Denise Swanson started writing after coming face-to-face with evil. She quickly decided she would rather write about villains than encounter them in her daily life. She was also shocked to discover that getting a book published was nearly as difficult as vanquishing scoundrels. Her books are set in Scumble River, a fictional small town in the Midwest, and feature Skye Denison, a full-figured school psychologist-sleuth. Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry is the tenth and latest book in her Scumble River Mystery series.
Denise was nominated for RT Magazine's Career Achievement Award. Her fellow nominees included Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. She has spoken at hundreds of library events and other civic organizations, and has received excellent ratings when surveys have been taken. She has also been interviewed on radio and TV.
Her first book, Murder of a Small-Town Honey, was nominated for the Agatha Best First Mystery. It won the Reviewers Choice Awards for Best First Novel and Best Amateur Sleuth, and is currently in its eleventh printing! Her second book, Murder of a Sweet Old Lady, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and is in its eighth printing. Her third book, Murder of a Sleeping Beauty is in its fifth printing. Her fourth book, Murder of a Snake in the Grass, débuted in the top 100 of the Barnes & Noble online best-sellers and is in its fifth printing. Her fifth book, Murder of a Barbie and Ken, (seventh printing) was an RT Magazine Top Pick, spent four weeks on the Barnes & Noble Mass Market Mystery Best-Seller list, was #1 on the IMBA Best-Seller list, a BookSense 76 Pick, and nominated for an RT Reviewers Choice Best Amateur Sleuth Award and the Daphne du Maurier award. Her sixth book, Murder of a Pink Elephant, (fifth printing) was also a Daphne du Maurier finalist — coming in second, spent three weeks on the Barnes & Noble Mass Market Mystery Best-Seller list, and was #1 on the IMBA Best-Seller list. Her seventh book, Murder of a Smart Cookie, (third printing) débuted at #11 on the Barnes & Noble Best-Seller list and remained on the list for four weeks. Her eighth book, Murder of a Real Bad Boy, was #15 its first week and #13 its second week on the Barnes & Noble Best-Seller list and remained on the list four weeks. It was also featured on the paperback best-seller list in Entertainment Weekly magazine. Her ninth book, Murder of a Botoxed Blonde, (second printing) became a Barnes & Noble Mass Market Best-Seller and an IMBA Best-Seller in its first month.
Denise Swanson lives in Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr ( http://www.DeniseSwanson.com/Stybr ), and their cool black cat Boomerang. Unlike her protagonist Skye, Denise realizes she can never really move very far from her home town. But several times a year she and Dave sneak away for a little adventure.
Composer David Stybr and author Denise Swanson.
Independent Music: George Frideric Händel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, arranged by David Stybr for Tuned Percussion Ensemble (Glockenspiel, Celesta, Music Box, Steel Drum, Xylophone, Marimba and Vibraphone) (3˝ minutes, © 2008)
Created 25 December 1999 * Updated 29 February 2008
© 2008 Denise Swanson
Der Webmeister: David Stybr * Web Host Provider: Interland, Inc.
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