Bestselling, multiple award-winning author Sherrill Joseph learned about kids, reading, and writing during her 35-year teaching career in public schools. In 2013, she retired and morphed into the author of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series for ages 9 to 14. Adults like her books, too.

She is the recipient of two Gold Awards from Mom’s Choice Book Awards, two Gold Awards from Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, three awards from Story Monsters Approved, and numerous other children’s book awards.

Joseph has peopled and themed her Middle Grade series with characters after her own polite, responsible, role-model students of various abilities, disabilities, races, and cultures to inspire kids to realize their full potential. In each book, she also presents mysteries with a twist of obscure history, hoping young readers will learn the value of pioneers whose work then makes life better and richer now.

The author was born, raised, and still resides in San Diego, California, in a house that will see its centenary in 2028. When not writing, she can be found reading, savoring her Nancy Drew book collection, intriguing staircases, dark chocolate, daily walks, Universal Pictures classic horror films from the 1930s and ’40s, and nostalgic movies and programs on PBS, TCM, and MeTV. Her superpower is lexical-gustatory synesthesia, which enables her to bring an enhanced imagination to her writing. She is a member of SCBWI, the Authors Guild, IPBA, and Blackbird Writers.