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2008
Murder Goes South Writer Bios
Below
are the biographies of the writers who will present at the
2008 Murder Goes South.
 Featuring
Special Guest Speaker Karin Slaughter
International
best-selling author Karin Slaughter has been writing novels
and short stories since she wasa child growing up in a small
Georgia town. Her Grant County series consists of Blindsighted,
Kisscut, A Faint Cold Fear, Indelible and the most recent
installment, Faithless (Delacorte Press, 2005). Besides placement
on The New York Times best-seller list, her books have been
a Book Sense Top Mystery Pick and an International Book-of-the-Month
Club selection. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Website
Featured
Guest Speaker Jefferson Bass of the Body Farm
 Jefferson
Bass is the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson.
Dr. Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, founded
the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility
-- the Body Farm -- a quarter-century ago. He is the author
or coauthor of more than two hundred scientific publications,
as well as a critically acclaimed memoir about his career,
Death's Acre. Dr. Bass is also a dedicated teacher, honored
as National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education. Jefferson is a veteran journalist,
writer, and documentary filmmaker. His writings have been
published in the New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, and
Popular Science and broadcast on National Public Radio. The
coauthor of Death's Acre, he is also the writer and producer
of two highly rated National Geographic documentaries about
the Body Farm.
Website
Special
Guests:
Glynn
Marsh Alam
Glynn
Marsh Alam is a native Floridian. Born in Tallahassee, she
is familiar with the live oak forests and
cypress swamps of the area. She also knows the sink holes
and reptilia that abound there. She often swims in the cold,
clear springs above the openings to fathomless caves. These
are the settings for her Luanne Fogarty mystery series and
for her literary novel, River Whispers.
After
graduating from Florida State University, Glynn worked as
a decoder/translator for the National Security Agency in D.C.,
then moved to Los Angeles where she taught writing and literature
and earned an MA in linguistics. After many years of traveling
back to Florida twice a year, she has now moved there and
writes full time.
Website
Linda
Berry
Linda
Berry's published credits include plays, poetry, newspaper
columns, curriculum, craft articles, short fiction for children
and adults, and several years as writer/editor for a tennis
publication (although she's never been a tennis player). The
Trudy Roundtree mysteries grew out of her longstanding love
for mysteries, her Georgia roots, and her cousin Johnny Shuman,
a policeman in South Georgia who's a great storyteller. Linda
lives in Aurora, Colorado, with her husband Jerry (yes, jerryberry).
They have two adult sons.
Website
Nash
Black
Nash Black
is a pseudonym for the husband and wife team of Ford Nashett
and Irene Black. When they
retired to their lakeside home, they placed their fishing
tackle and golf clubs in the garage and set about writing
Brewster County stories.
They have
a diverse background of professional occupations. She as a
librarian/teacher, naturalist, and tree farmer. He as an industrial
X-ray technician, farmer, and an observer for the United States
Auto Club (USAC). His photos include shots of the first streaker
to dash through the Indy 500. Together they are writers and
operate an antique business.
They read
an average of 250 books a year of mixed styles and genre but
mysteries are a favorite. An ambition is to locate and read
all the mysteries mentioned in Carylon Hart's "Death
on Demand" series. The Porch Page Turners, their local
book club, keeps them abreast of current fiction and non-fiction.
Website
Norman
Chastain
 Born
in Jesup, Georgia, he grew up in Tampa, Florida. Much of his
passion for writing evolved during his youth Norman vividly
remembers sitting on the stairs outside Plant High School
captivated as he read DAY OF THE JACKAL by Frederick
Forsyth.
With degrees
in Industrial Management from Georgia Tech and Civil Engineering
from University of South Florida, Norman's education prepared
him for a career that includes a brief stint with a military
contractor in Clearwater, Florida, several years with a Tampa
industrial contractor, and his current role in operations
management with a telecommunications manufacturer on the outskirts
of Atlanta.
Norman
resides in Marietta, Georgia with his wife, Ansley, and two
children, who light up his world.
AFTER
THE GAME is his first novel. Norman deeply appreciates
your support and hopes you enjoy his novel as much as he did
writing the story. (Photo: Norman Chastain)
Website
Phillip
Depoy
Phillip
DePoy is the acclaimed author of the Flap Tucker mysteries,
and an essay and photo collection,Messages from Beyond. He
has published short fiction, poetry, and criticism in Story,
Southern Poetry Review, Xanadu, Yankee and other magazines,
and is an established presence in theater, music, and folklore
in the Southeast. Mr. DePoy is a 2002 recipient of the coveted
Edgar award. He lives on Saint Simons Island, Georgia.
Website
Susan
Goggins
Susan
Goggins, the real name of Raven Hart, has been a newspaper
reporter, a speechwriter for a K  Street
PR firm in Washington, D.C., and for most of her career, a
technical writer. Believe it or not, though, writing about
how to keep your crane hoist in good working order didn't
satisfy her creative urges. So she decided to become a novelist,
at least part-time. Since the romance genre makes up half
of all paperback fiction, she figured her chances of getting
published there were somewhat greater than those of being
hit by a meteor. So she joined Georgia Romance Writers and
Romance Writers of America.
During
the years that followed she wrote romances for Harlequin and
Zebra and along the way won awards like West Houston RWA's
Emily award, Virginia Romance Writers' Fool for Love contest,
and Northwest Houston RWA's Lonestar contest. Later she sold
stories for literary anthologies published by Belle Books.
However, while she liked to read good romance novels, horror
stories had become her favorite. She was hooked on the sinful,
sensual, soul-challenged vampires of Anne Rice.
So Raven
and fellow writer Virginia Ellis created a vampire series
of their own, starring southern aristocrat blood drinker William
Cuyler Thorne and Jack McShane, a sexy, blue-collar, NASCAR-loving
vampire who didn't know what he was getting into when he volunteered
for everlasting undeath. Both The Vampire's Seduction and
The Vampire's Secret were co-written by Virginia "Gin"
Ellis and Susan Goggins. Gin passed away suddenly in January,
2006. Susan will continue the Savannah vampires series with
The Vampire's Kiss.
Website
Brandon
Massey
Brandon
Massey was born in Waukegan, Illinois. He grew up in the northern
Chicago suburb of Zion.
He originally
self-published THUNDERLAND, his first novel, in 1999. After
managing to sell a few thousand copies on his own, Kensington
Publishing Corp. in New York offered him a two-book contract.
Kensington published a new, revised edition of THUNDERLAND
in December 2002.
His second
book, DARK CORNER, a vampire novel that takes place in rural
Mississippi, hit stores in January 2004. His third thriller,
WITHIN THE SHADOWS, was published by Kensington in June 2005.
His first short story collection, TWISTED TALES and fourth
thriller, THE OTHER BROTHER, were published in 2006. His newest
suspense thriller, DON'T EVER TELL, will be published in July
2008.
Brandon
currently resides with his wife and two dogs near Atlanta,
GA, where his is working on new novels and other projects.
Website
Claire
Matturro
Lawyer
and professor turned author, Claire Hamner Matturro writes
a series of legal mysteries with a sense of humor. Her first
novel, "Skinny-Dipping," was nominated for a Barry
Award, won Romantic Times First Best Mystery, plus the SEAK,
Inc. National Legal Thriller First Place Award, and was a
BookSense Pick for 2004. Her second novel, "Wildcat Wine",
was nominated for a Georgia Writer of the Year award. Her
newest mystery, "Sweetheart Deal," is set in south
Georgia. Before turning her hand to writing, Claire was the
first woman partner at the Sarasota, Florida law firm of Dickinson
and Gibbons. She also taught at Florida State University College
of Law and the University of Oregon School of Law. Claire
lives in south Georgia with her husband, Bill, and their 21-year-old
cat, Bunni.
Website
Walter
Sorrells
Edgar
Award-winner Walter Sorrells is the author of over twenty
novels. His most recent thriller for adults,  Blind
Fear, appeared this year under his pseudonym Lynn Abercrombie.
Last year another mystery, Feet of Clay, appeared under his
pseudonym Ruth Birmingham. Feet of Clay is the sixth novel
featuring Atlanta private investigator Sunny Childs.
Sorrells
also writes novels for young adults. His latest novel for
young adults is First Shot, which was just given a starred
review in Booklist. His mystery Fake ID was named one the
10 Best Mysteries of 2005 by Booklist. Fake ID features a
girl who has to unlock secrets from her past in order to find
her missing mother. The follow-up, Club Dread, was released
earlier this year.
Under
the pen name Ruth Birmingham, Sorrells writes a mystery series
featuring Atlanta-based female private detective Sunny Childs.
The second Sunny Childs mystery, Fulton County Blues, won
the Edgar Award for best original paperback and was also nominated
for the Shamus Award. The first book in the series, Atlanta
Graves was also an Edgar nominee. The latest titles in the
series are Sweet Georgia, Blue Plate Special, Cold Trail and
the recently released Feet of Clay.
Sorrells
is a past president of the Atlanta chapter of the crime-writers'
organization, Sisters In Crime, and a former member of the
board of directors of the Mystery Writers of America. Sorrells's
work in both journalism and fiction has been published in
a variety of national publications. He has written scripts
for a number National Public Radio programs, including the
award-winning docu-drama "The Three Governors."
He is a 1985 graduate of Haverford College, where he majored
in History.
A devoted
martial artist, Sorrells holds a 3rd degree black belt in
Japanese Shito-ryu karate, and has also studied Brazilian
jiujitsu, aikido, Tai Chi, various Okinawan kobudo (weapons)
systems, and the Japanese sword arts of Iaido and Shinkendo.
He lives in Atlanta with his wife Patti and son Jake.
Sorrells
is also a part-time swordsmith who specializes in hand forging
swords and knives with a Japanese flavor.
Website
Wendy
Webb
Wendy
Webb is an author of short stories, novels, and produced stage
plays. She has edited anthologies such as Gothic Ghosts
with Charles Grant, written non-fiction articles, gift books,
and audio plays, and is a fiction writing instructor. Novels
in her Beluga Stein supernatural humor-mystery series from
Marietta Publishing include Last Resort, Bee Movie,
and the forthcoming Mean Cuisine.
She and
her husband reside in Metro Atlanta along with two dogs and
one cat.
Website
Mary
Saxon Wilburn
Have you
ever gone to work every day wishing you were doing something
else? Did you get an education in one field only to find yourself
pursuing another in every free moment? It isn’t a bad
way to live. Two passions are often much better than one and
are sometimes quite symbiotic. Mary's career in nursing provided
much material to draw from as a writer, and living in all
regions of the United States and in England helped develop
a strong sense of place.
She is
a member of Sisters in Crime, founder of the Carrollton Creative
Writers Club and member of the West Georgia Writers Guild.
She currently lives in Carroll County, Georgia, with her husband
and a cat.
Website
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