The One About The Writer Who Is A Ghost

How does. young woman from the Appalachians, with no college degree, end up writing speeches and books for some of the most powerful leaders in America as a ghost?

Nancy French

If you’re a reader, there’s a good chance you own a book, perused an article, or heard a political speech written by Nancy French. She’s that good. You may be thinking, “Nancy who?” because she has been a ghostwriter for U.S. politicians, athletes, and celebrities.

Ghostwriting is what Nancy French does extraordinarily well. That’s what I do too. Nancy gives me writer’s envy.

A ghostwriter is a person hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts. All the credit goes to another person as the author. You won’t see her name on the books she writes or be given any credit for the killer speeches she crafts.

In the New York Times bestseller, Ghosted, Nancy writes openly about her impoverished upbringing, her formerly troubled relationship with her parents, and her lifelong trauma from being sexually abused at age twelve by a Vacation Bible School teacher.

Say out loud the last phrase.

Ghosted

Reading Ghosted is like having a conversation over coffee with a friend. Ghosted is one of my favourite reads of the last year.

Nancy is fifty years old and thirty-eight of those years held shame, false guilt, and self-condemnation. In her teens, she lost herself in drugs, twice attempted suicide, and walked away from a childhood faith in Jesus. She attended three colleges but still doesn’t have a degree. However, God’s mercy and goodness followed Nancy and at age twenty she reclaimed her faith with the help of a man she married after dating for three months.

The pages of Ghosted reveal a woman deeply rooted in the impoverished foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, with an uncle who was a card-carrying member of the KKK and a grandmother who was Indian. She’s proud of being the best rifle shot in her Grade 6 class and certainly not one to back down from a fight. A deep sense of justice compelled her to expose the systemic sexual abuse of children at one of America’s most popular Christian camps. The perpetrators left a trail of broken lives, families, and death.

Story Telling

Nancy spent her career helping others tell their stories. As a five-time New York Times bestselling ghostwriter, she has worked with prominent conservatives, celebrities, and political figures. A lifelong conservative, Nancy never expected that standing against Donald Trump would lead to ostracism. She yanks away the curtain on being ghosted by Republicans and evangelicals, the two groups she’d always felt most at home with.

Her cancer diagnosis came in November 2023, after Nancy felt a lump and called her doctor. The biopsy revealed a form of cancer called triple-negative. Treatment included a form of chemotherapy dubbed “the red devil”—doxorubicin—which is known for its effectiveness as well as its harsh side effects. Losing her hair became another opportunity for her sense of humour and humility to rise. She posted a picture of herself wigless, not for pity but because she had nothing to lose.

Have you read Ghosted? What was your takeaway? Please join the conversation, especially if you are a first commentor, and post a comment below. Thank you.

Pick up your copy of Ghosted on Kindle or in print.

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