SEMWA
Board Members

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Karen McCullough

Karen McCullough is the author of six romantic mystery/ suspense novels published in hard cover and trade paperback by Avalon Books, LTDBooks and Cerridwen Press, a fantasy role-playing game tie-in from Iron Crown Enterprises, and two fantasy novels. Her most recent mystery, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, was published by Cerridwen Press last summer. Her first, and probably her only, vampire story, "A Vampire's Christmas Carol" is part of a paranormal Christmas anthology published by Cerridwen Press titled BENEATH A CHRISTMAS MOON. The book was released in ebook format in December, 2007 and will be in trade paperback next fall. Karen lives in Greensboro, North Carolina and runs a web design business, Karen's Web Works, that specializes in creating web sites for authors and other small businesses.

She invites visitors to check out her homes on the web.
Primary writer's site: www.kmccullough.com
MySpace page: www.myspace.com/karenmccullough
CrimeSpace page: http://crimespace.ning.com/profile/karenmccullough

Mary Saums

Mary Saums grew up in Alabama and now lives in Tennessee. She currently serves on the Sisters In Crime board as the Review Monitoring Project liaison. The second book in her Thistle & Twigg series, Mighty Old Bones, is set for a May 2008 release.

Carla Damron

Carla Damron draws on her experiences as a southerner and a social worker in her writings, including numerous short stories and her two mystery novels, KEEPING SILENT (2001) and SPIDER BLUE (2005). A review in Columbia SC’s THE STATE newspaper describes Carla’s writing: “Damron's carefully constructed plot and thoughtfulness about social ills contribute to a noteworthy work… She has the talent to play on a much broader stage.” June 19, 2005.

Damron continues to live in her native South Carolina and has a 20+ year career in the mental health system where, she says, her clients are her best teachers.

Cathy Pickens

The first Avery Andrews novel Southern Fried won the 2003 St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic Award for Best New Traditional Mystery.  Romantic Times BookClub magazine reviewers named it one of the five “Best First Mysteries” for 2004.  Her stories are set in South Carolina, the first in a town similar to the one where Cathy grew up and the second, Done Gone Wrong, in Charleston. Hog Wild hit bookstores March 2007.

At various times and under various aliases, she’s been a trial attorney specializing in complex civil litigation such as product liability, medical negligence, and commercial contract disputes; a university provost; a professor teaching MBA students about the legal and ethical environment of business; a writer of law books and articles on topics such as poisons, private detectives, and legal damages; a church organist and choir director; and a ballroom and clog dance coach.

Cathy has a degree in financial management from Clemson University, and a J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Her family has lived in South Carolina for hundreds of years, but she currently lives over the border in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is the Wireman Professor of Business at Queens University of Charlotte and is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the South Carolina Bar.

Cathy Pickens
www.cathypickens.com

Kelly Nichols

Kelly Nichols is 1/2 the writing team of P. J. Parrish (with her sister, Kris Montee.) They are the authors of the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling Louis Kincaid series. Their books have been Edgar, and Anthony award finalists and they have won both the Shamus and the Thriller awards. ISLAND OF BONES was named a top book of 2004 by Publishers Weekly and Oline Cogdill. AN UNQUIET GRAVE was named a Michigan Notable Book for 2006. Their latest, A THOUSAND BONES, (Pocket Books, July 2007) marks the debut of a new series starring Michigan police woman Joe Frye. Their next book, SOUTH OF HELL, will be released in August of '08.

Kathryn R. Wall

Kathryn R. Wall wrote her first story at the age of six and then decided to take a few decades off. She grew up in a small town in northeastern Ohio and attended college in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. For twenty-five years she practiced her profession as an accountant in both public and private practice. In 1994 she and her husband Norman settled on Hilton Head Island.

Wall has been a mentor in the Hilton Head schools for the past eight years and has continued to work part-time in the accounting field. She is also a founding member of the Island Writers Network. Kathy is the acting treasurer of the Southeast chapter of Mystery Writers of America and is the current National Publicity Chair for Sisters in Crime. She has two stepsons and four grandchildren.

Wall is the author of five Bay Tanner mysteries: IN FOR A PENNY, AND NOT A PENNY MORE, PERDITION HOUSE, JUDAS ISLAND, and RESURRECTION ROAD. All the novels have achieved both commercial and critical success, and all take place in and around Hilton Head Island and the surrounding South Carolina Lowcountry. Bishop's Reach, the sixth installment, will be released by St. Martin's Press in May, 2006.

www.kathrynwall.com

Charles Todd

Charles Todd has served for four years on the national MWA Board of Directors. During that time he was an Edgar Award Judge and Overall Edgar Awards chair in 2005. Charles is currently co-chair of the Edgar Week committee for 2006 and is co-chair of the national strategic planning committee. For the past year he has been the MWA National Secretary. Currently Charles is the South East Chapter President. Because of his southern roots this has been a real honor.

Charles was born in Virginia to a mother (his co-author Caroline) from North Carolina. His grandfather taught him the lessons of good story telling. Charles spent hours listening to his memories enjoying them even for the third or fourth time.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Charles began a career in business management. 20 years later he was in middle management, a troubleshooter and consultant. This experience led to his service on the MWA finance, nominations and operations and planning committees for the past four years.

Charles lives in Winston-Salem, NC. Charles and Caroline are looking forward to their ninth book's release (A Long Shadow) on January 3, 2006 and continuing to work on the Ian Rutledge series.

www.charlestodd.com

Chester Campbell

CHESTER D. CAMPBELL has written three Greg McKenzie mysteries, SECRET OF THE SCROLL, DESIGNED TO KILL, and DEADLY ILLUSIONS. A University of Tennessee journalism graduate, he is a former newspaper reporter, freelance writer, magazine editor, political speechwriter, advertising copywriter, public relations professional and association executive. After Army Air Corps service in World War II, he was an Air Force intelligence officer in the Korean War and retired from the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel. He and his wife, Sarah, have six children, eleven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He lives in Madison, Tennessee.

www.chesterdcampbell.com

Clay Stafford

Award-winning author, screenwriter, and filmmaker, Clay Stafford has sold over 355,000 hardcover copies of his children’s adaptations and has seen his film work distributed in over 14 languages. Four of his five staged murder mysteries have had Los Angeles premieres. He has reviewed books, plays, and films, has been quoted on book jackets, and has edited several PBS companion books associated with national series. Clay has a B.A. and M.F.A. and has been a professor or lecturer to several major universities. He is currently President / CEO of American Blackguard, Inc., a film and television entertainment company near Nashville, Tennessee. More information can be found at www.ClayStafford.com and www.AmericanBlackguard.com.

Southeast Mystery Writers of America
P.O. Box 10633, Greensboro, NC 27403
email info@semwa.com

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