2025 Faculty: M through R
Dr. Lisa Malice
Dr. Lisa Malice is a psychologist-turned-crime fiction writer. Her debut psychological thriller, LEST SHE FORGET, was released December 2023 by CamCat Books to rave reviews from authors, readers, and industry professionals and a month-long stay on the Amazon new thriller bestseller list. In 2024, she received the Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal for BEST NEW VOICE IN FICTION from the Independent Book Publishers Association. Lisa is an active volunteer for Thriller Writers, Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime, and Florida MWA.
Amber Meyer
Amber Meyer is a Story Grid Certified Editor with a passion for murder mysteries. If you long to commit fictional murder, then Amber may be your ideal partner in crime. Amber currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three crazy kids and four fur-babies. She dreams of living on a beach in Hawaii and becoming the next Agatha Christie.
Katie Monson
Katie Monson has been self-employed, watching children in her home for the last 12 years, and has enjoyed the privilege of being home to raise her children. She recently made the decision to massively change up her life and find a different path to take while still being able to home with her kids, leading her to SBR Media. Katie has always had a passion for reading ever since she was a little girl. Over the years she developed a strong interest in reading indie romance books, which naturally led to blogging, beta reading and editing small manuscripts for authors. She is self-motivated, organized and ready to represent clients and help lead them to success.
When Katie isn’t reading, sitting by the pool, or complaining about the cold Rochester winters, she can be found traveling to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and spending time with her husband and four children in Rochester, NY.
James Mustelier
I’m looking for a range of commercial and literary fiction and non-fiction. Across genres I prize economical prose, complex characters, steadily building tension, narrative gravity, and the momentary relief of dark humor, even amid dire circumstances.
In commercial fiction I’m looking for compact horror and mysteries with unique hooks and intricate plotting. In sci-fi and fantasy I’m drawn to stories that are grounded in reality and have high stakes that touch on contemporary issues — much more speculative fiction and alternate histories than space opera or high fantasy.
In nonfiction I’m looking for books that give me a vivid look into subcultures and events I might not otherwise have had the chance to explore. Much of my favorite nonfiction melds a distinct narrative voice with rigorous research.
Kelly Oliver
Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries (contemporary suspense); The Pet Detective Mysteries (middle grade); The Fiona Figg Mysteries (historical cozies); and a brand-new series The Detection Club Mysteries (historical mystery). The first in the new series, The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, was an instant bestseller on Barnes & Noble and #1 Bestselling Historical Mystery on Amazon. The second just came out in July.
Kelly earned her PhD in philosophy from Northwestern University. She taught philosophy at various colleges and universities for decades. Recently she retired from Vanderbilt University, where she was a distinguished professor, so she could write mysteries full time.
Currently, Kelly is Immediate Past President of Sisters in Crime National. She is incoming program coordinator for SinC Guppies. And she is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Queer Crime Writers.
Kelly is Distinguished Emerita Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to www.kellyoliverbooks.com.
J. Michael Orenduff
Mike Orenduff is best known as the author of the Pot Thief murder mysteries set in Albuquerque that have won many awards including the Lefty Award for best Humorous Murder Mystery of the year, starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, and 7 New Mexico Book of the Year Awards.
Before he started writing fiction, he taught philosophy at universities in 7 states and 4 countries. He also served in administrative roles including Chancellor of the University of Maine, President of New Mexico State University, and finally as Distinguished Visiting Faculty Member at The United States Military Academy at West Point where he won the Professor of the Year Award. Even though he was teaching at West Point, he cheered for Navy in the annual Army-Navy football game because he served in the Navy from which he received an Honorable Discharged in 1967.
Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky revolutionized the mystery world in 1982 by introducing V.I. Warshawski in Indemnity Only. Paretsky challenged a genre in which women historically were vamps or victims by creating a detective with the grit and smarts to take on the mean streets. V.I. struck a chord with readers and critics; Indemnity Only was followed by twenty more V.I. novels. Her voice and world remain vital to readers; the New York Times calls V.I. "a proper hero for these times," adding, "To us, V.I. is perfect."
While Paretsky's fiction changed the narrative about women, her work also opened doors for other writers. In 1986, she created Sisters in Crime, a worldwide organization that advocates for women crime writers. This organization earned her Ms. Magazine's 1987 Woman of the Year award. More accolades followed: the British Crime Writers awarded her the Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement; Blacklist won the Gold Dagger from the British Crime Writers for best novel of 2004, and she has received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from several universities.
Called "passionate" and "electrifying," V.I. reflects her creator's passion for social justice. After chairing the school's first Commission on the Status of Women as a Kansas University undergraduate, Paretsky worked as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side during the turbulent race riots of 1966. Since then, Paretsky's volunteer work has included advocating for healthcare for the mentally ill homeless, mentoring teens in Chicago's most troubled schools, and working for reproductive rights. Through her Sara & Two C-Dogs foundation, she also helps build STEM and arts programs for young people.
The actress Kathleen Turner played V.I. Warshawski in the movie of that name. Paretsky's work is celebrated in Pamela Beere Briggs's documentary Women of Mystery. Today, Sara Paretsky's books are published in 30 countries.
Paretsky detailed her journey from Kansas farm girl to New York Times bestseller in her 2007 memoir, Writing in an Age of Silence, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. In addition, Paretsky has written two stand-alone novels, Ghost Country and Bleeding Kansas, set in the part of rural Kansas where she grew up. She has published several short story collections, most recently Love & Other Crimes, and has edited numerous other anthologies.
Learn more about Sara Paretsky at https://saraparetsky.com/.
Caitlin Rother
Caitlin Rother is a New York Times bestselling true crime author and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist. She worked for nearly two decades as an investigative reporter and has had work published in Cosmopolitan, The Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, among others. As a TV crime commentator, she has done more than 200 media appearances on episodes of 20/20, People Magazine Investigates, Crime Watch Daily, Australia's World News, Nancy Grace, Snapped, and numerous shows on Netflix, Investigation Discovery, HLN, REELZ, Oxygen, E!, A&E, C-SPAN and various PBS affiliates. Rother also works as a writing/research coach and consultant, and plays piano and sings in an acoustic band. She lives in Southern California and can be found online at CaitlinRother.com.