When
Nancy Yi Fan moved to the United States from Beijing, she was 7 years old and didn't speak a word of English. Determined to master the language, Nancy said she learned English by reading lots of books.
Nancy began writing her first fantasy novel,
Swordbird, when she was 11 years old. In search of advice, Nancy emailed her manuscript to publishers she found online. A few weeks later, she said she received a surprising response—her book was accepted for publication.
After hitting bookstore shelves,
Swordbird flew to the top of the
New York Times best-seller list. At age 13, she became the youngest best-selling author in Harper Collins history. Her book is sold all over the world.
"For all the other kids out there who want to pursue their dreams, follow your dreams," Nancy said. "Truly nothing is impossible."
