sailboat called Domino, currently island hopping around the Caribbean. My office is a cockpit with a rickety table and a view of turquoise water. Between dodging hurricanes and searching for another replacement part, I make up stories for women who are done reading about ingenues who need saving, and anyone who believes adventure doesn’t have an age limit.

I used to be a technical writer and environmental columnist covering marine science and coastal living. These days, I’m obsessed with telling stories about women building strength, skills, and independence – because the world’s on fire, democracy feels like a group project where nobody did their part, and we could all use a reminder that ordinary women can be extraordinary when they have to be.

Follow my sailing misadventures (and occasional competence) on my blog, Tidal Life.