Inside the mind of Nessy McCoy

Photograph by Nessy McCoy

where history and romance collide

and Shakespeare is reimagined.

Learn more

Photograph by Nessy McCoy

Who is Nessy McCoy?

I have been writing books since I was seven years old. I remember walking into my friend’s house and announcing, “I know what I want to be when I grow up: an author!” My earliest attempts imitated The Baby-Sitters Club. However, by the time I was twelve years old I had discovered my passion for history. Since then the majority of my writing has been romantic historical fiction. I completed my first novel (unpublished) during my senior year of high school.

  • I have a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Utah and a Master’s Degree in History from Utah State University.

    I also obtained a Paralegal Certificate from the University of San Diego.

  • Besides writing and history I have several other passions. These include reading, hiking, classic movies, and animals.

    My favorite novelists include Jane Austen, Fanny Burney, Charlotte Bronte, Anne Bronte, and Anthony Trollope.

    My favorite entertainer is Fred Astaire.

    I do not like to pick favorite movies but the following have had a huge impact on my psyche growing up: The Princess Bride, Toy Story, and Lord of the Rings.

Photograph by Nessy McCoy

My Audience

If you have one or more of the following characteristics, you will probably enjoy my stories and style:

  • Above all, my stories are focused on telling a love story in a historical setting.

  • If you do not consider yourself a reader of romance, but like stories set in the past, my writing will be of interest. A love story is at the center, but the characters are living and interacting with the world around them. I seek to make that world as historically accurate as I can.

  • All of my current projects revolve around reconceptualizing the stories of the heroines in Shakespeare’s plays. If you are interested in delving deeper into the tales The Bard sought to tell, my work is for you.

  • Do you want to understand what on earth is going on in Shakespeare’s plays, but cannot grasp his lingo? My stories will help you make sense of it all.

  • While I make no claim to write as well as the authors of eighteenth and nineteenth-century classics, their works are what I read for pleasure. If you like them too, we already have a lot in common.