Nina Simon is an American author best known for her crime fiction featuring strong female protagonists. Her debut novel, "Mother-Daughter Murder Night," became a New York Times bestseller and follows a grandmother, single mother, and teenage girl who unite to solve a murder mystery in Monterey Bay. Simon also authored two nonfiction books about participatory cultural institutions during her career in museum leadership, though fiction writing has since become her primary focus.
Before transitioning to full-time writing, Simon pursued a multifaceted career spanning engineering, poetry, and museum curation. She studied electrical engineering while performing as a slam poet, later working briefly at NASA before shifting to exhibit design and museum direction. Her nonfiction works reflect her expertise in creating engaging cultural experiences. Simon turned to crime fiction while caring for her ill mother, drawing inspiration from their shared love of mysteries to craft stories with protagonists modeled after resilient women in her life.
Now residing off-the-grid in California's Santa Cruz mountains, Simon dedicates herself to writing crime novels that blend family dynamics with suspenseful storytelling. Her background in diverse fields informs her nuanced character development and plot construction, while her personal experiences lend emotional depth to narratives about women overcoming adversity.