Connie Shelton is a well-known American author, best recognized for her cozy mystery novel series, the Charlie Parker Mysteries and the Samantha Sweet series. Shelton's love for books started at a young age, with weekly trips to the library and a constant companion of at least one book that she was reading. Besides writing and reading, she enjoys various hobbies such as painting, drawing, cooking, and visiting the beach. Shelton is happily married and resides in New Mexico with her husband.
Shelton began her writing career in 1995 with the release of her debut book, Deadly Gamble, which marked the beginning of her Charlie Parker book series. She spent two years writing 500 pages for her first book and entered it into a Writers competition in Southwest, where it won third place. Soon after, many publishers began making offers to her for publishing that book, but she continued to write her second and third books. It wasn't until later that she decided to publish her work, and since then, she has not looked back. Initially, Shelton was focused on writing multiple books based on Charlie Parker's character, but after contributing ten books, she thought of branching out and created her second book series featuring Samantha Sweet.
Shelton is passionate about her writing and loves connecting with her readers. She enjoys what she does and considers having fun and making a connection with the readers as what being a mystery writer means to her. In addition to writing, Shelton is an award-winning essayist, with her work published in several anthologies, including Chicken Soup For the Writer's Soul. She is also a commercial hot air balloon pilot and holds the women's world altitude record for size AX-4 balloons. She and her husband live in northern New Mexico with their two dogs, Daisy and Missy, who became stars of their own series of children's books.