J. M. West

After a career in teaching composition and literature, Professor Emerita Joan McGibney West, I turned to writing. (Besides, I was bored with retirement until I found my groove) For me, reading and writing are the flip sides of one coin. Both are required to educate and entertain us. My first book, Glory in the Flower, is a coming of age story about coeds coping with the turbulent sixties.

As a volunteer at our local library, Bosler Memorial Library in Carlisle, PA. in The Bookery, a used book store, I noticed that more of our patrons chose mystery books than the other genres. So I thought I'd try writing mysteries: Dying for Vengeance, Courting Doubt and Darkness, Darkness at First Light, Had a Dying Fall and Things Strangled followed. What a joy to write!

Next, I turned to local history, writing about Madam Bessie Jones, who operated a brothel in Carlisle for 50 years, until she was murdered. While doing research on another historical figure, a group of authors collaborated on American Roulette, a novel that follows eight people on a typical day in their lives until 5:17 when they all happen to congregate at the local mall's food court. Then one person creates chaos.