Hi, I’m Nancy Bartlett.

I write adventure novels about funny, smart, deeply flawed women who refuse to wait for rescue.

If you like heroines who act instead of standing around waiting for someone else to fix it, you’re my reader.

My heroines always wind up in trouble. Sometimes they go in search of comfort and ease, and instead stumble into absurd situations like smuggling rings, and international intrigue. Other times they plunge into terrifyingly real encounters with powerful people who don’t like to have their plans thwarted.

They get themselves back out of trouble not because they’re fearless badasses, but because they’re stubborn, resourceful, and—let’s face it—desperate.

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

This is the kind of story I enjoy reading. Here’s a list of some of my favorite books, movies, and shows. Check them out. See if you like them too.

Where I Work

My writing studio is a sailboat called Domino. I’ve written at anchor off Caribbean islands, and all along the east coast from Maine to Florida. Every voyage is an opportunity for research. And every harbor is a place to collect settings and characters. I often work in the cockpit, with a rickety table and a view of turquoise water. Between dodging hurricanes and searching for another replacement part, I craft stories for women who are done reading about helpless fashionistas who cry about breaking a fingernail, and anyone who believes adventure doesn’t have an age limit.

My Background

Formerly a technical writer and environmental columnist covering marine science and coastal living. These days, I’m obsessed with telling stories of women’s strength, skills, and independence.

After too many years of reading about ingenues whose heads are constantly reeling, who can’t stop gasping for air, who somehow are the chosen savior of their people despite being little shits, I think we could all use a reminder that real women are quite extraordinary—and they always have been.

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