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.