Bio
Michelle L. Cullen has lived and traveled all over the world: from Paris to Kigali, London to Lombok, Melbourne to Antigua. For almost a decade, she worked as an anthropologist in conflict-affected countries, focusing on reconstruction projects in Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific—where she saw and experienced the best and worst of human behavior.
After (unsuccessfully) trying to save the world, she turned her focus to learning the craft of spin. She has over ten years of experience with marketing, specializing in content, social media, and brand.
Her lifelong fascination with people, and why they do what they do, has been fueled by her academic training. She obtained her Ph.D. from the London School of Economics’ Sociology Department in England and her master’s degree in Anthropology from Melbourne University in Australia. Michelle has authored numerous non-fiction publications, including a book, Violent Conflict and the Transformation of Social Capital, and an op-ed in The New York Times on the 2003 bombing of the United Nations’ headquarters in Iraq. She has a black belt in Taekwondo, has summited 900 feet rock climbing, and has flown a helicopter (once, during a lesson, for five terrifying minutes).
Together, these experiences have inspired and informed Michelle's stories. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Writer's League of Texas, and The Authors Guild, and has been gleefully reading mysteries since the age of ten.
Michelle is represented by Paula Munier at Talcott Notch Literary.