# Ellen Byron

Ellen Byron (born in New York) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer.
As a novelist, she has written the Cajun Country Mystery series and Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, as well as the Catering Hall Mystery series under the pseudonym Maria DiRico. She has won two Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Best Humorous Mystery Lefty Awards. Bayou Book Thief, her first Vintage Cookbook Mystery, was nominated for an Anthony Award.
As a screenwriter, she has written for Wings, Just Shoot Me!, and The Fairly OddParents.

## Biography

Byron was born in the borough of Queens, New York City.
She attended Tulane University. Her experiences in Louisiana inspired her Cajun Country Mystery series.
Byron has written over 200 articles for national publications. She relocated from New York to Los Angeles to pursue a television career that spanned twenty-five years. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, daughter, and rescue dog.

## Awards and honors

Awards for Byron's writing :
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 2015 | Plantation Shudders | Agatha Award for Best First Novel | Finalist |
| 2016 | Plantation Shudders | Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery | Finalist |
| 2016 | Body on the Bayou | Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel | Finalist |
| 2017 | Body on the Bayou | Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel | Winner |
| 2017 | A Cajun Christmas Killing | Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel | Finalist |
| 2018 | A Cajun Christmas Killing | Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel | Winner |
| 2018 | Mardi Gras Murder | Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel | Winner |
| 2019 | Mardi Gras Murder | Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel | Finalist |
| 2019 | Fatal Cajun Festival | Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel | Finalist |
| 2020 | Fatal Cajun Festival | Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel | Finalist |
| 2020 | Murder in the Bayou Boneyard | Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel | Finalist |
| 2021 | Murder in the Bayou Boneyard | Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel | Winner |
| 2021 | Cajun Kiss of Death | Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel | Winner |
| 2022 | Cajun Kiss of Death | Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery Novel | Finalist |

## Publications
### Cajun Country Mystery series

* Plantation Shudders (2015)
* Body on the Bayou (2016)
* A Cajun Christmas Killing (2017)
* Mardi Gras Murder (2018)
* Fatal Cajun Festival (2019)
* Murder in the Bayou Boneyard (2020)
* Cajun Kiss of Death (2021)

### Catering Hall Mystery series (as Maria DiRico)

* Here Comes the Body (2020)
* Long Island Iced Tina (2021)
* It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder (2021)
* Four Parties and a Funeral (2023)

### Plays

* Graceland and Asleep on the Wind (1998)
* Election Year and So When You Get Married.... Two Short Plays. (1998)

### Vintage Cookbook Mystery series

* Bayou Book Thief (2022)
* Wined and Died in New Orleans (2023)

## Television

Byron's television credits :
| Year(s) | Show | Episodes (No.) | Role |
| 1992-1993 | Flying Blind | 3 | Writer |
| 1993 | Joe's Life | 3 | Writer |
| 1994-1997 | Wings | 50 | Co-producer Executive story editor Supervising producer Writer |
| 1997-1998 | Jenny | 17 | Supervising producer Writer |
| 2000 | Young Americans | 1 | Writer |
| 2000-2001 | The Weber Show | 8 | Consulting producer Writer |
| 2001-2002 | Maybe It's Me | 21 | Co-executive producer Writer |
| 2002-2003 | Just Shoot Me! | 24 | Consulting producer Writer |
| 2003-2004 | It's All Relative | 20 | Supervising producer Writer |
| 2004-2006 | Still Standing | 6 | Co-executive producer Consulting producer Writer |
| 2009 | Rita Rocks | 2 | Writer |
| 2010 | Sonny with a Chance | 8 | Consulting producer |
| 2011 | Good Luck Charlie | 11 | Consulting producer Writer |
| 2014 | The Tom and Jerry Show | 1 | Writer |
| 2017 | Bunsen is a Beast | 10 | Developer Writer |
| 2013-2017 | The Fairly OddParents | 22 | Writer |