An
instructor at five colleges over the years, Paula Darnell most often
taught the dreaded first-year English composition classes, but she's
also been happy to teach some fun classes, such as fashion design,
sewing, and jewelry making. Paula has a Bachelor's degree in English
from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and a Master's degree in
English from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Like
Laurel, the main character in Death by Association,
Paula enjoys all kinds of arts and crafts. Some of her memorable
projects include making a hat and a cape to wear to Royal Ascot,
sewing wedding gowns for both her daughters, exhibiting her textile
and mixed-media artwork in juried art shows, and having one of her
jewelry projects accepted for inclusion in Leather Jewelry,
published by Lark Books. She sells some of her jewelry and hair
accessories in her Etsy shop.
Paula's interest in DIY craft projects and fashion led to her
writing hundreds of articles for print and online national
publications. She is the author of Death by Association, Death by Design, and Death by Proxy, all in her cozy series, the DIY Diva Mysteries.
She is also the author of The Six-Week Solution, a historical mystery set in Reno, Nevada, in 1955. A former Reno resident, she was inspired by the local history and found the 1950s when Reno was considered the Divorce Capital of the World to be an interesting era in which to set a mystery.
She is also the author of The Six-Week Solution, a historical mystery set in Reno, Nevada, in 1955. A former Reno resident, she was inspired by the local history and found the 1950s when Reno was considered the Divorce Capital of the World to be an interesting era in which to set a mystery.
Paula has won two writing awards in 2020: one from the National Federation of Press Women for Death by Association and another from the Public Safety Writers Association for her historical mystery The Six-Week Solution.
Paula lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband Gary and their 110-pound dog Rocky, whose favorite pastime is lurking in the kitchen, hoping for a handout.
Paula lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband Gary and their 110-pound dog Rocky, whose favorite pastime is lurking in the kitchen, hoping for a handout.
