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 “A stirring debut novel . . . Kelson loads the plot with satisfying twists."

 —Publishers Weekly 

winner—Eleanor taylor bland award for crime fiction writers of color

Availalbe in hardback, audio, and ebook

ABOUT Maria Kelson

Geography

I've lived in High Plains states most of my adult life, with stints across Colorado (college in Fort Collins, ten years teaching in Pueblo), North Dakota (summer field work in  Little Missouri National Grassland), Kansas (working at the Cosmosphere and at community colleges in Dodge City & Hutchinson) and Wyoming, where my husband and I started our family a while back and have now returned to live.


I grew up in northern California in a town I remember as small and rural. It's neither of those any more, but those memories explain why I feel so at home in the small towns of the High Plains today.


Because life is long and families move around, I've also lived in AZ (born there!), UT, IN, and SC (the greenest place I've ever lived).

Writing

If you're a mystery/thriller reader drawn to strong female leads, the scary beauty of the redwood country, moms who push it to the limit, or crime-fighting ESL teachers, I wrote NOT THE KILLING KIND for you! I published poetry for years (as Maria Melendez), and turned to crime writing to explore the dark side. My next stand-alone thriller will be set in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton areas of Wyoming and Montana.

more from Maria

More Books and Stories:

More Books and Stories:

More Books and Stories:

Flexible Bones, a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in Poetry, and How Long She'll Last in This World, a finalist for the PEN Center USA Award in Poetry, are available through University of Arizona Press (published as Maria Melendez).


 Recent short fiction: "Optimize Us" at strandmag.com and "What If the Whole Camp of Kids Learned How to Liquefy?" at Lightspeed.

Upcoming Events:

More Books and Stories:

More Books and Stories:

March 5: Saint Joseph County Public Library

South Bend, Indiana


March 11: Colorado State-University, Pueblo & Pueblo City-County Library


March 12: Noir at the Bar 

with The Read Queen

Lafayette, CO


March 14: Meet the Authors/Crime Fiction Authors with Crooked Lane

Tattered Cover Colfax

Denver, CO


March 13-15: Left Coast Crime

Denver, CO





Want to keep in touch?

More Books and Stories:

Want to keep in touch?

Contact me at maria@mariakelson.com.


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