User:Petertk/Abigail Keam

Abigail Keam ... Abigail Keam (born 1955) is a contemporary American author best known for her detective novels featuring the amateur sleuth Josiah Reynolds.

Biography
Born in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky to Southern and Appalachian parents, Ms. Keam spent her formative years in Northern Kentucky. She attended the University of Kentucky where she graduated with Distinction, earning a B.A. in Middle Eastern Civilization. She is a long-time beekeeper, winning 16 awards for her honey at the Kentucky State Fair.

Writing Career
Ms. Keam began writing at an early age and was praised by teachers who urged her mother to encourage her to keep writing. Keam wrote a short story in this period -- "Bobby Bobo Got Baptized At The Big Bone Baptist Church" which remains one of her favorites.

After college graduation Ms. Keam began a brief freelance writing career under her maiden name but had to re-prioritize her writing career due to family issues.

After semi-retiring in 2000 Ms. Keam resumed her writing career. Her first mystery novel, "Death By A Honeybee" was published in 2010. This was the first novel in her series featuring amateur sleuth Josiah Reynolds, a beekeeper and quirky personality who always seems to get caught up in a murder. "Honeybee" won a Gold Medal Award from Readers' Favorite in 2010 and was named a finalist for the USA BOOK NEWS Best Book List of 2011. Keam followed up with "Death By Drowning" in 2011 which was also won a Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Award and was a USA BOOK NEWS finalist in 2011. "Death By Bridle", third in the series, is due out in early 2012. Keam's Josiah Reynolds mystery series is set in the lush Bluegrass horse country of Kentucky. Her series is considered a hybrid of cozy, humorous and regional fiction genres. She is noted for including historical content while using real locations and people in her books, giving them a realistic edge.