ANDERSON, S. Catherine 1959(?)-

(Cathy Pickens)

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1959, in Walhalla, SC. Education: Earned law degree.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Queens University of Charlotte, 1900 Selwyn Ave., Charlotte, NC 28274.

CAREER:

Former partner in a law firm. Queens University, Charlotte, NC, professor of business administration, also served as university provost for five years. Member of board of directors, Forensic Medicine Program. Has also worked as a typist, a clog-dancing coach, and a church organist and choir director.

MEMBER:

South Carolina Bar Association.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Malice Domestic Award for Best New Traditional Mystery, St. Martin's Press, 2003, for Southern Fried.

WRITINGS:

(Under pseudonym Cathy Pickens) Southern Fried (mystery novel), St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

A second "Avery Andrews" mystery novel.

SIDELIGHTS:

S. Catherine "Cathy" Anderson is an attorney and professor of business administration whose longtime desire to write mystery novels became a reality with the publication of Southern Fried in 2004. Drawing on her experience in civil litigation at a law firm where she had been a partner, as well as on her background growing up in Walhalla, South Carolina, Anderson created a southern female attorney, Avery Andrews, to be the hero of her first book. After being fired from her law firm in a big city, Andrews returns to her home in Dacus, South Carolina, to set up a private practice. It does not take long for her to become involved in local issues ranging from environmental pollution at Garnet Mills to the murder of a woman who had been missing for years. Sprinkled into this mix are colorful characters such as a local historian who wants Andrews to defend the honor of a Confederate soldier whom he feels has been slandered, and a love-smitten man named Donlee who fakes his own death and the death of others to get Andrews's attention. Although a Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked that the "plotting is slack and predictable," the critic enjoyed the "tart atmosphere" of the tale. Many other critics had high praise for Anderson's debut, with a Library Journal writer lauding the "gossipy humor, colorful characters, and Southern ethos." A Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded that the novel marks a "strong start [that] augurs well for future books in the series."

Anderson published her first book with a pseudonym because she was uncertain how her university would react to her writing a mystery novel. Anderson stated on her Web site that she has always enjoyed mysteries for the intellectual stimulation they offer, as well as their entertainment value. As for her audience, she said, "I hope readers enjoy a good laugh, the welcome embrace of people they'll enjoy seeing again, and a puzzle that intrigues and satisfies. I'd also like to introduce them to my part of the country, which has often been awkwardly stereotyped by movies and television."