Author. Strategist. Storyteller.
I write books that make you laugh, think, and stay up too late reading. I also help tech companies turn complex products into stories people actually remember.
These two worlds aren’t as different as they sound. Whether I’m crafting a thriller plot twist or a B2B brand narrative, the core skill is the same: making someone care about what happens next.
The Writing Life
Books That Keep You Up at Night
Kristen Van Nest is a viral comedian who took her wit dark: she writes funny, terrifying psychological thrillers — books that make you laugh on one page and check your locks on the next.
She’s written three of them. Where to Nest is a comedic travel memoir about blowing up her tidy New York City life to spend her twenties chasing love, adventure, and great bread across more than forty countries — with stops including a Fulbright Scholarship in Luxembourg and working for three years in the Shanghai wine trade. Perfect Modern Wife is a dark, twisty thriller novella about a wellness retreat run by a famous tradwife that promises to turn women into “perfect” wives and delivers something far more sinister. It’s currently being adapted as a film. And The Storm Reaper launches the Violet Crisp crime series — following a female detective who has spent ten years insisting the serial killer everyone writes off as island folklore and who strikes under cover of hurricanes on Fire Island is real.
That Fire Island setting is personal: Kristen spent every childhood summer there. She grew up in the Connecticut suburb where The Stepford Wives was filmed, watched her high-school homecoming king marry a “trad wife” farming influencer, and now writes from Los Angeles — proof that the best thriller material is usually just real life, slightly rearranged.
Praise
★★★★★
“Kristen Van Nest has proven herself as a compulsively readable author in the thriller space. I was sucked into [The Storm Reaper] right away, just as I felt reading her debut fiction work PERFECT MODERN WIFE last year. Not only is she a talented comedian who tackles real-life challenges, but boy can she write a compelling thriller. I love that Kristen releases new books every year. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.”
— Laura Donovan, Business Insider Writer + Author
The Strategy Side
15+ Years Making Tech Companies Sound Human
Before I published books, I spent over a decade inside tech companies learning what makes stories actually move people to act. As the content lead at DoorDash, I built narrative systems that drove measurable pipeline growth. I’ve worked with brands from Google and IBM to Series B startups, helping them find the human story inside their product story.
Today I work as a Fractional Narrative Strategist, embedding with teams to build brand voice architecture, executive thought leadership programs, and content engines that compound over time.
The Highlights
A Few Things About Me
Published author (Dreamscape Media). Former DoorDash content lead. 15+ years in brand storytelling for Google, IBM, and high-growth startups. Featured in The New York Times, BBC, Cosmopolitan, and more.
Trained actor and comedian (because understanding audience is everything). Lived on three continents. UCLA and University of Bristol alum. Believer that the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.
Let’s Connect
Whether you want to talk about books, brand stories, or both — I’d love to hear from you.