Tesh, Jane 1950(?)–

PERSONAL: Born December 31, c. 1950, in Thomasville, NC. Education: Lenoir Rhyne College, B.A., 1972; University of North Carolina, Greensboro, M.Ed. Hobbies and other interests: Plays the piano, teaches aerobics and kickboxing.

ADDRESSES: Home—Mount Airy, NC. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Poisoned Pen Press, 6962 E. 1st Ave., Ste. 103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251.

CAREER: Jones Elementary School, Mount Airy, NC, school librarian, 1975–2004.

WRITINGS:

The Dewey Decimal System, or I've Got Your Number, (nonfiction), Highsmith Press (Fort Atkinson, WI), 1997.

A Case of Imagination, (mystery novel), Poisoned Pen Press (Scottsdale, AZ), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Born and raised in North Carolina, Jane Tesh was blessed with experiencing the advantages of both a city and a country life when her parents purchased a farm as a second home in Summerfield, near their main dwelling in Greensboro. The exposure provided her with plenty of writing material from a young age. She studied English at Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina, then went on to earn her Master's in Education from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Unsure of what she wanted to do after graduation, she ended up taking a position as the school librarian at Jones Elementary School in Mount Airy City, and never left, frequently using teacher's meetings as time to surreptitiously work on her own writing. Although she wrote constantly and continued to send her writing out to editors, it was only after she retired in 2004 that Tesh received a contract for her first novel, A Case of Imagination. A murder mystery, the book follows former beauty queen Madeline Maclin as she tries to set up her own detective agency, and what happens when a mystery at a local pageant leads to murder. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted Tesh's inconsistencies in direction, commenting that "hopefully she'll develop a more consistent tone as she hones her craft in later entries." Barbara Bibel, in a review for Booklist, called Tesh's book "enjoyable reading."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2006, Barbara Bibel, review of A Case of Imagination, p. 34.

Publishers Weekly, December 12, 2005, review of A Case of Imagination, p. 42.

ONLINE

Jane Tesh Home Page, http://www.janetesh.com (April 25, 2006).