Judge Debra H. Goldstein left the bench to follow her passion for writing mysteries. She is the author of Kensington’s Sarah Blair Mystery Series and two standalones: Maze in Blue and Should Have Played Poker. Her novels and short stories have received Silver Falchion, IPPY, AWC, and BWR awards and been named Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, and Claymore finalists.
Debra’s short pieces have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, Malice Domestic Murder Most Edible, Masthead, Murder by the Glass, Jukes & Tonks, An Element of Mystery, Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon, and First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder. A collection of her short stories will be forthcoming from White City Press, a division Misti Media, LLC.
Judge, author, litigator, wife, step-mom, mother of twins, and civic volunteer, are all words that have been used to describe Debra. Her life and writings are equally diverse. Raised in New Jersey and Michigan, she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Emory University. Before becoming a judge, she began her legal career doing international tax for General Motors, but after realizing she preferred people to numbers, she switched to labor litigation. The high point of her litigation career was winning a case of first impression for the Department of Labor that addressed equal pay in higher education.
A civic volunteer in Birmingham, Alabama, Debra also serves on the national board of Sisters in Crime and previously was a national board member of Mystery Writers of America and president of Sinc’s largest chapter, the Guppies, and SEMWA. On a personal note, Debra is married to a man whose blood runs Crimson.