Meet Leslie Nagel
My career has traced a long and colorful path, from cleaning to catering, from temping to grant writing for a non-profit, to marketing and sales management for a local home builder. I began leading with a Boy Scout troop when my son was eight; I discovered I had a flair for teaching, and this convinced me to return to the classroom and finally earn that Masters degree. That journey, in turn, reignited a passion I'd kept tucked away since childhood: the desire to write fiction.
I was raised in the very real Oakwood, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Smith College in Massachusetts, and then--many years later--a Masters in Education from the University of Dayton. |
After college and my first 'serious' job managing a hotel restaurant in Denver, I married my high school sweetheart. The Rockies are spectacular, but I have to admit my husband and I couldn’t wait to move back home to be near our families. When I see all the wonderful things happening in Dayton today, from the Dayton Dragons Single A baseball team to a vibrant RiverScape and over a dozen craft microbreweries, I am proud to call the Gem City my hometown.
The stars and planets aligned when I found the most amazing, energetic, astute literary agent on this or any continent, Curtis Russell at PS Literary. Together we polished my baby until it shone, and in 2016 Random House Alibi joined us in bringing THE BOOK CLUB MURDERS to the world. After over half a century on this planet, I finally realized my dream of having one of my novels published. Beyond any of my wildest dreams, that first novel hit the USA Today Bestseller's list, and was also a #1 Bestseller on Amazon. Three more adventures have joined the first, continuing the adventures of amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter and her posse of murderinos as they solve mysteries and bring wily killers to justice.
I am in love with the written word. I read everything I can get my hands on. I listen to audio books in the car; I always have at least one book by my bed and another on my tablet.
In those rare instances when my characters have fallen silent, I play tennis, cook, hike, chase my cat, and drink a lot of strong black coffee.
The stars and planets aligned when I found the most amazing, energetic, astute literary agent on this or any continent, Curtis Russell at PS Literary. Together we polished my baby until it shone, and in 2016 Random House Alibi joined us in bringing THE BOOK CLUB MURDERS to the world. After over half a century on this planet, I finally realized my dream of having one of my novels published. Beyond any of my wildest dreams, that first novel hit the USA Today Bestseller's list, and was also a #1 Bestseller on Amazon. Three more adventures have joined the first, continuing the adventures of amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter and her posse of murderinos as they solve mysteries and bring wily killers to justice.
I am in love with the written word. I read everything I can get my hands on. I listen to audio books in the car; I always have at least one book by my bed and another on my tablet.
In those rare instances when my characters have fallen silent, I play tennis, cook, hike, chase my cat, and drink a lot of strong black coffee.