Lisa Sandlin was born in Beaumont, Texas, and grew up in oil-refinery air, sixty miles from the Gulf of Mexico. She raised a son in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then taught writing at the University of Nebraska for twenty years. She has since returned to Santa Fe. The Do-Right-her first novel-won the 2015 Hammett Award from the IACW/NA and the Best First Private Eye Prize from the Seamus Awards.