A USA TODAY best-selling author, Nancy Radke grew up on a wheat and cattle ranch in SE Washington State. She attended a one-room country school through the eighth grade. She learned to ride bareback at age 3 (Really! It was a common practice.) and when she got off or fell off, she would pull her horse's nose to the ground, get on behind its ears, and the horse would lift its head so she could scoot down onto its back. Most of her childhood was spent exploring the Blue Mountain trails that bordered the ranch lands. She and a friend once took a trail that turned out to be a two day trip. They always rode with matches and pocket knives, so made camp and returned the next day. These long rides worried her parents, but provided plenty of time to make up stories. Her first novel was set in the Blues, and is entitled APPALOOSA BLUES. TURNAGAIN LOVE was the first one published. It rated a four star review from Affaire de Coeur. Scribes World said "Turnagain Love has some fascinating twists and turns, unexpected complications, and charming scenes." It is light and humorous.
Her next book was CLOSED DOORS, a novel about a man who couldn't read. This was especially interesting to Ms. Radke, as she taught remedial reading, sixth grade, and other classes. All her stories stand alone, but are linked by characters who know each other from book to book. For example, Zack and Jennel show up in two more books besides TURNAGAIN LOVE. Also her books have a theme, such as the theme for TENNESSEE TOUCH, which is that just being alive is dangerous, so you can't be so cautious that you miss out on life. Her favorite character is Hugo, who is the hero in SCORPION'S TRAIL. Hugo shows up in SPIRIT OF A CHAMPION and in the first book of the new BROTHERS OF SPIRIT series that she is writing with her son, Nolan Radke, entitled HEIGHT OF DANGER.
She has gone through survival and outward bound training, including long-distance ocean swimming. Facts from this training shows up in COURAGE DARES and SPIRIT OF A CHAMPION. Her western ranching background shows up in the pioneer series, The Traherns, and APPALOOSA BLUES. Her critique group used to say that she talked and wrote backward. This really helped when writing the Traherns, as the dialect seemed very natural. APPALOOSA BLUES, an AMAZON TOP 100 BEST SELLER, is the book that links the Trahern series with the Sisters of Spirit Series.
Ranch life gives a person a can-do attitude, so when she decided to write and produce a children's Bible on DVD, she never doubted she could do it. Never mind that she had to learn to use a Mac, Photoshop, and the Final Cut Studio programs. The first volume of the SHOW AND TELL BIBLE took eight years to complete. It is two hours long, contains 650 hand-drawn pictures, and gives the impression of a picture book being read by a well-loved parent or grandparent. Little children are absolutely enthralled by it. The second volume is three hours long, 850 pictures, concluding with Esther. It was finished in three years, so she really did manage to speed up. Vol. 3, now on sale, finishes the Old Testament, from Job through Malachi, with two hours. The book of Acts is currently in production. (2023)
The feedback from parents and kids has been tremendous. Nancy is working on the fourth volume now, which will start the New Testament. When the entire Bible is finished, she plans to do other children's books on DVD. And for her romance fans, there are more of those coming. For people who love cookbooks, those on Amazon are written by a different lady with the same name.
Always interested in helping people learn to read, Nancy started Raising Giants, a home school program that offers a FREE reading program. Designed to teach children at age 4 (or earlier), it can also be used by anyone having trouble learning to read. This program can be found at www.raisingupgiants.wixsite.com/free
