About
I’ve been told that I could write a book on my life alone, and often times I do see glimmers of myself in my characters. Looking back on where I’ve come from and the interesting relationships and people I have crossed paths with helps drive my pen and my writings.
Here is a bit more about me.
Childhood
MaryJane was raised during the time of World War II. Her parents were courageous enough to have her older sister amid the Great Depression and MaryJane (MJ), as President Roosevelt was trying to assist Europe in World War II.
She has vivid memories of being carried from one railroad platform to another. Her mother and the two little girls were meeting Daddy to kiss him good-bye yet again and exchange a suitcase of clean clothes for a suitcase of dirty laundry. As a troubleshooter in steel production, her father, Charles, was seldom home.
Her extended family included three young uncles in three different uniforms – Bud, Navy; Bill, Army; and Bob, Marines. She remembers asking her Grandma Page about the star in the window of the front room.
The heartache and courage from those involved in the second world war were lost on MaryJane, who was just a toddler at the time. Still, she grew up to have tremendous admiration for people who could live and love under such conditions.
Education and Family
After graduating from Jackson College of Tufts University, MaryJane took a teaching job and loved working with the 8th graders. These were youngsters newly coming to themselves—sometimes children and sometimes insightful adults. She learned so much from her students during that time, which helped her later as she raised her children.
“Alone” is an adjective that MaryJane knows well. After her children’s father earned his Ph.D., he left the family to pursue his publishing career. In the first year of nurses’ training, MaryJane did well enough to continue pursuing medical school, even with three small kids in tow.
Becoming a doctor had been MaryJane’s dream since childhood. She applied to universities all over the country. At that time, it was unheard of for a single mother of three to attend medical school. MaryJane felt this in her responses from many of the universities. One dean wrote a personal letter warning her against trying to do something so impossible, and another accused her of abandoning her kids. Yet, she succeeded and graduated from medical school in Kansas City while raising her three small children.
From the Midwest to the Northwest
Although she lived most of her life in the Midwest, she packed up the family and moved west to practice as a family practitioner west of Portland, Oregon. The small town of Forest Grove provided warmth and strength as her kids, Kathi, Alisa and Ted, grew up and created their own life of higher education and careers.
And then, in a time when MaryJane was finally feeling secure in her life and career, she met a logger who intrigued her. Earl exuded a sense of integrity and fair play. He was unlike anyone she had ever met before. They asked their children’s permission before marrying and celebrated more than twenty-five years of marriage before Earl passed away after a long illness.
Today
Today, MaryJane is a grandmother to seven of the best grandchildren. Putting her medical career behind her, she now focuses on her passion for creating stories focused around relationships, history, and daily life struggles, while also making it a priority to find the laughter in life. She relishes being retired and devotes nearly every morning to writing.
Her first novel, Nandria’s War and the complete Nandria Series, may push people out of their comfort zone. MaryJane's goal is to encourage readers to see themselves in each of the characters and realize that every person is worthy of love and respect.
Thoughtful words from readers
"Dr. Nordgren writes with humor and respect."
— The Oregon Contact
“I especially like your dialogue. That is difficult to do without sounding patronizing.”
— R. Kratz
"I like it! Those last three lines gave me goosebumps!"
— S. Adame
“Hurry up and finish the next novel. I’m 94, you know.”
— E. Harmon