Sue Grafton: Author of the Alphabet Mystery Series

Sue Grafton, daughter of the mystery writer C.W Grafton, was once reading a book called The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey. It is an alphabetical picture book of children who die by various means. It sparked an idea in Sue Grafton's head and she sat down to write down all of the crime-related words she knew- alphabetically. That was the beginning of the Alphabet Mystery Series. The series has been going strong for twenty-seven years now.

Kinsey Millhone is smart, tough, funny an d the first person narrator of one of the most popular mystery series of our time. Created by Sue Grafton in 1982, Kinsey's latest adventure was in the novel "T" is for Trespass, in which Kinsey goes up against a diabolical villainess who commits fraud against the elderly- with a little murder thrown in.

Sue Grafton was born in Louisville, Kentucky on April 24, 1940. Her mother was Vivian Hansberger, daughter of a Presbyterian minister. Grafton and her sister Ann were raised in Louisville. and in 1961, Sue Grafton graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor's degree in English Literature. She minored in humanities and fine arts. On Sue's twentieth birthday, Vivian, her mother, took her own life.

Grafton's early experience as a writer was as a screenwriter. She wrote the scripts for Sex and the Single Parent, Mark, I Love You and Nurse. Her screenwriting expertise taught her how to create action a nd suspense. She learned to craft realistic dialogue. After a long bitter divorce and custody battle that lasted six years, Grafton decided to write fiction again. She loved mystery series with themed titles, such as John D. Macdonald, who used colors and Harry Kemelman who used days of the week. Grafton's own father referenced nursery rhymes in his mystery series.

The alphabet series do not take place in real time. The stories still take place in the 1980s and are set in the fictional town of Santa Teresa, California. Santa Teresa is based on Santa Barbara. It's a tribute to writer Ross Macdonald, who also used Santa Teresa in his novels.

Grafton has been the recipient of three Anthony Awards, including the first two. She also has three Shamus Awards. She was also the recipient of the 2000 YWCA of Lexington Smith-Breckinridge Distinguished Woman of Achievement Award and the Ross Macdonald Literary Award. The British Crime Writer's Association has awarded Grafton the Cartier Dagger, honoring her lifetime achievement in the mystery genre.

Grafton has been twice divorced, although she's been married to her husband Steven F. Humphrey for more than 20 years. She has three children and several grandchildren, including one named Kinsey. Grafton's husband teaches at universities in Santa Barbara and Louisville and the two divide their time between the two cities.

Grafton's latest novel, U is for Undertow is set to come out in December of 2009.