Ellen Mansoor Collier is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor who has contributed to several national magazines. She has interviewed notable figures such as Suze Orman and Nancy Brinker, as well as many unsung heroes and heroines for publications including Family Circle, Biography, Modern Bride, First, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Country Accents, Nation's Business, Playgirl, and Woman's World. Collier's work has been featured in Woman's World in the form of several short stories, both mystery and romance.
Collier's writing is influenced by her diverse work experience, which includes working as a magazine editor, substitute teacher, community newspaper reporter, and in advertising, marketing, and public relations. She once worked as a cocktail waitress, which provided background for her speakeasy scenes. Collier graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Magazine Journalism, and served as president of WICI (Women in Communications, Inc.) and as an editor on UTmost, the UT Magazine, during her senior year.
Collier's Jazz Age mystery series is set in Prohibition-era 1920s Galveston and was inspired by real-life rival gangs and historic events. The series includes Flappers, Flasks and Foul Play, Bathing Beauties, Booze and Bullets, Gold Diggers, Gamblers and Guns, Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville, and Deco Dames, Demon Rum and Death. Collier was inspired by Galveston's rich history and legends, having grown up in Houston where Galveston was like a second home to her. The series is set against the backdrop of the 1920s, a time of wild and colorful stories, which Collier has brought to life in her writing. She currently lives in Houston with her husband and hyperactive Chow/Sheperd mutts, and visits Galveston whenever possible.