[close] Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2003.

Family History:

Father: C.W. Grafton, born 1909, third son of Presbyterian Missionaries, born and raised in China, educated Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina; practicing attorney in Louisville, Kentucky with a 40-year specialty in municipal bonds. Author of THE RAT BEGAN TO GNAW THE ROPE, THE ROPE BEGAN TO HANG THE BUTCHER, BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER NAGEL. Died, 1982.

Mother: Vivian Harnsberger, oldest daughter of Presbyterian Missionaries; born 1908 in Spruce, West Virginia, raised in China, educated at Radford State Teachers College with a degree in secondary education; taught high school chemistry before her marriage in 1932 to C.W. Grafton, a childhood sweetheart. Died 1960.

Siblings: one sister, Ann; a retired librarian who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Personal History:

Subject born in Louisville, Kentucky April 24 1940; graduated University of Louisville, BA 1961 with a major in English Literature, minors in Humanities and Fine Arts.

Subject married to Steven F. Humphrey with three children from previous marriages: a daughter, Leslie; a son, Jay; a daughter, Jamie; and three granddaughters, Erin, age 21, Kinsey, age 13, Taylor, age 4, and Addison, age 2.

Employment History:

Subject has worked in the medical field as an admissions clerk, cashier, and clinic secretary, St. Johns Hospital, Santa Monica; medical secretary to a GP and later medical education secretary, Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara, California.

Subject has written numerous movies for television: "Walking Through the Fire" for which she won a Christopher Award, 1979, "Sex and the Single Parent," "Mark, I Love You," and "Nurse." In addition, with Steven Humphrey, she adapted two Agatha Christie novels, "Caribbean Mystery" and "Sparkling Cyanide." The two also cowrote "Killer in the Family," and "Love on the Run." Previous mysteries include: 'A' IS FOR ALIBI (1982), 'B' IS FOR BURGLAR (1985), 'C' IS FOR CORPSE (1986), 'D' IS FOR DEADBEAT (1987), 'E' IS FOR EVIDENCE (1988), 'F' IS FOR FUGITIVE (1989), 'G' IS FOR GUMSHOE (1990), 'H' IS FOR HOMICIDE (1991) 'I' IS FOR INNOCENT (1992), 'J' IS FOR JUDGMENT (1993), 'K' IS FOR KILLER (1994), 'L' IS FOR LAWLESS (1995), 'M' IS FOR MALICE (1996). Early novels include; KEZIAH DANE (1967) and THE LOLLY-MADONNA WAR (1969), both out of print. [close]