Paul A. Barra is a former Naval officer (Bronze Star with valor “V,” Combat Action Medal), reporter for local newspapers in South Carolina and senior staff writer for the diocese of Charleston. He is also a chemistry teacher. His last novel, Westfarrow Island, was called “exciting” by Publisher’s Weekly: “The relentless action in the dual story lines keeps the reader engrossed. Barra offers it all: murder, smuggling, chase scenes, romance, and international intrigue.” He has published four other novels and a nonfiction book about the creation of a private Catholic high school without diocesan support. He is married to the former Joni Lee; they have eight children and live in Columbia, SC. His edress is: paulalfredbarra@gmail.com.
Alafair Burke is the Edgar-nominated, New York Times bestselling author of thirteen novels, including The Better Sister, The Wife, The Ex and the Ellie Hatcher series. She is also the co-author of the Under Suspicion series with Mary Higgins Clark. A former prosecutor, she remains a professor of criminal law and lives in New York City.
Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of thirty-five novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller, hit theaters worldwide. His most recent #1 New York Times bestsellers include Dark Sacred Night, Two Kinds of Truth, The Late Show, The Wrong Side of Goodbye, The Crossing, The Burning Room, The Gods of Guilt and The Black Box. Michael’s crime fiction career was honored with the Diamond Dagger from the CWA in 2018.
S.A. Cosby is an Anthony Award–winning writer from Southeastern Virginia. He is the bestselling author of Blacktop Wasteland, Amazon’s #1 Mystery and Thriller of the Year and #3 Best Book of 2020 overall, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and a Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinalist. He is also the author of the upcoming Razorblade Tears. His short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, and his story “Slant-Six” was selected as a Distinguished Story in Best American Mystery Stories for 2016. His short story “The Grass Beneath My Feet” won the Anthony Award for Best Short Story in 2019.
Tina deBellegarde writes the Batavia-on-Hudson Mysteries for Level Best Books. Winter Witness, the first book in the series, was published in September 2020. Her short stories appear in the Seascape and the Masthead editions of The Best New England Crime Stories. Find her flash fiction in Palm Sized Press Vol. 2 and online at Retreat West, Ad Hoc Fiction and Reflex Press. Tina lives and writes in Catskill, New York. Visit her website at tinadebellegarde.com.
In 1995, Jacqueline Freimor won first prize in the unpublished writers category of the Mystery Writers of America’s 50th Anniversary Short Story Competition. Since then, her stories have been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Rock and a Hard Place Magazine, Red Herring Mystery Magazine and Murderous Intent, among others, as well as in the e-zine Blue Murder and at akashicbooks.com. Two of the stories received Honorable Mention in The Best American Mystery Stories, the first in 1997 and the second in 2000. Jacqueline’s most recent story is forthcoming in The Best Mystery Stories of 2021, edited by Lee Child. She lives in Westchester County, New York, and is a musician and music teacher.
Steve Hamilton is one of the most acclaimed mystery writers in the world, and one of only two authors (along with Ross Thomas) to win Edgars for both Best First Novel and Best Novel. His Alex McKnight series includes two New York Times notable books, and he’s put two recent titles on the New York Times bestseller list. He’s either won or received multiple nominations for virtually every other crime fiction award in the business, from the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award to the Anthony to the Barry to the Gumshoe. His first book, A Cold Day in Paradise, won the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin’s Press Award for Best First Mystery by an Unpublished Writer. After it was published, the novel went on to win the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel and the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award for Best First Novel, the only first novel to win both awards. His second novel, Winter of the Wolf Moon, was named one of the year’s Notable Books by the New York Times Book Review and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, as did his next three novels. In 2006, Hamilton won the Michigan Author Award for his body of work. He lives in upstate New York with his wife Julia and their two children.
Joe Hill is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman and Heart-Shaped Box. His second novel, Horns, was made into a feature film starring Daniel Radcliffe; his third, NOS4A2, was filmed as a television series on AMC. His book of short stories, 20th Century Ghosts, won the Bram Stoker Award and British Fantasy Award for Best Collection. He earned the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long-running comic book series, Locke & Key, featuring the eye-popping art of Gabriel Rodriguez, and which became a Netflix show in 2020. Among his recent works is Full Throttle, another collection of short stories, and the hardcover omnibus of his comic books series A Basketful of Heads, both published in the autumn of 2020.
Tilia Klebenov Jacobs is the bestselling author of two crime novels, one middle-grade fantasy book and numerous short stories. She is a judge in San Francisco’s Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition, and a board member of Mystery Writers of America-New England. Tilia has taught middle school, high school and college; she also teaches writing classes for prison inmates. She lives near Boston with her husband, two children, and a pleasantly neurotic poodle.
Smita Harish Jain has published several short stories in a variety of anthologies, including Mumbai Noir. Her next four stories will appear in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Malice Domestic’s Mystery Most Diabolical and two Sisters in Crime anthologies. Even though she has lived in an airpark, a red-light district (not on purpose) and on a boat in the Bahamas, her writing often brings her back to her first home, Mumbai, India, where her story, “Kohinoor,” is set.
Michael Koryta is the New York Times–bestselling author of eighteen novels, including Those Who Wish Me Dead, which was made into a feature film starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Taylor Sheridan. A former private investigator and newspaper reporter, he lives in Maine and Indiana.
Joe R. Lansdale is the author of forty-five novels and four hundred shorter works, including stories, essays, reviews, film and TV scripts, introductions and magazine articles. His work has been made into films such as Bubba Hotep and Cold in July, as well as the acclaimed TV show Hap and Leonard. He has received numerous recognitions for his work, including the Edgar Award, the Spur Award, the British Fantasy Award, ten Bram Stoker Awards, the Grandmaster Award and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association, an American Mystery Award, the Horror Critics Award, and the Shot in the Dark International Crime Writers’ Award. His books and stories have been translated into a number of languages, and many of them are under option for film. His novel The Thicket, selected by Library Journal as one of the Best Historical Novels of the Year, is set to film in the near future, and will star Peter Dinklage.
Emilya Naymark is the author of the novel Hide in Place. Her short stories appear in Secrets in the Water, After Midnight: Tales from the Graveyard Shift, River River Journal, Snowbound: Best New England Crime Stories 2017 and 1+30: The Best of Mystory. She has a degree in fine art, and her artworks have been published in numerous magazines and books, earning her a reputation as a creator of dark, psychological pieces. When not writing, Emilya works as a visual artist and reads massive quantities of thrillers and crime fiction. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family.
Bryon Quertermous is the author of the novels Murder Boy, Riot Load, Trigger Switch, and co-author of Jackpot with Stuart Woods. Visit him online at bryonquertermous.com and on Twitter @bryonq.
Lori Roy is the two-time Edgar Award–winning author of five novels, the most recent of which is Gone Too Long. Her work has been named a New York Times Notable Crime Book twice, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and included on numerous “Best of” lists. Her novels have been published in several languages and her debut, Bent Road, was named a Notable Book by the state of Kansas. Lori lives with her family in Florida.
Jonathan Stone has published nine mystery and suspense novels, including Die Next, Days of Night, The Teller, Parting Shot and the bestseller Moving Day. His short stories have appeared in Best American Mystery Stories 2016, New Haven Noir, and two previous MWA anthologies, The Mystery Box (ed. Brad Meltzer) and Ice Cold: Tales of Intrigue from the Cold War (ed. Jeffery Deaver). He is married, with a son and daughter. Learn more at jonathanstonebooks.com.
Elaine Togneri’s mysteries have also appeared in MWA Anthologies Blood on Their Hands and The Rich and the Dead. Her story “Five Words” is in Malice Domestic 15: Murder Most Theatrical. Elaine holds an MA in English from Rutgers University and is a member of MWA and SinC. She is the founder and a past president of Sisters in Crime: Central New Jersey Chapter. She lives in Florida with her husband and their rescued Labrador retriever.
Lisa Unger is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author. With books published in twenty-six languages and millions of copies sold worldwide, she is widely regarded as a master of suspense. Her new release is Confessions on the 7:45. Her critically acclaimed books have been named on “Best Book” lists from the Today show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, People, Amazon, Goodreads and many others. She has been nominated for or won numerous awards including the Hammett Prize, Macavity, Thriller Award and Goodreads Choice. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few authors, including Agatha Christie. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR and Travel+Leisure. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her family.
Amanda Witt’s short stories have appeared in several MWA anthologies and in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. She’s also the author of four dystopian novels (The Red Series). She lives in Texas with her husband and the thousands of books their adult children promise to come back for someday.