About Me

I first started writing stories as a teenager in the late 1970s. At the time, I wrote on a hand-me-down manual Smith Corona typewriter. I dreamed of becoming a famous novelist. In college, I majored in journalism, but also took a few creative writing courses. 

But during college, my gender dysphoria became a dominant force. Not long after graduation, I came out as transgender and my whole world turned topsy-turvy. I lost interest in creative writing.

A few traumatic (and rather dramatic) decades later, I rediscovered my love of writing. After a few years re-learning the craft, I got my first publishing deal with Alibi, a Penguin Random House imprint. 

But after two books with Alibi, I decided to take control of my author career and started my own publishing company, Dark Pariah Press. More than a dozen crime thrillers later, I became the most prolific openly transgender author in crime fiction. 

I now have three series that you are sure to love (assuming you like crime thrillers and diverse characters and don't mind a little profanity). 

The Shea Stevens Outlaw Biker series is about a lesbian ex-con working as a custom motorcycle builder. But despite her attempts to live a clean life, trouble soon finds her and she fights back the only way she knows how: dirty. 

My Jinx Ballou Bounty Hunter series is about an ex-cop turned bounty hunter who just happens to be transgender. She's always on the hunt for fugitives and isn't afraid to get rough when the situation calls for it. 

And then there's my Avery Byrne Goth Vigilante series about a young goth tattoo artist who spent years as a homeless teen, living on the streets. But her world gets turned upside down after her girlfriend steals a bag full of money from the local mob. 

If you want to get in touch, feel free to email me at dharma@dharmakelleher.com.