Members

DeeDee Baig

I live in South Plainfield, New Jersey. I was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. After graduating college from Butler University where I played softball, my husband and I moved to Chicago where we lived for 15 years. We have a daughter and a son who are 27 and 25 respectively. When the kids were still in K and 2nd grade, we moved to Reno, Nevada where we lived for 15 years. Just about 25 minutes from Lake Tahoe. 4 years ago we moved to New Jersey (our son was attending Seton Hall and our daughter was living in DC working for the Fed). We own our own cleaning supply store which has 3 locations in, you guessed it, Chicago, Reno and New Jersey. I'm an avid reader and have always wanted to write. This year on February 1st I started my first Cozy Mystery novel.

Christine Clemetson

Growing up in a small beach town in NJ, Christine wouldn’t have been caught on her beach towel without a good book. Nothing on earth equated to stepping into the library each week, hearing the creaks of the wood floor, and knowing an unable-to-put-down story was waiting. She caught the fire of creativity and discovered she had her own stories to tell. She earned her degree in Literature, and went on to pen thrillers that send you running for the covers! As a member of Sisters in Crime and Liberty State Fiction Writers, she loves to keep learning and sharing the craft of writing. When not writing, Christine can be found at the park with her family, grabbing lunch at her favorite diner, or stalking the library for the latest thrillers. And always with a coffee in her hand! You can find her on www.christineclemetson.com.

Aliza (Anvari) Frey

Aliza (Anvari) Frey is a licensed attorney in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Stockton University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Nebraska College of Law, where she served as Student Editor of The Nebraska Transcript. A former NH Prosecutor and graduate from the 251ST Part Time NH Police Academy, Aliza loves true crime, police procedurals and all manner of murder mysteries, to include the podcast, My Favorite Murder. She served as the 2023 President of the Central NJ Chapter of Sisters in Crime and participates in a weekly Neptune, NJ writing group and book club. She is currently working on completing her first novel and is an avid writer of short story memoirs.

Robyn Gigl

Robyn Gigl is an author, attorney and advocate. Robyn’s first novel, BY WAY OF SORROW, was published by Kensington Books in March 2021. It was called “quietly groundbreaking” by the NY Times and named one of the best crime novels of 2021 by CrimeReads. Her Second novel, SURVIVOR’S GUILT, published in January 2022, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, was named as one of the best crime novels of 2022 by the NY Times and won the Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ+ Crime Writing. Robyn’s third novel, REMAIN SILENT, was published in May 2023. In addition to being an author, Robyn is an attorney and advocate who has been honored by the ACLU-NJ and the NJ Pride Network for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. She is a partner at the law firm of Dilworth Paxson LLP in Freehold, NJ, where she handles complex commercial and employment litigation. Robyn lives in New Jersey, and can be found at robyngigl.com on Twitter @robyngigl and Instagram @robyngigl . Robyn continues to practice law by day, and work on her fourth Erin McCabe novel by night. Fortunately, she has a very boring social life.

Monica Hoopes

Monica Hoopes is a former practicing attorney and the author of the Seriously Murder? series, a collection of romcom/mystery mashups about two recent law school grads who have to fumble their way through a series of murder cases. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing, and she’s a mother of three! She loves mud runs, glamping, and cocktails, and dreams of doing a book tour around the United States in an RV. Her debut book is available on Amazon and through several other retail shops, and her second book in the series, Seriously, Stoned? is due out on November 15th, 2023.

Elizabeth John

Elizabeth John writes tender romances with a touch of intrigue. Each morning she wakes up before sunrise to write before her busy day as an elementary school teacher. Admittedly, she’s a TV and movie junkie and has noble intentions to practice yoga daily. In her spare time, she can be found walking her two rescue dogs, researching her family’s ancestry, gardening, or relaxing at the beach with her nose in a good book. She is a member of New Jersey Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, Liberty States Fiction Writers, and Sisters in Crime. Elizabeth loves to hear from readers and can be reached at www.elizabethjohn.com.

Tina Kashian

Tina Kashian is an attorney and a former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She is the author of the Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean cozy mystery series for Kensington Publishing. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!

Rena Leith

The infamous “they” say that your bio should reflect your writing, but writing a funny bio is hard. My ghost is a lot funnier than I am. Let’s see. I love mysteries, obviously. Like many, I started with the Mildred Wirts’ Nancy Drew books from the Thirties. Love the new Nancy Drew TV series with its paranormal bent. I love cats as well as ghosts and chocolate. Thor, the cat in my books, is based on my cat Klaus, who is now a ghost. My resident ghost is based on my mother. Hmm. There’s a theme here. I guess the best way to learn about me is to read my books because I believe in the adage “Write what you know.” More info here: https://www.renaleith.com

Delia Pitts

Delia Pitts worked as a journalist before earning a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. After careers as a U.S. diplomat and university administrator, she left academia to begin writing fiction. Trouble in Queenstown is the first book in a mystery series set in New Jersey featuring Black private investigator Vandy Myrick. Trouble in Queenstown will be published in summer 2024 by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press under the Macmillan group. Delia is also the author of the Ross Agency Mysteries, about a Harlem detective firm, and several short stories. She’s a member of the national board of Sisters in Crime. She is also an active member of Mystery Writers of America and Crime Writers of Color. Learn more about Delia at deliapitts.com.

Nancy Quatrano

Nancy Quatrano is an award-winning fiction writer, a developmental editor, speaker, and retired columnist. She's presented workshops to readers, writer's, businesses, and women's groups, from New York to Florida. In addition to writing a mystery series and a women's fiction series, she's published in short fiction, too. She's operated On-Target Words since 2009, a professional writing service that specializes in content editing, press releases, and article writing. For more information visit www.NLQuatrano.com or www.OnTargetWords.com.

Linda Rawlins

Linda Rawlins was a prolific reader as a child. She started by reading her grandmother’s books, written by Phyllis Whitney, Emily Loring, and Victoria Holt. She had also read most of the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boy mysteries by the time she reached fifth grade and started to write her own mystery. Realizing her love for reading and writing, her fifth grade teacher allowed her to take a book, which he self-published, home to show her parents. She is sure that day was one of the most inspirational for her writing. In addition to her studies, she continued to read as much fiction as she could through high school and won first place in a poetry contest. The novels she chose covered most genres – mystery, romance, sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. In college, Linda studied different forms of literature, reading American Classics and English Novelists as well as majoring in Pre-med. During college, she had the absolute pleasure of meeting Kurt Vonnegut, Isaac Asimov, and Dr. Ruth. Over the years she has also met writers such as Mary Higgins Clark, Donald Bain, Diana Gabaldon, and others. Linda studied hard and went to Medical School. She no longer had time to read fiction but did have the privilege of meeting many wonderful people with whom she shared many wonderful, emotional, painful, and special experiences. She believes it is a combination of all these personalities which helped to make up her characters. Eventually, she was able to return to reading fiction and begin to write her own stories. Linda loves all her novels, and each is special in a unique way. However, she read to escape, and she loves to go to the beach to relax, renew, and reorganize. Misty Manor is her favorite as she was able to visit her favorite place each time she started writing. She hopes you will too! Her website is www.http://lindarawlins.com

Lori Robbins

Lori Robbins is the author of the On Pointe and Master Class mystery series and a contributor to The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers Cookbook. She won the Indie Award for Best Mystery and two Silver Falchions for Best Cozy Mystery. Short stories include “Leading Ladies” which was listed in the 2022 Best American Mystery and Suspense anthology. After ten lean years as a professional dancer Lori became an English teacher and now writes full-time. She is co-president of the New York/ Tristate Sisters in Crime and an active member of Mystery Writers of America and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Roberta Rogow

Roberta Rogow is a long-time Fan, best known as a Filker. In 2013 she was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame. She has also won prizes as a Costumer, and has published several Media Fanzines. Roberta's historical mysteries include a series in which The Reverend Mr. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) teams up with Dr. Arthur Conan Doyle, and another set in post-Civil War New York City. She followed that with six books set in a Universe best described as “Last of the Mohicans meets Arabian Nights, with a Spanish accent”.Her most recent series follows the cases of Pola Drach, Independent )Private) Eye, in the City of Lorr, on a planet settled by humans somewhere Out There, in the far future… think “V.I. Warshawsky on the other side of the sky.” In 2008 Roberta retired from a 37-year career as a Children's Librarian in public libraries in New Jersey. She is a widow, with two daughters and one delightful grandson.

Yvonne Ventresca

Yvonne Ventresca writes suspenseful novels and short stories for teen, tween, and adult readers. Her psychological thriller, BLACK FLOWERS, WHITE LIES won a National IPPY Gold Medal for young adult fiction. Her YA debut novel, PANDEMIC, won a Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and continues to be a timely read about surviving a widespread deadly virus. Yvonne’s other work includes two nonfiction books and several short stories selected for anthologies such as THE SECOND BLACK BEACON BOOK OF MYSTERY. You can learn more at YvonneVentresca.com, where she blogs about creative productivity.

E.F. Watkins

Eileen Watkins writes the Cat Groomer Mysteries, including The Persian Always Meows Twice; The Bengal Identity; Feral Attraction; Gone, Kitty, Gone; Claw & Disorder, and Night of the Were-Cat, for Kensington Publishing. All have received Certificates of Excellence from the national Cat Writers’ Association, and Claw & Disorder also took that organization’s highest award, the MUSE Medallion, for a Mystery Fiction book. With WCY Publishing, Eileen also put out the 2020 women’s fiction novel Reboot Ranch, and she previously published eight novels through Amber Quill Press, most of them paranormal mystery and suspense. Eileen worked for daily newspapers for most of her career, writing about art, architecture, interior design and home improvement. A confirmed animal lover, she has always lived with at least one cat and regularly visits the nearest riding stable. She also belongs to Sisters in Crime, the Liberty States Fiction Writers and Mystery Writers of America. Visit her online at www.efwatkins.com