About Kelly Hand

Since the days when I handwrote “novels” on lined notebook paper, reading and writing have been my primary passions. Academia provided me with an outlet for those passions, and after receiving my undergraduate degree in literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, I earned a Ph.D. in English literature at Indiana University. My professional history has included teaching introductory writing and literature classes as well as English as a Second Language, developing programs for the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, and working as a counselor for au pairs and host families. I live in Washington, D.C. with my husband and two daughters and work for a secular humanistic Jewish congregation, while also doing some freelance editing work and finishing the final chapters of my second novel, Au Pair Report. After seeking representation for my first novel, Blind Girl's Bluff, I got the message from several agents that it was a charming and well-written coming-of-age narrative, but it lacked the commercial appeal of a specific target audience. Book #2 has a target audience of "moms who read"--smart women who sneak in a chapter on the metro ride into work or on the sidelines at soccer practice. About My Great Book

Au Pair Report is a novel about the politics of child care in Washington, DC. They say that behind every great man is a great woman. In Washington, power couples abound, and behind every power couple with children, there is a nanny or an au pair or even a team of caregivers. Au Pair Report was inspired by my years working with au pairs and host families in Washington, DC and by my own experiences as an au pair in Nantes, France over twenty years ago. My protagonist, Liza, is a work-from-home au pair counselor with a mischievous toddler, a mentally ill mother, and a lineup of host families that includes a female senator with presidential aspirations. As Liza ministers to the needs of her au pairs and host families, she finds her own life spinning out of control--but out of chaos comes inspiration as she highlights the issue of child care to the policy wonks laying the groundwork for the 2012 election.

When I’m not working on my MS, I like to:

read, walk, swim, talk, cook, do yoga, and socialize with friends and family. While I love going to movies, the smaller screen of my laptop is the one that sucks me in more often these days.

Follow me on Twitter @khwriter or contact me at khaupair@msn.com.