Jane K. Cleland

Jane K. Cleland is a contemporary American author of mystery fiction. She is the author of the Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries, a traditional mystery series set in New Hampshire and featuring antiques appraiser Josie Prescott, as well as "noir" plays that focus on women and their complicated love relationships with men.^[1] In addition, Cleland runs seminars and workshops on business writing and marketing, and the writing of memoirs, creative non-fiction, young-adult fiction, romance, and science fiction. Cleland has been nominated for and has won numerous awards for her writing.

Early years

Jane K. Cleland was born in Boston and reared in Newton, Massachusetts, graduating from Newton High School. She then attended the University of Denver, graduating with a B.A. in English and Theatre. She obtained an M.B.A in Marketing and Management from Babson College, and an M.F.A. in Playwriting and Speechwriting from Western Connecticut State University.

Works

Josie Prescott novels

• Consigned to Death (2006). This, the first Josie Prescott book, was an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association bestseller and was nominated for the Agatha Award, Macavity, and David Awards for Best First Novel. A Reader’s Digest Book Club selection. Selected by the New Hampshire State Library as a Book of the Week. Translated into Russian and Hungarian. Editions published in the UK and in large print. Selected by Library Journal as a "core title" for librarians seeking to build a cozy collection.
• Deadly Appraisal (2007), won the David Award for Best Novel of 2007. Editions published in the UK and in large print.
• Antiques to Die For (2008), nominated for the David for Best Novel of 2008. Editions published in the UK and in large print.
• Killer Keepsakes (2009). Editions published in the UK and in large print.
• Silent Auction (2010), a Harlequin Book Club selection. Editions published in the UK and in large print. Nominated for a David Award.
• Deadly Threads (2011), a Harlequin Book Club selection. Editions published in the UK and in large print.
• Dolled Up for Murder (April 2012), a Harlequin Book Club selection. Editions published in the UK and in large print. Winner of David Award.
• Lethal Treasure (2013), a Harlequin Book Club selection. Editions published in the UK and in large print.

Short stories

• “Killing Time” - Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, November, 2008. Nominated for Agatha and Anthony awards for Best Short Story, 2008; also named one of the Best Short Stories of 2008 by critic and scholar, Michael E. Grost.
• “Designed To Kill” - Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, June 2009
• “Last Supper,” Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, June 2012. Features Laney, a 12 year-old orphan.

Noir plays

• Easy Kill - A 10-minute play about a woman who’ll kill to save herself.
• Back to Jack - A two act play testing what’s more important—friendship or the truth.
• Killing Time - A one-act play featuring Josie Prescott, an antiques appraiser who uses her knowledge of antiques to uncover a dark and dangerous secret.

Non-fiction books

• Business Writing for Results, McGraw Hill
• Putting First What Matters Most NAL/Penguin Putnam
• How to Create High Impact Newsletters, Career Track
• How to Create Eye-Catching Design, Career Track

Writing guides

• "Start a Blog, Earn a Career", LIM College, 2011.
• "How to Solve a Case Study", LIM College, 2010.
• "How to Structure an Essay", LIM College, 2010.
• "How to Get Published", LIM College, 2010.
• "Book Club discussion questions for the Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries" St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2006–present
• "One City, One Book Discussion Questions: Some Buried Caesar," City of Indianapolis, Indiana, 2010.

Affiliations

Cleland served as a director of the Mystery Writers of America and served a two-year term as president of the group's New York chapter. She currently chairs the Literary Awards Committee of the Wolfe Pack, an association of fans of the Nero Wolfe novels by Rex Stout which confers the annual Nero Award as well as the Black Orchid Novella Award (BONA) in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Cleland is also a member of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, Sisters in Crime, and the Dramatists Guild of America. Cleland is on the faculty of Lehman College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY).

Honors and awards

• Bestseller, Independent Mystery Bookseller Association: Consigned to Death
• “Core Title” Consigned to Death selected by Library Journal as a “core title” when building a cozy collection, one of only 22 titles listed, along with novels by Agatha Christie & Dorothy L. Sayers.^[2]
• Winner, David Award, Deadly Appraisal and Dolled Up for Murder
• Finalist, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, and David Awards, multiple nominations.
• Barnes & Noble, online book club, Featured Author, spring 2010; “Agatha Christie Month” essayist, September 2010; and Rex Stout essayist, multiple dates.
• Western Connecticut State University MFA “Distinguished Thesis,” “Women Who Love Men They Hate,” awarded the program’s highest honor.

References

External links

• Official website of Jane K. Cleland