WHO
IS SHE?
MORGAN'S BIO

WHO
SAYS?
REVIEWS

WHERE
IS SHE?

Usually in her studio.
Or spending time with family.
Or any number of places.
If those have to do with writing,
they'll be listed here

Deborah Morgan made $33.33 a word for the first words she sold, and says, "it's gone downhill from there." Actually, it was award money for winning a "Name Our Business" contest in her hometown of Grove, Oklahoma. That was back in the '80s, the place was a lumberyard/home store, and the handle she gave it was "Grand Country Homeworks." (At the time, Oklahoma was called the State of Many Countries, and the northeast corner was dubbed Grand Country.) The last Morgan knew, the business still goes by that name.

      She grew up on a ranch just outside Grove, was the Grove Roundup Club's Rodeo Queen when she was 15 years old  -- and she still  likes to wear boots and jeans.

      She's a descendant of The Dalton brothers, which may or may not explain her bent for things western. A touch of western often finds its way into her mystery writing. For instance, even though her tough-gal detective Mary Shelley lives in Detroit, she drives a pickup truck and wears cowboy boots whenever she can get away with it. In addition, a couple of fellow Western Writers of America members have found their way into the Jeff Talbot antique-lover's mysteries, and Sheila Talbot's sister, Karen Gray, decorated a retro camper in western antiques and cowgirl chic to use for her home as an itinerant photographer.

      Morgan picked up her basic knowledge of criminal investigation while she was Chief Dispatcher for a city police department in northeastern Oklahoma, and as permit clerk and dispatcher for  the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. While with OHP, she could fire 12 rounds in under 15 seconds using a handgun, and scored 93% target-shooting with a rifle from a cruiser (had to exit cruiser and use door as shield while firing through open window).

      She's won awards in both fiction and nonfiction, is a speaker and panel moderator at writers' conventions and seminars, and is an active member of Western Writers of America. She was recently asked--again--to run for the board of WWA; this time she said yes. The election will be held this spring. She'll be attending the WWA convention in Springfield (June), and is on the convention committee as graphic designer.

       The fifth book in her antique-lover's mystery series featuring antiques picker (and former FBI agent) Jeff Talbot was published in April 2006. Every novel in the series has made the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association list, with the third--The Marriage Casket--taking the #1 slot.

      Before moving to Michigan in 1993 to "join typewriters" with Loren D. Estleman,  she was managing editor of a biweekly newspaper in southeast Kansas. She's also been managing editor of two national treasure hunting magazines. In addition to those editorial duties, she wrote columns, articles, and profiles of higher-ups in the business. She was editor and art director of the Private Eye Writers of America newsletter for three years.

     She and Loren live on 120 acres in Michigan, in a home that reflects their shared love for antiques. Morgan enjoys both remodeling and decorating, and recently developed plans to expand the home's western-themed living room. Each room is a different character, much like those in the couple's writing, and one of Morgan's favorite pastimes is browsing hardware stores. Her tools don't have pink handles.

      She's recently gotten hooked on scrapbooking, which allows her to combine three loves: writing, photography, and graphic design. She turned down a publisher's request to write a scrapbooking mystery series so she could focus on research for the historical novel she's currently writing.

      Morgan enjoys photographing other authors and many of those photos have appeared nationally in magazines, newspapers, and on book jackets.

      An accomplished poker player,  Morgan used to be found at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention matching wits with such luminaries as Sara Paretsky, Lawrence Block, and Parnell Hall.

      Morgan has a son, a daughter, a grandson, and a granddaughter -- all in Missouri. She spends as much time there as possible, near her Oklahoma roots in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.

 WHAT
DOES SHE WRITE?

JEFF TALBOT
ANTIQUE-LOVER'S
MYSTERY SERIES

HISTORICAL WESTERNS

MARY SHELLEY
PRIVATE EYE SERIES

WHAT
ELSE IS ON HER
WEB SITE?

FAQ

LINKS

HER 1937 CADDY

GRAPHIC DESIGN