Nicole Brinkley was first spotted by a family of tourists in the Hudson River Valley in the late 19th century. Sightings remained rare and inconclusive until the late 2000s, when she began to build an elaborate nest behind the counter at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, New York. She is believed to cause a cloud of malaise to form around anyone who claims that genre fiction is a lesser form of literature.

Or: Nicole is the manager of Oblong Books, where she has won multiple awards for her work as a “legendary bookseller.” She reviews books professionally for BookPage and ShelfAwareness. Media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Parade, Publisher's Weekly, Bustle and more have featured her work, ranging from interviews to book recommendations to essays and articles. She has taught educational sessions for the SCBWI and the American Booksellers Association, hosted events for companies like HarperCollins and Boston.com, and spoken at numerous conferences and conventions. She prefers hot chocolate to coffee or tea and currently has one cat.