Elizabeth C. Main

Hello to all fans of mysteries and crime novels, and thanks for checking out my page on Mystery Writers of America's site. I, too, am a great fan of this genre and find some of the best writing and most innovative ideas to be expanding our favorite genre all the time, all over the world.

I am a native New Orleanian and still live here in the storm-ravaged city. Lots of writers are having trouble getting a grasp on the "new reality" here, but with James Lee Burke's THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN leading off, followed by NEW ORLEANS NOIR, a collection of pre- and post-Katrina stories edited by Julie Smith, I think we can brace ourselves for another storm-- several novels by authors from here and elsewhere that attack the subject with compassion and suspense, and I suspect, a full array of crimes and suspects. Watch for FLOATERS by a non-local due out early in 2008, and for our own Tom Piazza's new novel (he's the author of WHY NEW ORLEANS MATTERS) late summer or early fall.

I'm here writing like mad, making up for lost time after my last book, a biography of Norma Wallace, THE LAST MADAM: A LIFE IN THE NEW ORLEANS UNDERWORLD. When I have a publication date for my novel-in-progress, I'll post it. Meanwhile, there's plenty to read--I like those stacks at the side of my bed to keep growing. Gives me a sense of security.

I am the author of 5 books:
THE KILLING CIRCLE, A DIAMOND BEFORE YOU DIE, AND THE EMERALD LIZARD, which are the triology comprising the Neal Rafferty series. The next novel, GLASS HOUSE, is a story about fear, based upon a true incident in which a New Orleans police officer was murdered on the border of one of New Orleans' most violent housing projects. This was followed by THE LAST MADAM: A LIFE IN THE NEW ORLEANS UNDERWORLD. In NEW ORLEANS NOIR, I have a short story called "Night Taxi."

I've published essays and articles in "The New Yorker," "The Los Angeles Times," "New Orleans Magazine," and various journals. I have written 2 screenplays, which did not find a screen, and co-wrote a documentary "Race and the American Dream," which aired on PBS in 1992. THE LAST MADAM has been produced as a play, and it is currently optioned for the screen.

I have held many different jobs to support my writing, including a brief stint in a Los Angeles advertising agency, a correspondent for two trade journals, work in a drug rehab center and an independent book shop here in New Orleans, and held the title of "costumer" for a fifties-style rock 'n roll band. The most dramatic job I ever held was as a short order cook in the French Quarter. One afternoon as I tried to fill too many orders before a Saints football game, the overloaded grill caught on fire. I lost the job, but I must say it's handy at times to know how to put out a grease fire .

I've also spent some time at both Tulane and Loyola Universities as a visiting writer-in-residence and an adjunct professor, teaching creative writing courses. I enjoyed teaching and I've enjoyed many of the seminars I've conducted around the country as well. Inspiration and knowledge always come from those who want to learn.