About

About Nancy

My name is Nancy Bechel--which rhymes with "treacle," though I will also respond if you rhyme it with "freckle" (half the time I introduce myself that way anyway). ;)

Stories were one of my first loves, introduced to me by my school teacher mom as she read to my siblings and me each night before bed. Being a writer is the earliest dream I remember having—next to becoming a country music star. Hahaha. When I encountered Christ in the Eucharist as a teenager, my new dream became sharing His love with as many other teens as possible.

After spending over a decade serving as a youth minister and middle school teacher, God reminded me of that early dream of writing for others and not just myself, and my love of story led me to editing and book coaching. I bring my many years of experience with relational ministry—and a keen story sense—into my interactions with authors, and enjoy accompanying them through their writing adventures. Few things are as exciting as watching a story become the best it can be, and seeing its author transform in the process. Through coaching and editing, my hope is to empower other writers to bring Christ to the world via the stories He places on their hearts.

When I'm not appearing as my everyday alter-ego (a flower shop assistant), I am also an Assistant Editor with Chrism Press, an active member of the Catholic Writers Guild, and an editor/reviewer for CatholicReads.com. I have BAs in Theology and Youth Ministry from Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, and a deep love for the Lord and the Catholic Church.

An adventurer at heart, and a hobbit in practice, I enjoy playing guitar, singing and writing music, playing table-top games with my family, and frolicking with my nephews and nieces in rural Wisconsin. I especially love reading, watching, and writing stories with fantasy, adventure, mystery, humor, and romance.

My current writing projects are a young adult portal fantasy/adventure series aimed at high schoolers, and a fairytale-ish romance for adults. I also recently had a romantic short story published in the Catholic Writers Guild Anthology Pilgrim Tales. Scroll down for more about my professional work.

I have a special place in my heart for young adult and middle grade fiction, and enjoy finding fabulous books to recommend to my nephews, nieces, former students, and anyone who cares to listen! If you're curious about some of my favorite recommendations for both children and adults, join The Adventure Lovers Club, and discover new adventures each month, via email.

I look forward to getting to know you! Welcome to Whence the Adventure!

To learn more about the name Whence the Adventure, read this blog post in my Adventure Journal.

Professional Work

Editing

Assistant Editor at Chrism Press
Misshelved Magic by S.R. Crickard, Freelance Line Edit
Books by Corinna Turner: A Lion for a Tomb, The Higher We Go, Weight the Odds, A Nest of Piranha'saurs, A Mom with Blue Feathers

Coaching

Book Coach to Rebecca W. Martin for her upcoming release
Catholic Writers Guild critique partner, beta reader, and brainstormer

Writing

"A Pilgrim's Romance" short story published in Pilgrim Tales
"God of the Unexpected" featured post on the Catholic Writers Guild blog
Book Reviewer at Catholic Reads - scroll down to check out my reviews
Contributing Writer: Grade 7 Word of Life Teacher and Catechetical Manuals (Augustine Institute)