Ann Roberts is the award-winning author of twenty-two books in various genres: romance, young adult, general fiction and the Ari Adams mystery series. She has been short-listed for a Lambda Literary Award three times, and she has the unusual distinction of being recognized in both the Mystery and Romance categories. The Golden Crown Literary Society has short-listed four of her mysteries for a “Goldie,” and she’s won the award twice, for Point of Betrayal (2014) and Dying on the Vine (2020). Ann is also the proud recipient of the Alice B. Medal for her body of work.
It was Ann’s mother, a lifelong writer and poet, who instilled in Ann a love of writing at a young age and showed her that staring off into space was a worthwhile and valid way to spend one’s time. Six-year-old Ann wrote her first novel, Petunia’s Big Adventure, when her guinea pig (Petunia) escaped from her hutch. Her mother enjoyed the story very much, and she gave Ann her first “royalty payment,” a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Petunia was also found in her brother’s extraordinarily messy room, happily munching on a discarded piece of lettuce underneath his bed. Her brother never explained why it was there, but it inspired another story for Ann, Petunia’s Nightmare.
Ann spent nearly thirty years as an educator in her native Arizona, first as a high school English teacher and later as a school administrator. She retired from public education in 2016, after a four-year stint as an educational consultant, working with teachers and administrators in the county jails and the facilities housing undocumented, unaccompanied minors. Throughout her career she made time for the thing she loved: writing.
In 2005, Ann submitted Paid in Full, her first mystery novel, to Bella Books, and the rest is indeed history. Her 22nd novel, a holiday romantic comedy titled A Carol for Karol, releases in November of 2023. When Ann’s not writing, she serves as an editor for her Bella colleagues and other indie authors. She also mentors new writers, believing if she could improve the writing ability of apathetic high school students, she could certainly coach and support motivated authors.
In 2017 Ann and her wife of 25 years relocated to Eugene, Oregon, trading in the brown of the desert for the green of pine trees. They enjoy hiking in the Cascades, walking along the beach, cheering for the U of O’s Women’s Basketball Team (Go Ducks!), and visiting wineries and vineyards. Ann finds the new surroundings inspiring, and she envisions Oregon as the setting of several future novels and Sasquatch (who is believed to reside in Oregon) as a recurring character.
