| Who
is Nero Blanc?
The
Crossword Mystery series
is a collaboration
created by the husband and wife writing team of Steve Zettler
and Cordelia Frances Biddle. Cordelia's previous work has
been primarily historical fiction (Beneath the Wind and Murder
at San Simeon), while Steve's has been more international
thrillers (The Second Man, Double Identity and Ronin). However,
the concept of writing in partnership has always fascinated
them.
"We
met while working as actors on the New York stage several
years ago," says Zettler, "and perhaps our fondest memories
are those from the shows in which we performed together. So,
why not pair up as writers? Since we've been crossword puzzle
buffs and mystery fans for years, the idea of combining the
two seemed the perfect solution. Thus
The Crossword
Mystery series
was born. The fun for us came in melding our two distinct
styles, and thereby creating a 'cozy' book that has a feel
all its own. Enjoy!"
Why
Nero Blanc?
We chose our nom de plume, Nero Blanc, because NERO translates
to black in Italian, and BLANC to white in French. The words
are favorites with crossword constructors and solvers - providing
us with a puzzling allusion in a name. The question as to
which one of us is NERO and which BLANC is for you to guess...
Charitable
Thoughts...
We’re proud to support a local charity by donating percentages
of our earnings from the Nero Blanc books. The organization
is ECS (Episcopal Community Services) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
ECS is a social services agency that has been assisting needy
folk of all faiths for over 130 years. To learn about ECS’s
programs, please visit their web site: www.ecs1870.org.
With our 2004 holiday book, "Wrapped Up In Crosswords"
(a bit of a shaggy dog tale if we do say so), we will be dedicating
a portion of our royalties to The Pennsylvania Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (which is where Gabby
came from!).
Website: http://www.pspca.org
We
have also auctioned off fictional characters to support the
fine work of the Alzheimer’s Foundation, and the Miami
Valley Literacy Council.
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