Welcome to the Sisters in Crime/LA Speakers Bureau. Our published authors are available for events large and small throughout the greater L. A. area. Below you'll find a sampling of what our members have to offer. To book an author or a panel of authors free of charge, or for any questions regarding the Speakers Bureau, please contact Eric Stone, Speakers Bureau Director, at SinCLAspeakersbureau@gmail.com.

 

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	Name: Edward Arno     Website: www.edwardarno.com. Books: Coronation Souvenir; It’s Murder in Downtown Burbank; Broken Masks Cracked Eggs; The Loincloth of Gethsemane; Brighton Stone Wall Sub-genre: Amateur Sleuth Mystery Bio: Born in Birmingham England, Edward began his writing career with stage plays (The Great Custard Pie Mystery- National Theatre, London) and screenplays, Murder Story staring Christopher Lee –  Saruman in The Lord of the Rings. After several years producing mystery scripts for film and TV (Yellow Thread Street – Second season) Edward switched to writing mystery novels. He teaches business writing and Advisory Fundamentals for Corporate America. He has also developed several course in fiction writing, living in beautiful downtown Burbank CA.
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	Name: Aileen G. Baron Website:  www.aileengbaron.com Books: A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes, The Torch of Tangier, The Gold of Thrace, Scorpion's Bite Sub-genre: archaeology. WW II, OSS, historical, Middle East, soft thriller Bio: A retired Near Eastern archaeologist, Aileen G. Baron is the author of A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes, and The Torch of Tangier, both now available in paperback, and set in the Middle East during WW II, featuring archeologist Lily Sampson. In Scorpion’s Bite, the third book in the Lily Sampson series, Lily is doing an archaeological survey of Trans-Jordan for the OSS. The Gold of Thrace, also published by Poisoned Pen Press, is a contemporary stand-alone about the intrigue and deceit in the antiquities trade.
	Name: Joan Blacher Website: www.joanblacher.com Books:  Murder Canyon, 2nd Ed., 2010, Zumaya Publications. Lethal Lake, Zumaya Publications, March 2011, trade paperback. Sub-genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth Bio: Dr. Joan Blacher, a licensed psychotherapist in private practice for the past twenty years. She is also a former university professor and director of its graduate Counseling and Guidance Program. She received an award from her peers for her literary contribution to the field of mental health as the co-author of Difficult Teens:  A Parents Guide for Coping. Lethal Lake, the second book in Ardis Jensen series will be published in 2011.
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	Name: Kate Carlisle Website: http://katecarlisle.com Books: Homicide in Hardcover (NAL 2009); If Books Could Kill (NAL 2010) Sub-genre: traditional mystery Bio:  New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle worked in television production for many years before starting law school, where she began writing fiction as a way to lawfully kill off evil professors. The murderous urges faded but her need to write remained strong, culminating in the publication of her 2009 bestselling debut novel, Homicide In Hardcover, the first book in the Bibliophile Mystery Series featuring rare book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright. Book two in the series, If Books Could Kill, arrives February 2010. Kate lives with her husband by the beach in Southern California.
	Name:  Sally Carpenter Email: scwriter@earthlink.net Book: The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper: A Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mysteries (OakTree Press) Subgenre: Amateur sleuth, humor, showbiz, music Bio: Sally Carpenter is a native Hoosier who earned a master’s degree in theater from Indiana State University. While in school two of her plays, “Star Collector” and “Common Ground,” were finalists in the American College Theater Festival One-Act Playwrighting Competition. “Common Ground” also earned a college creative writing award. The plays received staged readings and productions in New York City. The characters in “Star Collector” provided the inspiration for the mystery series. Carpenter also has a master’s degree in theology and a black belt in tae kwon do. She’s worked a variety of jobs including actress, freelance writer, college writing instructor, theater critic, jail chaplain, and tour guide/page for a major movie studio as well as for a community newspaper.
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	Name: Hannah Dennison Website: www.hannahdennison.com Books: A Vicky Hill Exclusive!, Scoop!  (Berkley Prime Crime/Penguin USA) Sub-genre: cozy Bio: Born in the UK, Hannah began her writing career as trainee reporter on a small West Country newspaper but soon got bitten by the travel bug. For a decade she worked as a flight attendant on private jets before moving to Los Angeles with her daughter and two cats. After several years as a story analyst in the entertainment industry, Hannah switched to long form narrative and enrolled in the UCLA Writer's Program. Hannah still works full-time for a west coast advertising company. She is married to a fellow writer.
	Name: Jane DiLucchio Website: www.janedilucchio.com Book: Relationships Can Be Murder (New Victoria) Sub-genre: Cozy Bio: Having driven all her friends and family crazy with her outrageous stories, Jane DiLucchio finally had to find new people to amuse, so she took to writing. Using her background as a teacher, college professor, amateur farmer, massage therapist, and outdoor enthusiast, she created Diega DelValle, elementary school teacher and reluctant sleuth, introduced in Relationships Can Be Murder. Jane lives in Burbank, CA which serves as the locale for Relationships Can Be Murder along with the rest of the San Fernando Valley.
	Name: Joan Del Monte Website: www.joandelmonte.com Books: PLONK GOES THE WEASEL, DEATH HAD A YELLOW THUMB, MUD BLOOD-Murder in the Sacramento Delta. Sub genre: Mystery, amateur sleuth Bio: Joan was a featured author at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C., has taught courses in antiques at UCLA extension and the California State College system; lectured on antiques on radio, and wrote a bibliography of small antiques for the Los Angeles Public Library. She taught a course in writing the mystery novel at Santa Monica College, has a B.S. from Columbia University and an M.A. from U.C.L.A. She is a frequent public speaker on her books and the writer’s life. Joan lives in Venice, California.
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	Name: Loni Emmert Website: http://thewordmistresses.com Books: Button Hollow Chronicles: The Leaf Peeper Murders, Lights! Camera! Murder! Sub-genre: Cozy, amateur sleuth, thrillers, contemporary romance/romantic suspense Bio: A southern California native, Loni has spent the past twenty-five years working in the entertainment industry. Her first two novels are cozy mysteries. Button Hollow Chronicles: The Leaf Peeper Murders takes place in a small fictional village in New Hampshire and features the bumbling Citizens’ Brigade.  Lights! Camera! Murder! draws on Loni’s experiences working in Hollywood and looks behind the scenes at a soap opera. Determined to return to her passion of writing fiction, she divides her time between work and writing. A member of Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America, she is currently working on her first thriller as well as a contemporary romance.
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	Name: Robert Fate Website: www.robertfate.com Books: Baby Shark (Capital Crime Press), Baby Shark’s Beaumont Blues, Baby Shark’s High Plains Redemption, Baby Shark’s Jugglers at the Border Sub-genre: Hard-boiled/action-adventure set in Texas in the 1950s Bio: Fate has written scripts for network TV, screenplays for features, produced an indie feature, and as a sp/fx technician won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement. A Marine Corps vet, he studied at the Sorbonne in France, worked as a TV cameraman and an oilfield roughneck in Oklahoma, a fashion model in NYC, a sales exec in Las Vegas, and a chef in L.A. His wife Fern is a yoga enthusiast and ceramic artist. Their fabulous daughter Jenny is a senior at USC. They live in Silver Lake in L.A., and have a dog, four cats, and a turtle named Pharrell.
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	Name:  Madeline (M.M.) Gornell Website: http://www.mmgornell.com and http://www.mmgornell.wordpress.com Books: Uncle Si's Secret, Death of a Perfect Man, and Reticence of Ravens (Aberdeen Bay) Genre: Cozy Bio: M.M. Gornell is the author of three mystery novels, Uncle Si’s Secret. Death of a Perfect Man, and Reticence of Ravens--A Route 66 Mystery. She is a lifetime lover of mysteries of all types, and her favorite novelist is P. D. James. She is also a potter with a fondness for stoneware and reduction firing. M.M. Gornell lives with her husband and assorted canines in California’s high-desert on Route 66. Website: http://www.mmgornell.com.
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	Name: Lorie Ham Website:  www.LorieHam.com Books: Murder In Four Part Harmony, The Trouble With Tenors, Deadly Discrimination, Out of Tune, The Final Note Genre: Cozy Bio: Lorie Ham has been singing gospel music and writing since she was a child.  Her first song and poem were published when she was 13 and she has gone on to publish many articles, short stories and poems throughout the years as well as write for a her newspaper.  Lorie continues to sing and 4 of her 5 mystery novels feature a gospel singer. Her new project is an animal rescue mystery, another area where Lorie has experience. Soon she will be the publisher of a new online magazine called Kings River Life.  Lorie is married to Larry Ham, who works for a Christian radio production company. They have 2 children, Jessica and Joseph, 5 cats, 4 dogs and several rats.
	Name: Dorothy Howell Website: www.DorothyHowellNovels.com Books: Handbags and Homicide, Purses and Poison, (hardcover, Kensington) Genre: humor, cozy Bio: Dorothy Howell writes a hilarious fashion sleuth mystery series which debuted with Handbags and Homicide, a Publishers Weekly starred review, and follow with Purses and Poison. She's written for two decades, selling 25 novels to three major New York publishing houses, with sales approaching 3 million copies worldwide. Foreign right to her mystery series have sold in the U.K., France and Thailand. She has also sold 23 historical romance novels, most under the pen name Judith Stacy. Dorothy has been a featured speaker at civic and womens' groups, and has appeared on panels and presented workshops at writers' conferences, meetings, and book festivals.  She's been on numerous TV and radio programs promoting her work.
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	Name: Sue Ann Jaffarian Website: www.sueannjaffarian.com Books: The Odelia Grey Mystery Series from Midnight Ink: Too Big To Miss, The Curse of the Holy Pail, Thugs and Kisses, Booby Trap, Corpse on the Cob, Twice As Dead (2010). The Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery Series from Midnight Ink:  Ghost a la Mode, The Ghost in the Polka Dot Bikini (2010). The Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries:  Murder in Vein, Bated Blood (2010). Sub-genre: Odelia Grey Series – Soft boiled, Granny Apples Series – Cozy, Vampire Series – Medium boiled. Bio: Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of the award-winning Odelia Grey mystery series, which features a middle-aged, plus size paralegal as a humorous amateur sleuth. Her new Ghost of Granny Apples paranormal mystery series was launched Sept 2009, which features the sleuthing team of Granny Apples, a cantankerous 100 yr old ghost, and her very much alive great, great, great granddaughter, Emma Whitecastle. Sue Ann’s third series, The Madison Rose Vampire Mystery Series features the young, street-tough Madison whose life changes forever when she comes to live in a community filled with vampires who are trying to simply “live life under the radar.”  In addition to mysteries, Sue Ann also writes general fiction and short stories.
	Name:Darrell James Website: www.authordarrelljames.com Books:   Nazareth Child, A Del Shannon Novel (Midnight Ink), coming Sept 2011, Body Count: A Killer Collection (iUniverse) Bio: Darrell James is a California writer living in Pasadena. He signed a three-book deal with Midnight Ink, his first thriller, Nazareth Child, will be released 9/11. His short stories have appeared in numerous mystery magazines and book anthologies, and have garnered a number of awards. “The Art of Avarice” appeared in the book anthology Politics Noir and was a 2009 Derringer Finalist. Darrell is highly visible among his peers, serving on the Board of Directors of the SoCal Chapter of Mystery Writer’s of America and as an active member of Sisters In Crime/LA. His personal odyssey to publication appears in the Writer’s Digest book HOW I GOT PUBLISHED, along with J.A. Jance, David Morrell, Clive Cussler, and other notable authors.
	Name: Linda O. Johnston Website: www.lindaojohnston.com Books: Pet Rescue Mysteries beginning March 2011 with Beaglemania, followed by The More The Terrier (Berkley Prime Crime) Kendra Ballantyne Pet-Sitter Mysteries: Sit, Stay, Slay; Nothing to Fear But Ferrets; Fine-Feathered Death; Meow is for Murder; The Fright of the Iguana; Double Dog Dare; Never Say Sty; Howl Deadly, Feline Fatale.  (Berkley Prime Crime) Paranormal: Alpha Wolf, Claws of the Lynx (e-novella, included in Awakening the Beast print anthology) and Back to Life; Alaskan Wolf and more (Harlequin Nocturne) Sub-genre: cozy mystery; dark series paranormal romance Bio: Linda O. Johnston has authored 27 novels. Her new Pet Rescue Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime is a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne Pet-Sitter mystery series.  Protagonist Lauren Vancouver runs a private no-kill animal shelter in the San Fernando Valley.  However, in the Pet Rescue Mysteries, “no-kill” refers to the animals, not people!
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	Name: Amnon Kabatchnik Website: http://www.amnonkabatchnik.com/ Books: Blood on the Stage 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection; Blood on the Stage Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection, An Annotated Repertoire, 1900–1925; Sherlock Holmes on the Stage: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Plays Featuring the Great Detective (Scarecrow Press) Sub-genre:  Non-Fiction (works center on the study of crime fiction written or adapted for the stage) Bio:Amnon Kabatchnik holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama in Directing. He has been a member of the director’s unit with the Actors Studio in New York and has been appointed professor of theater at the State University of New York at Binghamton, Stanford University , Ohio State University, Florida State University  and Elmira College. Kabatchnik has written a weekly column of book reviews for the Tallahassee Democrat, the Corning Leader, the Star-Gazette of Elmira, New York, and the Chemung Valley Reporter. He has also contributed articles and reviews to The Armchair Detective, Mystery News, Clues, and other journals in the field of suspense.
	Name: Tammy Kaehler Website: www.tammykaehler.com Books: Dead Man's Switch, A Kate Reilly Racing Mystery Sub-genre: Traditional mystery, amateur sleuth Bio: Before trying her hand at fiction, Tammy Kaehler established a career writing marketing materials, feature articles, executive speeches, and technical documentation. A fateful stint in corporate hospitality introduced her to the racing world, which inspired the first Kate Reilly racing mystery. Tammy works as a technical writer in the Los Angeles area, where she lives with her husband and many cars.
	Name: Gay Toltl Kinman Website: http://www.gaykinman.com Books: Publications: Death in Covent Garden (Hilliard & Harris) cozy, Death in a Small Town (Hilliard & Harris) cozy, Wolf Castle (Hilliard & Harris) Y.A. gothic, Super Sleuth: Five Alison Leigh Powers Mysteries (Amber Quill). Sub-genre: cozy Bio: Gay Toltl Kinman has nine award nominations for her writing; several short stories in American and English magazines and anthologies; six children's books; a Y.A. gothic novel; two adult mysteries; several short plays produced; articles in professional journals and newspapers; and co-edited two non-fiction books. Kinman currently writes two book review columns, a children's column, articles for a newspaper, and co-edits a review newsletter. Kinman has library and law degrees.
	Name: Harley Jane Kozak Website: www.harleyjanekozak.com Books: Dating Dead Men, Dating is Murder, Dead Ex, A Date You Can't Refuse (all published by Doubleday/Broadway) Sub-genre: amateur sleuth Bio: Harley Jane Kozak, a sometimes actress, lives with her family in California’s Conejo Valley. Her debut novel, Dating Dead Men, won the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. Its sequel was Dating is Murder, followed by Dead Ex and A Date You Can’t Refuse. her short prose has appeared in Ms. Magazine, Soap Opera Digest, The Sun, The Santa Monica Review, and the anthologies Mystery Muses, This is Chick Lit and a Hell of a Woman. She blogs regularly on The Lipstick Chronicles (http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/the_lipstick_chronicles/)
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	Name: Deborah J Ledford Website: www.DeborahJLedford.com Books: SNARE and STACCATO (both published by Second Wind Publishing) Sub-genre: Suspense Thriller Bio: Deborah spent her summers growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina which is the setting for her suspense thriller novels and many of her short stories. She is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and author of numerous award-winning short stories. SNARE, nominated for The Hillerman Sky Award, is Deborah’s second book. The classical music themed STACCATO is book one of her Deputy Steven Hawk/Inola Walela thriller series. She appeared on “The Art of the Short Story” panel at Left Coast Crime (LCC) 2010, an authors’ conversation panel at Bouchercon 2010 and will appear on the “Living Diversity” panel at LCC 2011. She contributes to her publisher’s blog the fifth of every month.
	Name: Laura Levine Website: n/a Books: This Pen for Hire, Last Writes, Killer Blonde, Shoes to Die For, The PMS Murder, Death by Pantyhose, Killing Bridezilla, Killer Cruise (all from Kensington); A novella in Candy Cane Murder, a three-novella anthology.  (Lead author:  Joanne Fluke) Sub-genre: comedy, chick-lit, cozy, amateur detective Bio: Laura Levine is a former sitcom writer (The Bob Newhart Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, Three’s Company, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman)  As an advertising copywriter, she created Count Chocula and Frankenberry cereals for General Mills. Her work has been published in The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. A New York Times bestselling author, her Jaine Austen mysteries have been published internationally. When not writing mysteries, she contributes comedy material to Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”  She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.
	Name: Robert S. Levinson Website: www.robertslevinson.com Books: The Traitor in Us All (Five Star/Gale; February 2010), In the Key of Death (Five Star/Gale), Where the Lies Begin (Five Star/Gale), Ask a Dead Man (Five Star/Gale), Hot Paint (Forge), The John Lennon Affair (Forge), The James Dean Affair (Forge), The Elvis and Marilyn Affair (Forge) Sub-genre: mystery/thriller Bio: Bob is the best-selling author of eight novels, four in the Neil Gulliver and Stevie Marriner "Affair" series and four stand-alones, and a 2009 Derringer Award winner for his short story, "The Quick Brown Fox." He is frequently featured in the Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock mystery magazines and was voted an Ellery Queen Readers Award favorite three years in a row, while his short stories have appeared in "year's best" anthologies five years running. His plays have been staged at RiverPark Center, Owensboro, KY, and nominated for "Angie" awards of the International Mystery Writers Festival.
	Name: Sheila Lowe Website: www.claudiaroseseries.com and www.sheilalowe.com Books: Poison Pen (Penguin/Obsidian), Written in Blood (Penguin/Obsidian), Dead Write (Penguin/Obsidian), The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis (Alpha), Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous (Thunder Bay) Sub-genre: psychological suspense Bio: Sheila Lowe is a court-qualified handwriting expert and award-winning author. Her non-fiction works include Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Handwriting Analysis. Her Forensic Handwriting Mysteries series features handwriting expert, Claudia Rose, whose handwriting analysis practice mirrors Sheila’s own. Poison Pen, the first book in the series, garnered a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. Her analyses of celebrity handwritings have appeared in national media, and she’s written for numerous Bar Association magazines (that's legal, not drinking).
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	Name:  Sue McGinty Website:  http://www.SueMcGinty.com Books:  Murder in Los Lobos (Daniel and Daniel), Murder at Cuyamaca Beach (Aberdeen Bay) Sub-Genre:  Cozy thriller Bio:  Sue McGinty believes that a person should follow her dream. With little more than a story idea and a cat who’d never ridden in a car before, she left LA behind and escaped 200 miles north to the Central Coast hamlet of Los Osos. Not the Cabot Cove of “Murder She Wrote,” but close. Her short fiction has been featured in three Central Coast Mystery Writer anthologies and she has served as both president and treasurer of the local chapter of Sisters in Crime. She also heads the Lillian Dean Writing Competition at the annual Central Coast Writer’s Conference.
	Name:  Michael Mallory Website: www.michaelmallory.com Books: The Exploits of the Second Mrs. Watson, Murder in the Bath, The Adventures of the Second Mrs. Watson (Top Publications), Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years (anthology - St. Martin's Minotaur) Sub-genre: Historical Bio: Derringer Award winner and Pushcart Prize nominee, he is best known for his Amelia Watson stories.  Amelia is the second wife of Dr. John Watson, Sherlock Holmes' friend and accomplice.  In addition to the usual book talks, Michael gives presentations on the history of the mystery genre, mystery in the media, and marketing your own book.
	Name: Paul D. Marks Website: www.PaulDMarks.com and http://pauldmarks.blogspot.com Books: Paul's short stories have appeared in: Murder in La-La Land (Top Publications), Murder on Sunset Boulevard (Top Publications), Dime Vol I (Quiet Storm Publishing), Murder Across the Map (Top Publications), Deadly Ink 2010 Short Story Collection (Deadly Ink Press), LAndmarked for Murder (Top Publications), Murder by Thirteen (Crown Valley Press), and more. Genre: mystery, thriller, noir, humorous, satire, mainstream/literary fiction Bio: Paul D. Marks is the author of over thirty published short stories, which have appeared in a variety of book length anthologies and magazines. His story “Endless Vacation” won honorable mentions in two prestigious literary contests: the Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Competition and the Lorian Hemingway International Short Fiction Competition.  His novel White Heat took second place in the Mystery-Suspense-Thriller-Adventure category of the 2005 SouthWest Writers Annual Writing Contest and his story “Netiquette” won First Place in the Futures Short Story Contest. “Dem Bones” was a finalist in the Southern Writers Association contest.  Paul is one of the last, if not the last person, to have shot a film on the famous MGM backlot before it was torn down.  According to Steven Bingen, one of the authors of the new, well-received, book MGM: Hollywood’s Greatest Backlot.
	Name: Marilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredith Website: http://fictionforyou.com Books: Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series: Dispel the Mist, Kindred Spirits, Judgment Fire, Calling the Dead (Mundania Press); Rocky Bluff P.D. Crime series: No Sanctuary (Oaktree Press). Invisible Path—Mundania Press, An Axe to Grind—Oak Tree Press and Coming soon: Angel Lost—Oak Tree Press Sub-genre: Native American/Police Procedural  Bio: Marilyn Meredith is the author of thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Invisible Path  from Mundania Press. Native American Tempe is the resident deputy of the town of Bear Creek, which has a great resemblance to the town where Marilyn lives. Invisible Path is the 9th in this series and can be purchased in the usual places and is also available on Kindle. She also writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. series which is set in a fictional beach town between Ventura and Santa Barbara. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the L.A. chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and serves on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit  her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com.
	Name: Tekla Dennison Miller Website: www.teklamiller.com Books: Life Sentences, a novel about women who love men who kill (Medallion Press); The Warden Wore Pink, a memoir about my corrections career including as the warden of a men's maximum security prison (Biddle Publishing); A Bowl of Cherries, a memoir about my childhood that reads like a suspense (Publish America). Inevitable Sentences, a novel and the second in the Chad Wilbanks series (Medallion Press) Sub-genre: suspense, romantic suspense, memoir Bio: Tekla, the former warden of a men’s maximum and women’s multi-level security prisons outside Detroit, MI., is a national speaker on criminal justice and women’s issues. She was a consultant on a TV prison movie. Her writing is often humorous, occasionally tragic and always an illuminating account of prison life.
	Name: Patricia L. Morin Website: www.patricialmorin.comhttp://www.dianevallere.com/ Books: Mystery Montage, Crime Montage  Sub-Genre: Short Stories, Novels, and Plays Bio: Besides writing short stories, novels, and plays, she is a psychotherapist and life coach with Masters in both Counseling Psychology and Clinical Social Work. The inner complexities of the human mind play a strong part in her writing work. She has won awards for her short stories and has been published in numerous anthologies. Top Publications Ltd., Dallas TX, published her first short-story collection, Mystery Montage, in 2010 and will be releasing her second collection in the series, Crime Montage, in March 2012. In Mystery Montage, the story "Homeless" was a finalist for a Derringer and an Anthony Award, while "Pa and the Pigeon Man" was nominated for a Pushcart Award.
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	Name: Gary Phillips Website: www.gdphillips.com Book: Freedom's Fight (Parker Publishing), High Rollers (graphic novel, Boom! Studios) and Politics Noir (ed., Verso) Sub-genre: Hardboiled Bio: Among his various pursuits, Gary Phillips has been one of those maligned community organizers, a security guard, a printer, taught incarcerated youth, delivered dog cages, been a labor rep, run nonprofits and worked in electoral campaigns. These and other experiences that shall remain unmentioned have supplied material for the numerous tales of the grift, the grab and the dust-off he's written in formats from short stories to screenplays. Phillips has been nominated for a Shamus, and won a Chester Himes and Brody awards.  He writes a regular column for Mystery Scene magazine.
	Name: Gayle Bartos-Pool (G.B.Pool) Website: www.gbpool.com Book: Media Justice (Spygame Press) Sub-genre: female private detective Bio: A former private detective and once a reporter for a small weekly newspaper, Gayle Bartos-Pool has one published book, Media Justice, and several short stories in anthologies, LAndmarked for Murder and Little Sisters Volume 1. The former Speakers Bureau Director for Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles, she is also a member of Mystery Writers of America. Her latest short story appears in the anthology, Dying in a Winter Wonderland, which was voted one of the Top Ten of Softcover Books as selected by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association (IMBA) of 2008.
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	Name: Kwei Quartey Website: http://www.kweiquartey.com Book: Wife of the Gods (Random House) Sub-genre: Police procedural Bio: Kwei Quartey was born in Ghana and raised by an African American mother and a Ghanaian father, both of whom were university lecturers. Even though his professional writing career began after he became a physician, his desire to be a writer began at the early age of eight. Kwei Quartey now lives in Pasadena, California. He writes early in the morning before setting out to work at HealthCare Partners, where he runs a wound care clinic and is the lead physician at an urgent care center. He is working on his next novel.
	Name: L. M. (Linda) Quinn Website: www.writingame.com and http://lmquinn-in-lala.blogspot.com/ Book: Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery (Arte Público Press, March 2009) and YA mystery anthology You Don't Have a Clue (Arte Público Press, April 2011) Sub-genre: amateur sleuth, YA Bio: L. M. Quinn works and lives in L.A. Fiction is her passion, but she's also delved into book reviews and travel writing (in ELLE and Travel 50 & Beyond magazines). In March 2009, her short story "A Not So Clear Case of Murder" was included in the anthology Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, and in May 2011 her YA short story, "The Red Lipstick," appeared in the YA mystery anthology You Don't Have a Clue (both books from Arte Público Press). She is currently enrolled in UCLA's Writers Program and working on a mystery set in L.A.
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	Name: Barbara Reed Website: www.barbarareed.org Book: High Notes are Murder (Rare Sound Press) Sub-genre: amateur sleuth (not cozy) Bio: I’ve been a professional musician for more than 25 years so the subject area is old hat for me. I wanted to write a more realistic book within the business that shows passionate characters striving for their goals in the same way that one would in any field. Most books give the illusion of a glitzy, drug-driven world, but most musicians lead very normal lives. (Really, we do.) In High Notes are Murder, singer, songwriter Liz Hanlon finally receives a chance for international fame with live TV concerts, but when she discovers the body of her own cousin at the foot of the stage she is entangled in a twenty-five-year-old music business scandal.
	Name: Starr Reina Website: www.QueenWriter.com Books: Cruel Whispers, Cruel Past (Publish America) Sub-genre: romantic suspense/mysteries Bio: Cruel Whispers, set in a small Southern Californian town: Author Ronald Nussbeck said, "...a dramatic epic and thrilling story of love, friendship, and betrayal. ...so real to life that you find yourself falling under the book's spell." Cruel Past, set in upstate New York: Editor, author Terri Armstrong said "Cruel Past is an amazing work of literary genius! ...you are held captive in your seat, waiting and wanting to see what happens next."
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	Name: Cindy Sample Website: www.cindysamplebooks.com Books: DYING FOR A DATE (L&L Dreamspell) Sub-genre: Humorous romantic cozy Bio:  Cindy Sample is a former mortgage banking CEO who decided plotting murder was more entertaining than plodding through paperwork. Her humorous mystery series is set in the California gold country and features single soccer mom, Laurel McKay. Midwest Book Review gave Dying for a Date five stars and recommends “reading this book in one sitting because once you start you’ll be reluctant to put it aside.” Cindy writes a humor column entitled “Hot Flash” for the Gold River Newspaper. She has served on the Sacramento Opera and YWCA boards and is past president of Sacramento Sisters in Crime. Cindy is co-chair of Left Coast Crime 2012 to be held in Sacramento.
	Name: Pamela Samuels Young Website: www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com Books:  Buying Time (Goldman House Publishing - 2009), Murder on the Down Low (Goldman House Publishing - 2008), In Firm Pursuit (Harlequin - 2007), Every Reasonable Doubt (Harlequin - 2006) Sub-genre: Legal Thriller Bio:  Pamela Samuels Young is a practicing attorney and author of the legal thrillers, Buying Time, Murder on the Down Low, Every Reasonable Doubt and In Firm Pursuit.  A desire to see women and people of color represented in today's legal fiction prompted Pamela to start writing despite a busy career as an attorney.  The former journalist and Compton native is a graduate of USC, Northwestern University and UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law.  Pamela is the fiction writing expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
	Name: Tom Sawyer Website: www.thomasbsawyer.com  Book: THE SIXTEENTH MAN; NO PLACE TO RUN Sub-genre: Thriller Bio: Novelist, screenwriter, playwright Thomas B. Sawyer was Head Writer/Showrunner of the classic CBS series, Murder, She Wrote, for which he wrote 24 episodes, and The Law & Harry McGraw. Edgar and Emmy-nominated, he has written 9 network TV pilots, 100 episodes, both comedy and drama, for shows such as Wonder Woman, Chico & The Man, Mike Hammer, All in the Family, Scarecrow & Mrs. King and others. Tom was Head Writer/Showrunner or Producer/Story Editor on 15 network TV series. He wrote/directed/produced the feature-film cult comedy, Gosh Alice Goodbody. His documentary film, Reunion, was honored by the New York Film Festival, the Rochester and Edinburgh Festivals, and received national theatrical release. Tom is co-librettist/lyricist of JACK, an opera about John F. Kennedy which, backed by the Shuberts, has been performed to acclaim in the US and Europe.
	Name: Gerald Schiller Website: geraldaschiller.com<http://geraldaschiller.com> Books: Deadly Dream (InterContinental Publishing); Death Underground (InterContinental Publishing); The Man Who Defied Death (InterContinental Publishing); The Abracadabra Kid (InterContinental Publishing); The Dog that Belonged to No One (InterContinental Publishing); Two Dogs, an Emperor and Me (InterContinental Publishing); True Stories of Old California (InterContinental Publishing); More True Stories of Old California (InterContinental Publishing); It Happened in Hollywood (Globe Pequot Press) Sub-genre: Mystery, young adult and history Bio: Gerald Schiller is the author of nine books (four of them mysteries) as well as children's books and books about California history. A long time member of Sisters in Crime and past president of the Ventura County Writers Club, his most recent book (for Globe Pequot Press) is IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD. The book is a collection of short articles about many fascinating events that happened over the years in Hollywood. They include scandals, crimes, ground-breaking events in the movie business, and incidents involving many famous film personalities. Gerry is also a performing member of the famous Hollywood Magic Castle and entertains throughout the U.S.
	Name: Jerri Sher Website: www.twigpainterbook.com; www.livelifethemovie.com   Books: The Twig Painter (Author House) Sub-genre: Romance thriller/medical mystery Bio: JERRI SHER, twig painter, and former art professor began her sales career in the trucking industry in the early 80’s. She has a BFA from the University of Massachusetts and a MAEd from Springfield College. After writing screenplays and producing and directing several award-winning films, Jerri is now a member of the Directors Guild of America. Her three distinct careers intertwine and are the foundation for her novel, THE TWIG PAINTER, a powerful, medical mystery that is now in more than 10 countries worldwide. Jerri has just returned from guest lecturing on Princess Cruises in Hawaii and the Baltic’s.
	Name: Jeff Sherratt Website: www.jeffsherratt.com Books: The Brimstone Murders (Echelon Press), Guilty Or Else (Echelon Press) Sub-genre: medium boiled Bio: Mystery writer, Jeff Sherratt lives in Newport Beach, California with his wife, Judy. He is a member of Sisters in Crime, an organization combating discrimination against women in the mystery field, and the professional association, Mystery Writers of America. Jeff is currently working on the next book in the Jimmy O’Brien series, Detour To Murder, scheduled for release on May 4, 2010.
	Name: Patricia Smiley Website: www.patriciasmiley.com and www.nakedauthors.com Books: False Profits (Warner Books), Cover Your Assets (Warner Books), Short Change (NAL/Penguin) Cool Cache (Obsidian/Penguin) Sub-genre: a humorous amateur sleuth in the Sue Grafton mode. Bio: Patricia Smiley writes a bestselling mystery series, featuring amateur sleuth Tucker Sinclair. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Two of the Deadliest, an anthology edited by Elizabeth George. Patty has taught writing workshops at the Surrey International Writers Conference in British Columbia, as well as at other venues. She is also a Reserve Officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, currently working as a burglary/theft investigator.
	Name: Eric Stone Website: www.ericstone.com  Books: Shanghaied (Bleak House Books), Flight of the Hornbill (Bleak House Books), Grave Imports (Bleak House Books), The Living Room of the Dead (Bleak House Books), Wrong Side of the Wall (Lyons Press) Sub-genre: International thriller/noir & true crime/biography Bio: Eric Stone worked for many years as a writer, reporter, photographer, editor and publisher in the U.S. and Asia, covering everything from economics to crime; politics to sex, drugs and rock & roll. He once wrote an advice to the lovelorn column for a bi-lingual (English-Chinese) fashion magazine. He has traveled the world for both work and play, and currently lives in Los Angeles.
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	Name: Kate Thornton Website: http://www.katethornton.net/ Books: Short story writer with over 100 stories in print Sub-genre: Short stories with a humorous twist Bio: With stories in three of SINC/LA's anthologies and numerous books and magazines, retired US Army officer and federal agent Kate Thornton has been writing for publication for over ten years. She teaches workshops on writing short stories and enjoys writing both mysteries and science fiction. She lives in a marvelous mid-century modern house with her husband of 30 years and their pets.
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	Name: Diane Vallere Website: www.dianevallere.com Books: FISH TALES: The Guppy Anthology Sub-Genre: humorous traditional Bio: Diane Vallere, a 20-year fashion industry veteran, writes comic mysteries with a stylish twist. She taught assortment planning for a major luxury retailer, placed the first ever order for Spanx, and puts a touch of Halston into everything she writes. DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY, the first in her Style and Error mystery series, comes out June 2012 from Polyester Press. She started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.
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	Name: Jeri Westerson Website: www.jeriwesterson.com Books: Veil of Lies, Serpent in the Thorns, The Demon's Parchment, Troubled Bones (Minotaur) Sub-genre: hard-boiled, PI, Medieval Noir Bio: Jeri Westerson writes the critically acclaimed Medieval Noir series with hardboiled protagonist Crispin Guest, disgraced knight turned detective, plying his trade on the mean streets of fourteenth century London. The fifth in the series, BLOOD LANCE, will be released Oct 16, 2012. Visit Jeri’s website at www.JeriWesterson.com or Crispin's blog at www.CrispinGuest.com. Jeri also writes a gay mystery series under the name Haley Walsh. FOXE TAIL and FOXE HUNT, featuring gay English teacher Skyler Foxe, are published by MLR Press. OUT-FOXED will be released fall 2012. See www.SkylerFoxeMysteries.com.
	Name: Lori Wolf Website: www.loriwolf.com Book: Parrot on a Limb (POD) Sub-genre: Medium-boiled with animals, paranormal/new age set in California Bio: Lori Wolf is the author of Parrot on a Limb, a New Age pastoral noir series, based in Ojai, California. Former cop and wannabe former PI (The job will never let him go!) Quinn McKay is the handyman/shepherd for a mysterious guitar maker. However, murder and mayhem begin to surround her, which drags a reluctant Quinn into the investigation. It also doesn't help Quinn's attitude that his girlfriend is missing in Canada. Lori teaches English and ESL at Los Angeles Pierce College and Moorpark College.
	Name: Daryl Wood Gerber, Pen name: Avery Aames Website: www.darylwoodgerber.com and www.averyaames.com Books: The Long Quiche Goodbye Sub-genre: Cozy mystery Bio: Daryl writes suspense thrillers and amateur sleuth novels. For the latter, she uses the pseudonym Avery Aames and writes A Cheese Shop Mystery Series for Berkley Prime Crime, the first of which is The Long Quiche Goodbye, due out July, 2010. Daryl created the format for the popular sit-com, Out of this World and has won awards for her screenplays. She also has had short stories published. Not one to simply read and cook, she tends to look for adventure.  She has hitchhiked around Ireland by herself and she has jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.
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	Name:  Alice Zogg Books: Revamp Camp, Turn the Joker Around, Tracking Backward, The Lonesome Autocrat,  The Fall of Optimum House, Final Stop Albuquerque all from Aventine Press. Sub-genre:  Modern Time "'Old-Fashioned" Whodunnits Bio: Alice Zogg was born and raised in Switzerland. She met her husband, a fellow Swiss, in New York City, and the two made their home in the United States.  The family relocated to Southern California in 1967, where they have resided since.  Alice is the author of the R.A. Huber Mystery Series. Longing for excitement after she retires, Huber decides to start a second career and opens her own business as a private investigator. Soon the gutsy private eye's cases take her on journeys to Catalina, Lake Tahoe, the Central Mexico region, all the way to Davos, Switzerland, back to Big Bear Lake, to the balloon festival in Albuquerque, and in the latest book to Solvang.

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