Kathy Manos Penn

The oldest of three girls, Kathy Manos Penn was the shy bookworm in a boisterous New York City family of Greeks and Italians. She took a book everywhere she went—to family dinners, doctors' offices, and, of course, to bed. A lifelong word nerd and grammar geek, she freely admits she's addicted to playing Words with Friends and to reading.

She populates her mysteries with well-read, witty senior women, a sassy cat, and a loyal dog. Book 1 in her Dickens & Christie Mystery series won a Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Award, and Kathy is a two-time Georgia Author of the Year nominee.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself writing cozy mysteries," she says. But somehow, after years in banking, that's what happened. Now, happily retired, she lives in Georgia with her husband and the two four-legged office assistants who inspire the personalities of Dickens & Christie.