Jess Armstrong is the USA Today best selling author of the Ruby Vaughn Mysteries. Her debut novel, The Curse of Penryth Hall, won the Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur First Crime Novel Competition. She has a masters degree in American History but prefers writing about imaginary people to the real thing. Jess lives in New Orleans with her historian husband, two sons, and growing number of pets and plants. And when she’s not working on her next project, she’s probably thinking about cheese, baking, on social media or some combination of the above. You can find her on Instagram or Threads @JessL_Armstrong at or see what’s new on her website writingjess.com.