Growing up, I always loved mysteries. I read all the Nancy Drew books cover to cover and was forever in hot pursuit of trying to solve an interesting case. I wrote mystery plays during my summer vacation, talked my friends and family into performing and then prayed that someone would come to see them. The tickets were cheap enough—a dime and a quarter. Against all odds we managed to make several hundred dollars, which my mother promptly made us donate to a charity. Since my uncle had died of leukemia, the proceeds went to St. Jude Research Hospital for Children. I still give ten percent of my profits to them.

I started publishing short stories for magazines. Then I wrote a novel Buried In The Townhouse and Wordbeams.com published it as an e-book. The mystery was told from different points of view, and everyone's favorite character was the teenage son, Alex. I decided then that I would try my hand at writing a young adult mystery, just like the ones I used to read. I wanted it to be scary but at the same time, to be light, humorous and fun. I hope I have been able to do that with The Night The Penningtons Vanished and with all my books that followed.

The Night The Penningtons Vanished was followed by Angels From The Alphabet, a murder mystery which takes place in a high school on the lower east side of Manhattan. My latest book, Annabelle's Monsters is a cross between horror, mystery and fantasy, about a monster who has taken residence in a boiler at a Catholic school.

My latest book is an adult mystery Murder at St. Polycarp, which takes place in an elementary school. When the seventh grade teacher is poisoned, mayhem ensues. Two fellow teachers, Mrs. Hopwood and Mrs. Johnston set out to solve the puzzle, risking their own lives and turning the school upside down.

If you are a teacher and are interested in learning how to teach mysteries in the classroom, please e-mail me and I would be happy to send you a ten step plan.

Also, if you would like me to visit your school, library or book club, I would be happy to do so, if it's possible. Or if you have any questions for me, feel free to drop me a note by e-mail at henridge@aol.com.