About Gigi

Hi, all! Here’s a little bit about me, including answers to some frequently asked questions. My official bios (short, medium, and long) are available on the press kit page.

I’m a USA Today bestselling and award-winning mystery author, breast cancer survivor, and accidental almost-vegan. I’m the child of academics from New Mexico and the southern tip of India, and I spent my childhood tagging along on their research trips around the world, which is what inspired my fiction. I now live outside San Francisco with my husband and a gargoyle who watches over the garden.

I write the Accidental Alchemist™ mysteries, Secret Staircase mysteries, Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, and locked-room mystery short stories. My debut novel, Artifact, was awarded a Malice Domestic Grant and named a “Best of 2012” Debut Novel by Suspense Magazine, and my fiction has received Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Derringer Awards, and been a finalist for the Edgar Award. Along with Kellye Garrett and Walter Mosley, I’m one of the co-founders of Crime Writers of Color.

My two 2025 novel releases are The Library Game (Secret Staircase Mystery #4) and A Gargoyle’s Guide to Murder (Accidental Alchemist Mystery #9).

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get in touch with Gigi?

I love hearing from readers. The best way to get in touch with me directly is to use the contact page.

Will there be more Accidental Alchemist books?

Yes! Book 9, A Gargoyle’s Guide to Murder, comes out in October 2025, and I’m already at work on the follow-up that will be out in 2026. You can learn about whole series, including one novella, here.

What about jaya jones novels?

I’m not done with Jaya, but it’s taken me a while to fit the next book in the series into my schedule. I had a research trip planned for the spring of 2020, which was canceled when the pandemic began, so I switched gears. But I have notebooks filled with more Jaya ideas, and I’m making plans to get back to her soon.

ARE GIGI’S BOOKS AVAILABLE AS AUDIOBOOKS?

Yes! All of my novels are available as audiobooks. I’m so happy to have fabulous narrators.

I bought the audiobook. How do I find the recipes?

Audiobook listeners can download PDFs of the recipes from each book in the Accidental Alchemist Mystery Series here.

How can I best keep up with gigi’s new releases?

The best way to keep up on new releases and other news (plus fun bookish content) is to sign up for my newsletter. When you subscribe you’ll also receive a free novelette and a mini-cookbook. Note: If you don’t see a welcome email right away after signing up, please contact me because something has gone wrong!

You can also keep up with my new releases by following me on Amazon and BookBub.

Are gigi’s books appropriate for kids?

Though my books are traditional mysteries written for adults, they are kid-friendly and don’t include any graphic violence, sex, or bad language. I usually tell people that they’re appropriate for middle-schoolers and up.

Have Gigi’s books been translated into other languages?

Yes! The first two books of the Accidental Alchemist Mysteries have been translated into German and published in Germany, with the third and fourth books in the series coming out in German soon. And the first two Secret Staircase Mysteries have been translated into Japanese and published in Japan.

What’s a locked-room mystery?

A locked-room mystery is a crime that looks truly impossible, such as a large piece of art vanishing from a locked room that was being watched. The term is often confused with a “closed circle” mystery, where a small group of people are isolated so you know one of them must be the culprit. It’s a deviously fun type of mystery, and I’ve written a lot more about it here.