Christina Suzann Nelson

Christina Suzann Nelson is a Christy and Carol Award–winning author who writes emotionally resonant stories of family, faith, secrets, and second chances. She also writes atmospheric mysteries as C.S. Nelson. Christina lives in Oregon, where the landscape, people, and quiet corners often find their way into her stories.

Some of my earliest and happiest memories are tied to books—and to the people who chose to be my grandparents.

My Granny and Grandpa weren’t my grandparents by blood, but they were every bit my grandparents in all the ways that mattered. I spent a lot of time with them growing up, and they filled those years with books, stories, encouragement, and the steady belief that I could do whatever I set my mind to. They read to me regularly, put books into my hands, and made reading feel like one of the most natural and wonderful parts of life.

For a long time, I wasn’t nearly as certain about myself as they were.

I doubted that I could really do the things I dreamed about. I certainly didn’t imagine that one day I would have shelves filled with books I had written myself.

But somehow, writing has become one of the ways I still feel connected to them.

Every time I hold a new book in my hands, there’s a part of me that thinks about that little girl sitting with Granny and Grandpa, listening to stories and being told that she could do something meaningful with her life. I wish they could see all of this now. At the same time, I have a feeling they wouldn’t be nearly as surprised as I am.

These days, my life is full in all the best and messiest ways. My husband, Jason, and I have six kids, along with the wonderful people they’ve brought into our family and two granddaughters who have added an entirely new kind of joy to the mix. Our family has been formed in more than one way, and those experiences have shaped how I think about belonging, motherhood, loss, resilience, and the complicated ways people love one another.

Not surprisingly, those are the kinds of things that tend to find their way into my books.

I write stories about ordinary people carrying extraordinary things. Families that don’t always fit neatly together. Women who have been hurt and have to decide what comes next. People trying to make peace with the past while still figuring out how to move forward.

I believe our lives are rarely as tidy as we would like them to be—but there can still be beauty in the middle of the mess.

And every time I sit down to write another book, I’m grateful for the two people who first taught me to love stories.