With an undergraduate degree in theater and two master's degrees (in English literature and applied linguistics), Nina has taught creative writing, playwriting, speech, drama, English literature, and English as a Second Language to adults and teens. Because Nina was an actor and playwright before she wrote fiction, Nina learned her craft by studying what works on the stage: revealing truth through dialogue and action. A playwright must instantly draw the audience into the world of the drama and hold them there until the house lights come up at the end.