Jan Burke is an award-winning author of novels and short stories. She is a winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Burke was born in Texas, but has lived in Southern California most of her life. She comes from a close-knit family, and remains close to her parents, two sisters and a brother. Burke's husband is musician Tim Burke, whose bands include Downtight. She attended California State University, Long Beach, and graduated with a degree in history. She worked as a researcher on an oral history project interviewing "Rosie the Riveters." Later she became the manager of a manufacturing... plant for a large corporation. She completed her first novel, Goodnight, Irene in the evenings after work. It was sold unagented and unsolicited to Simon & Schuster. She received a surprising boost from a new fan when, during his first White House interview after taking office, President Bill Clinton said he was reading Goodnight, Irene. Irene Kelly Mysteries: Burke edited the first edition of Breaking and Entering, a Sisters in Crime's guide to getting published. She served as an Associate Editor on Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America, edited by Sue Grafton.
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