Nancy Bilyeau is the author of the Tudor mystery series "The Crown," "The Chalice" and "The Tapestry" and a magazine editor who has lived in the United States and Canada. She is a direct descendant of Pierre Billiou, a French Huguenot who immigrated to what was then New Amsterdam (later New York City) in 1661. Nancy's ancestor, Isaac, was born on the boat crossing the Atlantic, the St. Jean de Baptiste. Pierre's stone house still stands and is the third oldest house in New York State.Nancy, who studied English literature at the University of Michigan, has worked on the staffs of "InStyle," "Good Housekeeping," and "Rolling Stone." Her debut novel, "The Crown," was the culmination of five years of research into Tudor England, specifically the reign of Henry VIII, and the Catholic monasteries. The heroine is Joanna Stafford, a young novice at a Dominican Priory in Kent who struggles to find a new way of life. Nancy traveled to London and Dartford to find the remains of the Tudor priory and to walk where Joanna walked."The Crown" was placed on the shortlist of the Crime Writers' Association's Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award and "The Chalice" won the RT Reviewers Award for Best Historical Mystery.Nancy's mind is always in Tudor England but she currently lives with her husband and two children in New York City.