Sharan Newman is a medieval historian and writer who has published eight medieval mysteries and won many awards, including the Macavity for Best First Mystery of 1993 (Death Comes As Epiphany), and the Herodatus Award for Best Historical Mystery of 1998 (Cursed in the Blood). She has a BA from Antioch College in Comparative Literature, an MA from Michigan State University in English and has completed the requirements for a Ph.D. in History at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She is a longtime member of the Medieval Academy and has served on the advisory board for the Medieval Association of the Pacific. She has delivered a number of academic papers, taught at Temple University and UC Santa Barbara and continues to lecture widely on medieval topics.