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KEN ISAACSON
New Jersey
Ken Isaacson has been a practicing attorney for more than twenty-five years. He began his legal career at a major Wall Street firm, and continues to practice law today as in-house general counsel to an international transportation company.
Ken's first novel, Silent Counsel, released in September 2007, has already won exceptional advance praise. Ken is an actively involved member of the Mystery Writers of America, and served on the Board of Directors of MWA's New York chapter from 2002 through 2006. He received that organization's Silver Noose Award upon completing his second term. Ken continues to serve on the chapter's Mentor Committee, Program Committee, Membership Committee, and Website Committee. He is also the moderator of the chapter's online discussion forum. Ken is working on his second novel.
He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Sylvia, their dog, Oakley, and their four cats, Nipper, Garth, Chelsea, and Cleopatra. He has three sons, three stepdaughters, and three grandchildren.

Silent Counsel, ISBN: 0978862244, Windermere Press hardcover, 332 pages, $24.95, September 2007.

 

JENNIFER JEFFERSON
Massachusetts
Jennifer Jefferson is an attorney who worked on domestic violence and child abuse and neglect cases in the New Jersey Family Courts for several years. She has also practiced in the areas of child custody, child support, and divorce mediation and litigation. Jefferson lists her interests as: "Read. Watch sports, especially the New York Giants and the New York Mets. Go hiking with my dog Casey. Bake cookies. Read. Listen to ESPN radio and shows and archives on WFUV radio. Read. Spend time with my family. Read." She earned an M.F.A. from the Columbia University writing program and lives in Massachusetts with her husband, three sons, and Casey, an Australian Shepherd.

Defending Violet, ISBN: 1594145369, Five Star Publishing hardcover, 281 pages, $25.95, November 2006.

 

MARGOT JUSTES
Illinois
Born in Poland, Margot Justes has lived in some of the world's most wonderful places, including Israel, France and South Africa. Currently living in the Midwest, and working as a Human Resources Coordinator for a major corporation, she has taken her love of art and travel and cultivated it into unique settings and stories for her writing.
In the past she has been a PTA Board Member, a Volunteer Board Member, a grade school Picture Lady and library volunteer. She is a Member of Romance Writers of American and Sisters in Crime; she serves on the local board of both organizations.
She is the proud mother of two daughters, grandmother to two grandchildren and the wife of one husband. In her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening, music and the occasional shopping spree. She is now working on her second novel, A Hotel in Bath.

A Hotel in Paris, ISBN: 978-1590805343, Echelon Publishing paperback, 288 pages, $12.99, March 2008.

 

LORI LACEFIELD
Colorado
Lori Lacefield has worked a varied career, including stints as a restaurant manager, retail manager, runway model, actress, corporate financial researcher, and data analyst. These days, in addition to writing mystery novels, she works as a product support manager for a consultant firm to higher education.
A member of Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Kiss of Death, and Sisters in Crime, Lori frequently attends workshops and writer's conferences, including Colorado Gold, Bouchercon, and Maui Writers. Now a published author, she also plans to become an active speaker, presenting her own writing topics at future workshops and conferences.
Lori is active in literacy education for children and adults and is also a large supporter of the arts. It is her hope to one day run the Foundation for Aspiring Writers & Artists, in which she would fund annual living expenses for struggling writers and artists with promise.

The Seventh Survivor, ISBN: 09776276, Capital Crime Press trade paperback, 284 pages, $14.95, September 2006.

 

CLARE LANGLEY-HAWTHORNE
California
As the child of British parents, Clare Langley-Hawthorne grew up in Australia with a strong sense of history. Her parents had immigrated to Canada from England, where she was born, and in the mid-1960s returned to England and then immigrated to Australia in the early 1970s.
Clare's mother, a history teacher, and father, an economics professor, instilled in their daughter a love of art, history, and literature. She dreamed of being a writer but instead studied law at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Clare practiced commercial law before switching careers and moving to the United States in 1995.
She obtained Master's degrees in economics and international trade law and subsequently worked as an economist in the health care industry. But the dream of being a writer never died: Clare published articles on both law and economics and soon realized that what she really wanted to do was pursue her life-long dream of becoming a fiction writer.
The opportunity arose when she was pursuing a PhD only to discover she was pregnant with twins. "I put the PhD to one side and focused entirely on writing a novel," she says. And so Consequences of Sin was born (and needless to say, the PhD fell totally by the wayside...). Despite being the mother of two active toddlers, Clare still has a passion for travel and regularly visits family in England and Australia.

The Serpent and the Scorpion, ISBN: 978-0143113393, Penguin trade paperback, 304 pages, $14, September 2008.
Consequences of Sin, ISBN: 978-0143112938, Penguin trade paperback, 272 pages, $14, January 2008.

 

DEBORAH LEBLANC
Louisiana
Deborah LeBlanc grew up in Louisiana, where she developed her earliest aspiration in life: to read every book in the town library. Her first short story was written in the second grade, a tale of a misfit mermaid who grew legs. Because she was writing the story instead of doing an assigned arithmetic lesson, Deborah's teacher confiscated the pages.
At the end of the school day, the teacher pulled Deborah aside. Fearing that she might be forced to do additional math, Deborah listened in amazement as the teacher told her she'd read the mermaid story, thought she was a wonderful storyteller, and encouraged her to continue writing. Though the pages of that story were never returned, Deborah has been writing ever since. And she still hates math.

Water Witch, ISBN: 978-0843960396, Leisure Books paperback, 352 pages, $7.99, September 2008.
Morbid Curiosity, ISBN: 0843958286, Leisure Books paperback, 384 pages, $6.99, July 2007.
A House Divided, ISBN: 0843957301, Leisure Books paperback, 326 pages, $6.99, June 2006.
Grave Intent, ISBN: 0843955538, Leisure Books paperback, 384 pages, $6.99, July 2005.
Family Inheritance, ISBN: 0843953470, Leisure Books paperback, 358 pages, $6.99, August 2004.

 

KATHRYN LILLEY
As a pre-teen, Kathryn Lilley had two passions: Nancy Drew mysteries and Pralines 'n Cream ice cream. So it was perhaps inevitable that she grew up to write a series called the Fat City Mysteries.
Her stories are set in Durham, North Carolina, the self-proclaimed "Diet Capital of the World." And like her journalist sleuth, Kate Gallagher, Kathryn understands the Battle of the Bulge all too well. She once lost 90 pounds to land a job on camera as a TV reporter. And even today, Kathryn avoids the street that goes past 31 Flavors.
The first book in the Fat City Mysteries series is Dying to Be Thin. It's a story about dieting, sex and murder set in a residential diet clinic (read: "fat farm"). In this clinic, the only things more dangerous than the food are the fondue forks...
Kathryn blogs at Killer Hobbies.

A Killer Workout, ISBN: 978-0451225351, Signet paperback, 304 pages, $6.99, October 2008.
Dying to Be Thin, ISBN: 0451222407, Signet paperback, 304 pages, $6.99, October 2007.

 

HAILEY LIND
California & Virginia
Hailey Lind is the pseudonym of two sisters; one an artist, the other a historian. Julie Goodson-Lawes is a skilled muralist and portrait painter who has run her own faux finishing and design business in the San Francisco Bay Area for nearly a decade. Before pursuing art full-time she worked as a waitress, an anthropologist, and a social worker. Hailey's other half is Carolyn J. Lawes, a historian who has taught in France and all over the U.S. She has published extensively on American women's history, and currently lives in Virginia with a motley menagerie of rescued dogs and cats. Hailey Lind is available for talks at libraries, book discussion groups, schools, and professional organizations. Hailey Lind lives in Oakland, California and Virginia.

Brush with Death, ISBN: 0451221796, Signet paperback, 336 pages, $6.99, July 2007.
Shooting Gallery, ISBN: 0451219732, Signet paperback, 352 pages, $6.99, October 2006.
Feint of Art, ISBN: 1594143609, Signet paperback, 336 pages, $6.99, December 2005.

 

N. J. LINDQUIST
Canada
N. J. Lindquist is an award-winning author and motivational speaker who grew up reading Trixie Belden, Ginny Gordon, and Nancy Drew; switched to the works of Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardiner, Georgette Heyer, Dorothy Sayers, and P. D. James; and eventually decided to try her hand at writing a contemporary mystery in the classic style. Reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and other locations comparing her first book to the best of Agatha Christie, assured her she had been successful.
"I still love Agatha Christie's books," Lindquist says. "I own most of them and reread them every so often. I know some critics say she doesn't have great characterization, but the characters in the books are very memorable for me. The Manziuk and Ryan series, however, probably owes more to Georgette Heyer, another British queen of mystery-writing. I chose to intentionally try to do what Heyer did in many of her mysteries: tell the story on two levels—giving both the characters' viewpoint and the detectives' viewpoint, and showing the effect violence can have on a group of people—both how they react initially, and how it impacts them."
N. J.'s series protagonists are Detective-Inspector Paul Manziuk and Detective-Constable Jacqueline Ryan. Manziuk is a 47-year-old life-long cop with Ukrainian ancestry, a very patient wife, and three young adult children. Ryan is a 28-year-old black woman with an MA in criminology, Jamaican ancestry, and an attitude.
A former high school teacher and homeschooler, N. J. has also written eight books for teens, a Christmas play, and numerous stories and articles for both adults and teens. She's a member of a number of writing organizations including Sisters in Crime, and executive director of The Word Guild, an organization she founded. N. J., her husband Les, and their four adult sons are based in Toronto, Ontario.

Glitter of Diamonds, ISBN: 0968549594, MurderWillOut Mysteries hardcover, 384 pages, $24.95, May 2007.
Shaded Light, ISBN: 096854956X, MurderWillOut Mysteries trade paperback, 384 pages, $12.95 U.S./$16.95 Canada, October 2004.
In Time Of Trouble, ISBN: 0968549500, That's Life! Communications paperback, 200 pages, $6.95 U.S./$9.95 Canada, October 1999.
Circle of Friends Series: Best of Friends, Friends in Need, Friends Like These, More Than Friends, That's Life! Communications paperbacks, $7.95 U.S./$12.95 Canada.

 

S.L. LINNEA
New York/Germany
"S.L. Linnea," the author name on the cover of the Eden thrillers, is actually a pseudonym for two persons, Sharon Linnéa and B.K. Sherer.
Sharon Linnéa is the author of the biographies Raoul Wallenberg, The Man Who Stopped Death and Princess Ka'iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People, which won the prestigious Carter G. Woodson Award, as well as the upcoming nonfiction book, Lost Civilizations. Sharon has been a staff writer for five national magazines and a ghostwriter for dozens of celebrities. She lives with her family outside of New York City.
B.K. Sherer holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Oklahoma State University. A Presbyterian minister, she currently serves on active duty as a chaplain in the United States Army. Her work has taken her to Argentina, Somalia, Korea, Costa Rica, Germany, Kuwait and Iraq.
The authors first collaborated on a play for their sixth grade talent show in Springfield, Missouri, and have been best friends ever since.

Beyond Eden, ISBN: 031294215X, St. Martin's Press paperback, 384 pages, $6.99, October 2007.
Chasing Eden, ISBN: 0312949617, St. Martin's Press paperback, 352 pages, $6.99, June 2007 .

 

GAIL LUKASIK
Libertyville, IL
Gail Lukasik was born in Cleveland, OH, and was a dancer with the Cleveland Civic Ballet Company. She has worked as a choreographer and freelance writer. She earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois/Chicago, with a specialization in creative writing/poetry and has taught writing and literature courses for over 18 years on the university level. She now teaches writing at the Ragdale Foundation, a nationally known artist retreat in Lake Forest, IL and has expanded her teaching to private mentoring of adult students.
Lisel Mueller described her book of poems, Landscape Toward A Proper Silence, as a "splendid collection." She has also been published in over 50 literary journals, including The Georgia Review, Carolina Quarterly, and Mississippi Valley Review. In 2002 she was awarded an Illinois Arts Council Award for her work. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she taught writing and literature. She lives in Libertyville, Illinois, with her husband and their Shetland sheepdog.

Destroying Angels, ISBN: 1594143609, Five Star hardcover, 296 pages, $25.95, March 2006.

 

D.L. MAINS
New York
When D.L. Mains is asked what drives her to keep writing, she answers, "I can't help it."
A working mother with three teenaged children, Mains still has to find time to write every day "or I get cranky." Her office, which consists of the living room sofa and her coffee table, is where Mains can unleash her fertile imagination.
Her first science fiction/fantasy novel, The Chosen One, is based on a dream Mains had one night. She says dreams and stargazing provide her with the inspiration she needs to create new characters and situations.
A writer since she was a child, Mains continues to work with persistence and dedication. The Chosen One is the first in a trilogy, and Mains says she is already hard at work on the sequel.
"I write because I have to," she says.

The Chosen One, ISBN: 978-0980073324, Light Sword Publishing paperback, 355 pages, $16.95, May 2008.

 

WESLYNN MCCALLISTER
Florida
Weslynn McCallister was born in Evansville, Indiana, but raised in Roswell, New Mexico. She has spent most of her life in the Sun Belt. She has won many awards for poetry in both literary and poetry magazines, including a second place award for Best Romance Novel in 2002 at the Florida Writer's Conference for the first edition of Apache Springs.
She belongs to many organizations, among them the National Writer's Association, Romance Writers of America, National Association of Women Writers, Authors for Charity and is a founding member of the Florida Writer's Association.
Educated in the fine arts, her hobbies are reading, writing, painting and photography. She has worked in the fields of fashion modeling, real estate sales, and graphic designing. Today, she devotes her time to writing.
A poet as well as a novelist, McCallister's poetry has been published in many literary magazines. She writes non-fiction and metaphysical books under her pseudonym, Wes Alistair. Her new novel Skin Deep is written under the name Jamie Cortland.

Skin Deep (by Jamie Cortland), ISBN: 978-159460978, Crystal Dreams Publishing trade paperback and ebook, 181 pages, $12.95, July 2007.
Prophecy of the Ancients, ISBN: 978-1588202482, Crystal Dreams Publishing trade paperback and ebook, 420 pages, $13, June 2004.
Wyatt's Deck, ISBN: 978-0974750149, Jada Press paperback, 236 pages, $9.95, March 2004.
Shifting Sands, ISBN: 978-1594572227, BookSurge Publishing paperback, 73 pages, $11.99, March 2004.
Apache Springs, ISBN: 978-1591133544, Booklocker.com paperback, 220 pages, $14.95, June 2003.

 

MARJA MCGRAW
Arizona
Marja McGraw, born and raised in Southern California, worked in both criminal and civil law enforcement for about fifteen years.
She eventually relocated to Northern Nevada, where she worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation for several years. Marja also did a stint in Oregon, where she worked for the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and owned her own business, a tea room/antique store. Her next stop was Wasilla, Alaska. The draw to Northern Nevada was strong, and she eventually returned. There she met the man who won her over, and they were married.
Marja began writing mysteries in 1987, but with life's shoves and tugs in different directions, let it go for a while. In 1999, she began in writing earnest again thanks to her husband's support.
After Secrets of Holt House, A Mystery, was published, Marja started work on her Sandi Webster series, and in March of 2008 A Well-Kept Family Secret made its debut. Bubba's Ghost will be published in July of 2008, and Prudy's Back! will be out in January of 2009. She says that each of her mysteries contains a little humor, a little romance and a little murder, and that her books concentrate on the characters and solving the crime rather than the crime itself.

Prudy's Back!, Wings ePress, January 2009.
Bubba's Ghost, ISBN: 978-1597057318, Wings ePress paperback, 316 pages, July 2008.
A Well-Kept Family Secret, ISBN: 978-1597057462, Wings ePress paperback, 319 pages $16.95, March 2008.

 

JOANN ODENWELDER
Texas
Joann C. Odenwelder was a small child when her family moved to Texas. In 1969 she joined the U.S. Foreign Service and spent nearly two years at the embassy in Teheran, Iran. During that time, she also toured Jordan, Lebanon, and Cypress, and spent time in Athens, Madrid, Rome, and London.
In 1971 Joann went to work for Texas Parks and Wildlife and attended the University of Texas where she received her degree in business management.
Wanderlust struck again in the early 1980s. She joined her future husband Bud to become first mate and galley hand on the 1941 yawl Stormalong. Joann spent three years living aboard Stormy, learning everything imaginable: cooking and baking on a two-burner stove, mending sails and rigging, tying knots, standing watches, as well as bathing using not much more than a cup of fresh water!
They returned to Austin in 1986, married in 1988, and since 1994 have called OHHO Plateau near Dripping Springs home.
At her husband's urging, Joann became interested in flying. She earned her fixed wing license in 2001 and two years later added her rotorcraft rating.
When she isn't writing or working with clients in her real estate business, Joann indulges in one of her other pastimes: running, cycling, gardening, or simply observing the natural world right outside her window.
Her first novel Thirteen Buttonholes was inspired by the stories her mother told of being young and in love during World War II and working in a Navy uniform mill.

Thirteen Buttonholes, ISBN: 1605634034, Publish America trade paperback, 253 pages, $18.95, July 2008.

 

JEFFREY OSBURN
Texas
Author and business executive Jeffrey Osburn is a Texas native who graduated from LeTourneau University with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Management. As a youngster growing up in the Piney Woods of East Texas, he camped, swam, hiked, played music, and read but never seriously considered writing until he was much older.
As a young adult, Jeffrey frequently traveled to and learned about the diverse culture and customs of Mexico. These experiences fostered a keen interest in both pre- and post-Colombian history and the cultural anthropology of Mesoamerica. He wrote down his observations and encounters but had yet to discover the right combination of platform and message.
His subsequent work in international trading helped him to gain a firsthand perspective of the modern politics of Mexico. He started writing about the issues affecting both the United States and Latin America then and found a voice in the form of realistic contemporary fiction. His novels use hot-button topics from today's headlines to challenge and inform readers about mutual interests at stake in the Americas including border security, immigration reform, drug and human trafficking and the emergence of popular socialism.
Jeffrey Osburn is a member of the Writers League of Texas. His other interests include reading, playing music, cooking and traveling. He's a father of four and has two grandchildren. Osburn lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife Rosalinda, their daughter Ashley and son Travis.

Under the Fifth Sun, ISBN: 1600761283, StoneGarden Publishing paperback, March 2009.

 

SANDRA PARSHALL
McLean, VA
Sandra Parshall's first job was weekend obituary columnist on her hometown paper. Eventually she went to jobs on newspapers in West Virginia and the Baltimore Evening Sun. She covered everything from school board meetings to a mining disaster, health care in prisons, poverty in Appalachia, and the experiences of Native Americans living in the city.
She's written fiction since childhood, but didn't find the genre she could feel comfortable in—mystery/suspense—until a few years ago. The Heat of the Moon is her first attempt at psychological suspense.

Disturbing the Dead, ISBN: 1590583787, Poisoned Pen Press hardcover, 332 pages, $24.95, March 2007.
The Heat of the Moon, ISBN: 159058256X, Poisoned Pen Press hardcover, 292 pages, $24.95, April 2006.

 

GORDON PAYNE
Texas
Musician, songwriter and author, Gordon Payne has been a member of the Crickets, played for years in Waylon Jennings' band the Waylors, and has had songs he wrote recorded by the likes of Reba McEntyre, Rosanne Cash, The Crickets, the Statler Brothers and many more.
He says his first writing heroes were were his cousin Peggy Goodin and his late father, Wayne Payne. Peggy wrote "My Darling Clementine" and "Take Care of My Little Girl," both bestsellers and adapted to successful Hollywood films. His father wrote additional verses to gospel songs for the family trio, and kept one very special diary.
That diary, discovered after Wayne died in 2002, detailed his experiences in World War II, and became the basis for a number of stories Gordon wrote after deciding to give up the touring life to be with his wife and family. "Dad would never talk about the war, and after we read his account of it, we knew why," Gordon says. "That little book is the most inspirational piece I’ve ever read, and I haven't stopped writing stories since."
His first novel, The Hail and the Fury, has been published by One Night Books. It describes a family planning a town-wide celebration during tornado season in Oklahoma, the deadliest time of the year.

The Hail and the Fury, ISBN: 978-1934335192, One Night Books paperback, 136 pages $9.95, April 2008.

 

ROSEMARY POOLE-CARTER
Houston, TX
Rosemary Poole-Carter, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, lives in Houston and works at a college as a coordinator.
Her work includes What Remains, a mystery novel; Juliette Ascending, a young adult novel; Women of Magdalene, an historical suspense novel; Mossy Cape, a play for young audiences based on Southern folklore; and the adult dramas, The Little Death, set in the French Quarter of old New Orleans, and Inconvenient Women, set in a Louisiana asylum.
As a child, seeing Tennessee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, she was impressed by Big Daddy's emphasis on the word "mendacity," a word that continues to resonate for her in her fictional creations.

Women of Magdalene, ISBN: 1601640145, Kunati Inc. hardcover, 288 pages, $24.95, September 2007.
Juliette Ascending, ISBN: 1929976410, Top Publications paperback, 199 pages, $13, April 2007.
What Remains, ISBN: 192997616X, Top Publications paperback, 296 pages, $14.95, June 2002.

 

DEBORAH PRATT
California
Deborah Pratt was born and raised in Chicago. She attended Webster University in St. Louis, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Theatre Arts.
After graduation, Deborah took a job in Chicago's difficult Cabrini Green projects, teaching preschoolers. At one point, she found herself comforting a baby who'd had a history of being shot-up by his parents with heroin to keep it quiet.
After college Pratt headed for Los Angeles to pursue an entertainment career. As an actress she found recurring roles on CBS's "Magnum P.I." and "Airwolf." Her interest and talent in the creative process that makes television tick helped her conceive the premise for "Quantum Leap," which she co-Executive Produced with Don Bellisario; it became a hit series on NBC. Internet sites emerged spontaneously, with fans chatting after each show aired like an electronic water cooler. "They named themselves Leapers," she notes. Two years into the series she saw the franchise potential of the series.
This success of "Quantum Leap" led Deborah to understand the power of a franchise. Over the next 12 years, she developed and refined the Vision Quest concept.

The Vision Quest: Book Two: The Odyssey, ISBN: 0978730917, VGM Publishing hardcover, 454 pages, $21.54, October 2008.
The Vision Quest: Book One: The Age of Light, ISBN: 0978730909, VGM Publishing hardcover, 366 pages, $21.54, August 2007.

 

KEITH PRICE
Dallas, TX
Keith J. Price is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from St. Joseph's University with a degree in literature and a special interest in theater. Keith has been a sales executive in the American textile industry for over 30 years, living in places stretching from California to North Carolina.
His job as an importer/exporter has taken him literally around the world numerous times, from places like the deserts of Oman, the mountain towns of Mexico, to the bustle of Shanghai.
But it was a trip from Dallas to New Jersey, to see Price's aging father, that prompted the writing of his first book, The Odyssey and the Idiot, an account of that journey with his children that included plenty of laughs but changed Price's view of life forever.
Keith has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 20 years. The couple has two children: a girl, Emma, and a boy, Alexander.

The Odyssey and the Idiot, ISBN: 978-1598585179, Dog Ear Publishing LLC hardcover, 144 pages, $27.95, January 2008.

 

KEN RAMIREZ
Nevada City, CA
Ken Ramirez is a California science teacher who holds bachelor degrees in Maricultural Science and Biology, a minor in art, and a secondary teaching credential from Humboldt State University in northern California. He presently teaches in a telecommunications academy, coaches the Alpine Ski team at Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley, and works as an education consultant for the California State Department of Education.
Several years ago Ken's daughter asked him to write her a story about gnomes, because "Daddy, there just aren't any good books about gnomes!" That night Ken began writing the Naida's Quest Trilogy, a fast-paced, humorous adventure that gained the attention of his children's friends and his science students. Through the support of his community, Ken published his YA fantasy and hasn't quit writing. His latest novel, Valley of the Raven, is a unique tale that expertly weaves the mysticism of the Lakota totems, the actual history of the Buffalo Soldiers, the gold rush era, and a modern day group of teens who are trying to stop an ecological disaster at the hands of some hardened criminals.

Valley of the Raven, ISBN: 1933353759, Twilight Times Books trade paperback, 228 pages, $18.95, July 2007.
The Hidden Forest: Book Three of Naida's Quest Trilogy, ISBN: 1424132304, PublishAmerica trade paperback, 219 pages, $19.95, October 2006.
Beyond the Red Mountains: Book Two of Naida's Quest Trilogy, ISBN: 1413746683, PublishAmerica trade paperback, 167 pages, $19.95, July 2005.
Gift of the Ancient Grove: The Naida's Quest Trilogy Book One, ISBN: 1413718140, PublishAmerica trade paperback, 240 pages, $19.95, May 2004.

 

EDWARD (E.J.) RAND
New Jersey
As senior VP of a NYSE management consulting company and then senior VP at a public relations company, where he represented a national top-ten homebuilder, E.J. Rand still found a way to write. Quarterly earnings statements, corporate annual reports, consulting proposals, and thousands of newspaper and magazine stories—not in his name, of course, but they were all writing assignments.
Early one morning he was out in the snow, bringing in the paper, when a friend drove past on his way to work. They waved, Rand asked himself "What if?" and he was hooked. From that emerged Say Goodbye.
Winning Deadly Ink Press' 2007 David G. Sasher, Sr. Best Unpublished Thriller Novel Award was a great honor. Rand's genre is the mystery thriller, but he can't write a novel without offering a deep love story. "That's just me," he says.

Say Goodbye, ISBN: 0978744212, Deadly Ink Press paperback, 320 pages, $12.95, February 2008.

 

BEN REHDER
Texas
Ben Rehder wanted to become a writer ever since he was dropped on his head as a toddler. As he grew into a young adult and the vertigo gradually dissipated, his passion for literature grew. Ben longed to craft the type of soul-stirring prose that would touch people's lives and help them explore new emotional horizons. But he went to work at an ad agency instead. Throughout his rewarding and fruitful career in the ad business, Ben has been known to write such imaginative and compelling phrases as "Act now!," "Limited-time offer," and "Compatible with today's rapidly changing network environment." However, there eventually came a time when, as unbelievable as it sounds, writing brochures and spec sheets simply wasn't enough to satisfy Ben's creative urges. Ben knew: It was time to write a novel.
Fate played a hand one day when Ben's father-in-law tossed him a copy of a Carl Hiaasen novel. And then it hit him. Literally, right in the forehead. When the swelling went down and Ben had a chance to read the book, he discovered a type of fiction he had never experienced before—the comic crime novel! He quickly read Hiaasen's complete collection, then moved on to Tim Dorsey, Elmore Leonard, Laurence Shames and more. He loved the wacky characters, the zany plots, the interesting writing that threw a good deal of humor into the mix. So Ben set out to write his own novel. After many grueling minutes in front of a computer, Ben was proud to present Buck Fever. It was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Next came Bone Dry, followed by Flat Crazy, and Guilt Trip.

Gun Shy, ISBN: 0312357524, St. Martin's hardcover, 320 pages, $24.95, May 2007.
Guilt Trip, ISBN: 0312940947 St. Martin's Paperback, 336 pages, $6.99, August 2005.
Flat Crazy, ISBN: 0312993269 St. Martin's paperback, 336 pages, $6.99, August 2004.
Bone Dry, ISBN: 0312994605, St. Martin's paperback, 352 pages, $6.99, September 2003.
Buck Fever, ISBN: 0312992203, St. Martin's paperback, 288 pages, $6.99, September 2002.

 

PETER RENNEBOHM
Minnesota
Peter Rennebohm graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a BA degree in English Literature. But his childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian was never realized. "I struggled to pass a requisite chemistry course. That was my first clue that I should find some other major." Peter went to work as a manufacturer's representative and continued in that business for thirty-four years.
He sold the business and retired in 2002, and immediately began "writing, reading, and studying anything and everything I could find about becoming an accomplished writer." His first effort was ambitious—a novel that eventually was published as French Creek in November, 2004.
In between rewrites and revisions, he began writing short stories. "I was very fortunate to have a number published and to win numerous awards. This gave me confidence and credibility to continue." Be Not Afraid: Ben Peyton's Story was published in 2004. "Ben's dad is one of my best friends. His son was paralyzed from an on-ice hockey injury in 1996 and the book chronicles his remarkable recovery. It is a story that needed to be told and is at once inspirational, spiritual, and courageous."
Peter has an abiding interest in nature and many of his stories reflect that interest. Along with maintaining a 135-tree apple orchard, Peter enjoys golf, bird carving, tennis, and writing. "Working with the trees satisfies a desire to be outside where I seem to be most comfortable and at peace." Long Minnesota winters are spent writing and coaching a hockey team.

Buried Lies, ISBN: 0878392912, North Star Press hardcover, 308 pages, $24.95, September 2008.
Blue Springs: A Suspense Novel, ISBN: 0878392270, North Star Press hardcover, 416 pages, $24.95, October 2005.
French Creek, ISBN: 0878392114, North Star Press hardcover, 325 pages, $24.95, November 2004.
Be Not Afraid: Ben Peyton's Story, ISBN: 978-0878392056, North Star Press paperback, 144 pages, $14.95 , March 2004.

 

T.A. RIDGELL
Florida
Captivated by books where trust and integrity are the mainstays, T.A. Ridgell knew she wanted to write stories with those values. The most exciting aspect of becoming a published author is the opportunity to share the characters she's created.
Known to do things the hard way, Terri Ann spent eight disjointed years getting her Bachelors' Degree in the earth sciences. While teaching middle school, she completed her Masters' Degree in environmental biology. For the next six years, she became a finance company vice president and ran a sales organization in the Washington, DC area.
On the road to becoming an author, three of her novels placed in four regional contests. This experience, along with some input from a few great writers, helped to make her first book a reality. A staple in business, Terri Ann learned that teamwork is an exceptional tool even in this solitary profession.
When she isn't sitting at her computer in Florida, she and her husband, Paul, are traveling, playing golf and enjoying life. What she's come to learn is that the most important things in life are not things.

Fractured Souls, ISBN: 1590804711, Echelon Press paperback, 288 pages, $12.99, May 2006.
Operation: Stilletto, ISBN: 1590803922, Echelon Press paperback, 276 pages, $14.49, January 2005.
When Opportunity Knocks, ISBN: 1590802934, Echelon Press paperback, 340 page, $14.49, September 2003.

 

WILLIAM SCARBOROUGH
Dallas, TX
William (Bill) Scarborough is a native of Dallas, Texas. He lives in Highland Park with his wife and two daughters. Bill started writing about twelve years ago, and Baked Alaskan is his third novel. He works as a financial advisor for Raymond James in their downtown office, and has been in the investment business for over 20 years. He is a graduate of SMU in Dallas. He loves to fish and has taken numerous trips to Alaska.

Baked Alaskan, ISBN: 0595391826, iUniverse trade paperback, 276 pages, $17.95, July 2006.

 

BEN F. SMALL
Arizona
An honors graduate from Indiana University and an experienced trial lawyer, Ben F. Small has over thirty years experience handling complex antitrust, litigation and other legal matters worldwide for Fortune 500 companies.
He started reading mysteries and thrillers that Ben and his father, dean of the law school at Indiana University, would trade and discuss. But in 1973, Ben's father died, and in the 1980s, Ben says, "I decided I'd plow on without him, and I started scribbling around a mountaineering plot." That became his first novel, Alibi On Ice.
Small is an avid outdoorsman who has climbed Mount Rainier. Having written legal and business articles for decades, he turned his attention to suspense fiction full time after retiring in 2002.

The Olive Horseshoe, ISBN: 978-0979916724, Night Shadows Press trade paperback, $19.95, May 2008.
Alibi On Ice, ISBN: 1930754728, Durban House trade paperback, 359 pages, $14.95, May 2005.

 

SYLVIA DICKEY SMITH
Texas
Sylvia Dickey Smith draws from her training and experience as a licensed psychotherapist as she develops characters in her tales of mystery and suspense. Sylvia was born and reared in Orange, Texas, the land of Cajuns, cowboys, pirates and Paleo-Indians. At seventeen, with still a year of high school to go, she married and soon thereafter became "the preacher's wife." Years later, she and her family lived on the island of Trinidad, where she developed a love for other cultures, races, religions, and found her voice.
Returning to the U.S., Sylvia attended the University of Texas at El Paso, earning a B.A. in Sociology and a M. Ed in Educational Psychology while raising four children. She founded her own business conducting management effectiveness training, individual and marriage counseling, and assertiveness training for women. Sylvia now lives in Texas with her husband, Bill, a retired Army Colonel. When she isn't writing, she is scheduling and conducting writing workshops around the country.

Deadly Sins, Deadly Secrets, ISBN: 1603180184, L & L Dreamspell trade paperback, 268 pages $16.95, November 2007.
Dance on His Grave, ISBN: 1603180061, L & L Dreamspell trade paperback, 252 pages, $16.95, May 2007.

 

EARL STAGGS
Texas
Earl Staggs took the long path to becoming a novelist, but he got there in style.
A former sales professional, business consultant and trainer with a national trade association, Staggs honed his general writing skills by working on technical articles, training materials and trade magazines.
Always committed to writing fiction, Staggs got the chance to indulge himself when he and his wife moved to Florida, and eventually to Texas. As he did begin to write mystery stories, Staggs found his niche, and his work has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies and one of them was awarded a Derringer Award for Best Short Mystery Story in 2002. He served as Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine and as President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society. He was a Finalist for the 2003 Derringer Award, received Best Story of the Year honors from Mysterical-e Magazine, a Pushcart Prize nomination, and the Kathey Clarey Mystery Writer Memorial Award for Best First Chapter.

Memory of a Murder, ISBN: 978-0870336041, Tidewater Publishers trade paperback, 265 pages, $13.95, April 2008.

J.B. STANLEY
Richmond, VA
J.B. Stanley was educated in both writing and collecting at an early age. From plastic Smurfs to antique dolls, her parents and grandparents fostered her "collecting gene." One of her favorite ways to spend time with her grandfather was to sit on his lap in front of the typewriter and write stories with his help.
All this time she had an Antique Fund going and her mom, who is a bit of an expert on the subject, would help her shop for decent pieces to use in decorating her teeny, tiny house. She also began submitting articles on auctions to Antiqueweek from time to time. Without knowing it, she had fallen in love with the world of antiques and collectibles much harder than she had collecting Smurfs as a pre-teen.
After she got married, Stanley moved to Richmond, VA, and it was during her first year there that she began to write A Killer Collection. She had decided to take a break from teaching and also because she missed North Carolina. Stanley felt a genuine aching for the auctions, her friends, the pottery, her tiny house, and most of all, her mom. So she incorporated all those elements into her first novel.

Stiffs and Swine: A Supper Club Mystery, ISBN: 978-0738712673, Midnight Ink trade paperback, 288 pages, $13.95, October 2008.
Chili Con Corpses: A Supper Club Mystery, ISBN: 0738712590, Midnight Ink trade paperback, 275 pages, $12.95, January 2008.
A Deadly Dealer, ISBN: 0425216705, Berkley Prime Crime paperback, 224 pages, $6.99, August 2007.
Fit to Die, ISBN: 978-0738710679, Midnight Ink trade paperback, 232 pages, $12.95, May 2007.
Fatal Appraisal, ISBN: 0425212645, Berkley Prime Crime paperback, 224 pages, $6.99, October 2006.
Carbs & Cadavers, ISBN: 978-0738709130, Midnight Ink trade paperback, 288 pages, $12.95, September 2006.
A Killer Collection: A Collectible Mystery, ISBN: 0425207455, Berkley Prime Crime paperback, 224 pages, $6.99, January 2006.

 

APRIL STAR
Florida
Mystery author April Star took an unusual route to a writing career. Traveling the roads of America in an RV for 16 years with her husband, Jerry, she began to write on the road. Jerry's work in the construction trade brought them to every "where-in-the-hell-is" place on the map. April filled her days writing journals of people, places, and the countless things that happen on the road. Many campers through the years would ask her over and over why she didn't write a book. So she did: a nonfiction account of all the journals titled Life Through A Rear-View Mirror. Shortly after writing that very large volume, April discovered her real niche was in the mystery genre. In 1992, shortly after hurricane Andrew devastated the Homestead, Florida area, April and her husband rolled their thirty-two foot Avion into a camping resort (which at the time appeared to be more of a MASH unit).
In an attempt to keep her sanity, she took a job in the office where she says she soon discovered insanity seemed to be the rule. A year later April became assistant manager and marketing director. In 1996 Jerry joined her in the office as campground managers. There they stayed and there is where the stories and characters emerged for what is now a reality—the Wanderlust Mystery Series. Taken from both views of the full-time RV'er—the traveler across America and Canada as well as the villains—otherwise known as "Managers."

Tropical Warnings, ISBN: 1594144796, Five Star hardcover, 263 pages, $25.95, November 2006.

 

L.A. STARKS
Dallas, TX
L.A. Starks was born in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up in northern Oklahoma, and now lives in Texas. She earned her magna cum laude chemical engineering degree from New Orleans' Tulane University and her finance MBA from the University of Chicago in five quarters rather than the usual six. Working more than a decade for well-known oil companies in engineering, marketing, and finance from refineries to corporate offices prepared her to write 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy about a plot to sabotage oil refineries and the woman who must discover and stop it. Her additional published works include technical articles, expert opinion editorials, and short stories. She also continues to research economics of alternate energy technologies.
Starks is a member of International Thriller Writers (ITW) and other professional groups. She donates a percentage of 13 Days' revenues to a New Orleans rebuilding fund.

13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy, ISBN: 1933285451, Brown Books trade paperback, 347 pages, $15.95, June 2006.

 

MARK STEVENS
Colorado
The son of two librarians, Mark Stevens was raised in Lincoln, Massachusetts. He worked as a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor in Boston and Los Angeles, and The Rocky Mountain News, covering City Hall for three years. When he learned that The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour was expanding its production he joined the team—they were actually looking for somebody with no television experience, which suited him perfectly.
For six years, he produced field documentaries across the United States and Latin America. He covered the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, NASA's space shuttle disaster, a volcano eruption in Colombia, political upheavals in Nicaragua, and mudslides in Puerto Rico. His "master of disaster" title, he was told, referred to the stories he covered, not the quality of the reports.
After tending bar for a year on a self-financed sabbatical (and to write fiction), he joined the Denver Post to cover education. He now works in school public relations in Greeley, Colorado. Stevens lives near Congress Park in Denver with his wife, Jody Chapel, and two daughters, Ally and Justine.

Antler Dust, ISBN: 978-0977418817, Paandaa hardcover, 288 pages, $24.95, March 2007.

 

KAREN SYED
Laurel, MD
After living in the South for the better part of her life, Karen Syed aka Alexis Hart has managed to get back to the great North. Life is treating her well in Laurel, Maryland where she and her husband have settled. She is the president and owner of Echelon Press. This wasn't always the case.
In a former life, when she owned an Independent bookstore in Grand Prairie, Texas, she was nominated for the Publishers Weekly 2000 Bookseller of the Year.
Karen has had eight full-length romance novels published, is a featured author in three anthologies and has five more books scheduled for release at some point before she... well, eventually. Her stories run from straight contemporary to paranormal/ghost/time travels. Her latest title, Dark Shines My Love, was featured in the Mr. Romance Cover Model Pageant at the RT Booklover's Convention in Kansas City, MO in October 2003.
She has served as an Educational Workshop Coordinator for the Romantic Times National Convention, founded a Romance Writers of America Chapter, and spent fifteen years molding the minds of the future (read: preschool teacher). In addition to everything else, Karen is the founding Director of the IP Directive (Independent Publishers Directive), a promising organization committed to increasing the success and productivity of independent publishers worldwide, and the chairperson for the EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Connection) Publishers Coalition. She is a member of the Horror Writers of America and to date, a displaced member of Sisters in Crime.
She serves as a Member at Large for the Maryland Writers Association.
Karen is a Red Hat Society (The Laurel based "Red Hot Book Babes") and is looking for other Red Hat Readers.

Dark Shines My Love (by Alexis Hart), ISBN: 978-1590802526, Echelon paperback, 184 pages, $10.99, September 2003.
Lost and Found (by Alexis Hart), ISBN: 978-1590800003, Echelon paperback, 208 pages, $11.99, October 2002.
Child of Hope (by Alexis Hart), ISBN: 978-1590801703, Echelon paperback, 204 pages, $10.99, October 2002.

 

ELAINE VIETS
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Elaine Viets is the author of two national bestselling mystery series and has won the Agatha and the Anthony Awards. Her Dead-End Job series is a satiric look at a serious subject—the minimum wage world. Elaine and her character, Helen Hawthorne, work a different low-paying job each book. They've been everything from a bookstore clerk to a hotel maid. The South Florida series has been called "Janet Evanovich meets The Fugitive." Publishers Weekly called her fifth book in the series, Murder Unleashed, "wry social commentary." Viets' hardcover debut is at an expensive dog boutique in Fort Lauderdale.
Elaine's second series, featuring Josie Marcus, mystery shopper, is a look at the pink collar world of secret shopping. This critically acclaimed series debuted in October 2005 with Dying In Style, tying with Stephen King on the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association bestseller list. The second in the series, High Heels are Murder, released November 2006, is already topping the Best of 2006 lists.
Elaine's short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, the Drop-Dead Blonde anthology, High Stakes, the award-winning Chesapeake Crimes anthology, the Mystery Writers of America's anthology, Blood On Their Hands, edited by Lawrence Block; the Mystery Writers of America's Show Business Is Murder anthology, edited by Stuart Kaminsky; and The World's Greatest Mystery And Crime Stories, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg.
Elaine has appeared on national television including the Discovery Channel and the Sally Jesse Show, and has served on the national boards of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
Read about Elaine's 2007 "Tour By Proxy"

Dead End Job series:
Murder With Reservations: A Dead End Job Mystery, ISBN: 0451221117, NAL hardcover, 272 pages, $21.95, May 2007.
Murder Unleashed: A Dead End Job Mystery, ISBN: 045121840X, NAL hardcover, 272 pages, $19.95, May 2006.
Just Murdered: A Dead End Job Mystery, ISBN 0451214927, Signet paperback, 288 pages, $6.50, May 2005.
Dying to Call You: A Dead End Job Mystery, ISBN: 0451213327, Signet paperback, 270 pages, $6.50, October 2004.
Murder Between the Covers: A Dead End Job Mystery, ISBN: 0451210816, Signet paperback, 288 pages, $5.99, December 2003.
Shop Till You Drop: A Dead End Job Mystery, ISBN: 0451208552, Signet paperback, 288 pages, $6.99, May 2003.
Mystery Shopper series:
Murder With All the Trimmings, ISBN: 978-0451225481, Signet paperback, $6.99, 304 pages, November 2008.
Accessory to Murder, ISBN: 045122258X, Signet paperback, $6.99, 288 pages, November 2007.
High Heels Are Murder, ISBN: 0451219880, Signet paperback, 228 pages $6.99, November 2006.
Dying In Style: Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper Series, ISBN: 0451216792, Signet paperback, 288 pages, $6.99, October 2005.
Francesca Vierling Mystery series:
Doc In The Box: A Francesca Vierling Mystery, ISBN: 0440236207, Dell paperback, 256 pages, July 2000.
The Pink Flamingo Murders: A Francesca Vierling Mystery, ISBN: 0440613515, Dell paperback, 272 pages, July 1999.
Rubout: A Francesca Vierling Mystery, ISBN: 0440613485, Dell paperback, 320 pages, May 1998.
Back Stab: A Francesca Vierling Mystery, ISBN: 0440224314, Dell paperback, 320 pages, September 1997.
How To Commit Monogamy: A Lighthearted Look At Long-Term Love, ISBN: 0836227239, Andrews/McMeel hardcover, 216 pages, $17.95, June 1997.

 

SALLY WRIGHT
Ohio
Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allen Poe Finalist Sally Wright is the author of the Ben Reese mystery series. Wright was born obsessed with books, and her ambition to write novels dates back to the age of six. After earning a degree in oral interpretation of literature at Northwestern University, she went on to complete graduate work at the University of Washington and published many biographical articles, including pieces on Malcolm Muggeridge and Nikolai Tolstoy, Leo's grandnephew.
Reviewers repeatedly compare Wright's work to that of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Josephine Tey, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. Wright says her literary influences range from Sayers and Marsh to Tolstoy and Jane Austen, from P.D. James to Dick Francis.
Wright is a master at portraying believable people who are up against hard decisions. "I want to make real, compelling characters and let them get caught in complex tangles of good and evil that could actually happen in real life."
The comprehensive research she does—traveling, interviewing, learning to do some part of her characters' work—isn't always easy. She's fallen down a castle staircase, been chased by a wild young stallion, as well as a herd of 100 cows in plain view of a country hotel. Accuracy and authenticity are still worth the price, she says. "Even the bruises and mockery."

Watches of the Night, ISBN: 978-0727866189, Severn House Publishers hardcover, 245 pages, $28.95, May 2008.
Out of the Ruins, ISBN: 978-0345445537, Fawcett paperback, 320 pages, $6.99, June 2004.
Pursuit and Persuasion, ISBN: 978-0345425904, Fawcett paperback, 304 pages, October 2000.
Pride and Predator, ISBN: 978-0345425898, Ballantine Books paperback, 336 pages, December 1999.
Publish and Perish, ISBN: 978-0345425881, Fawcett paperback, 224 pages, January 1999.

 

SUE OWENS WRIGHT
Sacramento, CA
Sue Owens Wright is an award-winning writer of fiction and nonfiction about dogs. She is a fancier and rescuer of basset hounds, which are frequently featured in her work. Sue is a five-time nominee for the Mighty Maxwell, which is awarded annually by the Dog Writers' Association of America (DWAA) for the best writing on the subject of dogs. Her first nomination was for Howling Bloody Murder, the debut novel in the acclaimed Beanie and Cruiser mystery series. She won the Maxwell Award in 2003 and received a third Maxwell nomination and special recognition from the DWAA in 2004 for the Humane Society of the United States Compassionate Care Award. The DWAA nominated Sue twice in 2005 in two categories. She won her second Maxwell Award in the Best Newspaper Column category for Pets & Their People (Inside Publications).
A native of Sacramento, Sue is also an educator, a business writer, and has been twice nominated for the American Legion Auxiliary "Heart of America" Award. She studied writing at University College Dublin and University Galway in Ireland and University College London in England. Sue is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers' Association of America, Daughters of the American Revolution, PEO International, and Sisters in Crime.

Embarking on Murder, Five Star hardcover, May 2009.
150 Activities for Bored Dogs: Surefire Ways to Keep Your Dog Active and Happy, ISBN: 9781593376888, Adams Publishing Group trade paperback, 224 pages, $10.95, April 2007.
What's Your Dog's IQ?: How to Determine If Your Dog Is an Einstein—and What to Do If He's a Scooby Doo, ISBN: 1593376022, Adams Publishing Group trade paperback, 206 pages, $12.95, May 2006.
Sirius About Murder, ISBN: 1594143641, Five Star Publishing hardcover, 258 pages, $25.95, January 2006.
Howling Bloody Murder, ISBN: 1886199124, Deadly Alibi Press trade paperback, 184 pages, $16.99, April 2001.

 

ALLEN WYLER
Seattle, WA
A Seattle native, Allen Wyler's parents died early, leaving him on his own by the time he entered college. He supported himself with various jobs including being a fry cook at a drive-in and a professional musician playing drums for various local blues and jazz groups. In his first year of medical school, he knew he wanted to specialize in neurosurgery. Upon graduating from residency he started on the faculty of the University of Washington and then the University of Tennessee where he developed an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity. In 1992 the prestigious Swedish Medical Center recruited him back to Seattle to develop a neuroscience institute.
Wyler's love of thrillers began in 1974 on his way to Cincinnati to take the oral boards in neurosurgery. At SeaTac airport he picked up a copy of William Goldman's Marathon Man to read on the flight. He became so engrossed he stayed up all night to finish it before stoking up on coffee and meeting with the examiners. He aced the exam.
Wyler develops plots from actual events in his practice. While serving on a committee charged with selecting the medical center's new computerized medical record system he wondered what might happen if the software had a random bug. From this came the story line for Deadly Errors, his 2005 thriller that has been subsequently translated into several foreign languages, including Russian.
Much of the background for Dead Head, a story about keeping a detached head alive for the information in the brain, was derived from Wyler's own research on recording the brain's electrical activity. Wyler's third thriller, Chop Shop, originated a few years ago, when demonstrating surgery in Hong Kong. He removed the drapes covering a detached cadaver head. The moment he looked at the dead face, he got a creepy feeling and wondered what it would feel like if, perchance, he knew him. So this is the story's set-up. His protagonist has this exact experience but the head is his best friend.
In 2002 he left active practice to become Medical Director for a start-up medical technology company, Northstar Neuroscience, which went public (NSTR) in 2006. At the end of 2007 he retired to devote full time to writing. He and his wife divide their time between their downtown Seattle condo and home in the San Juan Islands.

Deadly Errors, ISBN: 978-0765351678, Tor paperback, 668 pages, $7.99, April 2008.
Dead Head, ISBN: 978-0765355966, Forge paperback, 352 pages, $7.99, February 2007.

 

ELIZABETH ZELVIN
New York
Elizabeth Zelvin is a lifelong writer who earned honors in English at Brandeis University, graduating magna cum laude. After a brief stint in advertising, she joined the Peace Corps. She spent two years in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, where she taught English to French-speaking students, sang and played the guitar on Ivoirien radio and television, and went out dancing every weekend.
On her return, Elizabeth found a job in publishing, hoping it would fuel her literary career. While she edited accounting textbooks and audiovisual materials on medical terminology, she began writing poetry. Her work appeared in numerous journals and eventually was published in two books, I Am the Daughter and Gifts and Secrets: Poems of the Therapeutic Relationship. In 1983 she received a CAPS award in poetry from the New York State Council on the Arts.
Elizabeth returned to school for a master's degree in social work from Columbia University and a credential in alcoholism counseling. Her first clinical internship took her down to the Bowery, where her mystery Death Will Get You Sober begins. She worked at the prestigious Smithers Alcoholism Treatment Center (now the Addiction Institute of New York) and at alcoholism treatment programs in the Bronx, East Harlem, Nassau County, and Coney Island as a social worker and later a program director. She then went back to the Bowery to develop and run an outpatient program for homeless alcoholics and drug addicts at Project Renewal (formerly the Manhattan Bowery Project). After leaving Project Renewal, Elizabeth launched an online therapy website, www.LZcybershrink.com.

Death Will Get You Sober, ISBN: 0312375891, St. Martin's Press hardcover, 272 pages, $23.95, April 2008.