Norma Huss

Since I'm in my 80s, I call myself the Grandma Moses of mystery. Grandma Moses was a primitive artist who became famous at the age of 80 and painted until she was 101. (I don't know how many grandchildren she had, but I have eight as well as two great-grandchildren.) Since my mother lived to the age of 103, I hope to do as well with my writing.

It's no accident my mysteries take place close to Chesapeake Bay. My husband and I sailed there and beyond for many years. I've recreated Annapolis, Maryland, as Queensboro in the Jo Durbin series: HIDDEN BODY, a prequel novelette, YESTERDAY'S BODY and FORGOTTEN BODY. DEATH OF A HOT CHICK a Cyd Denlinger mystery finds my amateur sleuth mixed up with boats that I found while sailing.

My YA ghost mystery, CHERISH, is one for my grandchildren and others to enjoy. With a teen ghost from 1946 and a current teen involved, grandparents may want to share with their grandchildren, and compare what it's like to be a teenager in the other's time.

My newest fiction is THE DESERTER AND OTHER STORIES. It's a collection is ten short stories: mysteries, historic fiction, a tall tale, and reimagined memory. Main characters range from child to ghost and length from novelette to flash fiction. Several were previously published in magazines and anthologies.

My non-fiction has a personal connection. When my father was 88, he dictated his story on six audio tapes. It took a year to untangle that, and we had some disagreements with me and a map and him with his memories, but the eventual result was one friends and families loved then. A wider audience loves those adventures now.