BILL CRIDER (1941–2018) was born and brought up in Mexia, Texas, earned his M.A. from the University of North Texas, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin with a dissertation on the hardboiled detective novel. He taught English at Howard Payne University for twelve years before moving to Alvin, Texas, where, until 2002, he was the Chair of the Division of English and Fine Arts. As an author, he was known for the Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery series of twenty-six books, the latest 2018's upcoming That Scoundrel Death. Also known as an avid book collector and pop culture blogger, he wrote the "Blog Bytes" column for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and was the first columnist for Mystery Scene Magazine's "Short & Sweet: Short Stories Considered".
GRAHAM POWELL, founder of Nasty. Brutish. Short., grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, reading anything and everything. At age seven, he was introduced to the Hardy Boys, and has been hooked on crime fiction ever since. With a B.A. in computer science, he can be found mostly working in an office, alone. Just the way he likes it. Currently he lives and works in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife and children. Follow him on Twitter.
JOHN RICKARDS is a British freelance journalist, editor, and novelist. Under his own name and the pseudonym Sean Cregan, his genres range from urban fiction to science fiction to P.I. fiction. Visit his website.
GERALD SO was born in the Philippines and raised in Queens and Long Island, New York. A short story fan since 1987, Gerald became fiction editor for The Thrilling Detective Web Site in 2001, serving until 2009. Also find him on his personal blog, Mastodon, or Fans of Robert B. Parker public Matrix room.
STEVEN TORRES is the author of the Precinct Puerto Rico novels, three collections of short stories, and several standalones. Raised in the Bronx, New York, Steven currently teaches English at a Connecticut college and has served as editor for Crimespree Magazine's original short stories. Follow Steven on Twitter.
