Ellen Byron

An Anthony Award nominee, Ellen Byron is a bestselling author and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country mysteries, Vintage Cookbook mysteries, and Catering Hall mysteries (as Maria DiRico). She is also an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents. Ellen was the 2023 Left Coast Crime Toastmaster but considers her most impressive achievement working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. A native New Yorker, Ellen is a graduate of Tulane University and lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and a rotating crew of rescue pups.