Susan Brearley Novelist & Developmental Editor

Thirty years ago, doctors gave me a terminal diagnosis. Now I write stories about women who refuse to go quietly—grandmothers who've seen enough to know exactly where the bodies should go.

The mystery novels have a name for what they do. I call it grandmother noir, and the phrase earns its keep, because it means a protagonist old enough to be invisible, which is the single most useful thing a criminal can be. That is the series. It is not the whole shelf.

The rest of the shelf holds memoir, personal essay, poetry, humor, and a horror novel in progress. Decades of writing do not fit inside one genre, and I have stopped pretending they should.

When I'm not writing fiction, I serve as Editor-in-Chief for twelve Medium publications, including MuddyUm—the platform's premier humor destination. I write about food and culture for Chronogram Magazine. And through Garden of Neuro Institute, I publish anthologies and help other writers find their voices.

I am building a ten-year body of work. Planning to live to 140. Both of those are load-bearing statements.