2025 Faculty: M through R
Katie Monson
Katie Monson has been self-employed, watching children in her home for the last 12 years, and has enjoyed the privilege of being home to raise her children. She recently made the decision to massively change up her life and find a different path to take while still being able to home with her kids, leading her to SBR Media. Katie has always had a passion for reading ever since she was a little girl. Over the years she developed a strong interest in reading indie romance books, which naturally led to blogging, beta reading and editing small manuscripts for authors. She is self-motivated, organized and ready to represent clients and help lead them to success.
When Katie isn’t reading, sitting by the pool, or complaining about the cold Rochester winters, she can be found traveling to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and spending time with her husband and four children in Rochester, NY.
James Mustelier
I’m looking for a range of commercial and literary fiction and non-fiction. Across genres I prize economical prose, complex characters, steadily building tension, narrative gravity, and the momentary relief of dark humor, even amid dire circumstances.
In commercial fiction I’m looking for compact horror and mysteries with unique hooks and intricate plotting. In sci-fi and fantasy I’m drawn to stories that are grounded in reality and have high stakes that touch on contemporary issues — much more speculative fiction and alternate histories than space opera or high fantasy.
In nonfiction I’m looking for books that give me a vivid look into subcultures and events I might not otherwise have had the chance to explore. Much of my favorite nonfiction melds a distinct narrative voice with rigorous research.
Sara Paretsky
Sara Paretsky revolutionized the mystery world in 1982 by introducing V.I. Warshawski in Indemnity Only. Paretsky challenged a genre in which women historically were vamps or victims by creating a detective with the grit and smarts to take on the mean streets. V.I. struck a chord with readers and critics; Indemnity Only was followed by twenty more V.I. novels. Her voice and world remain vital to readers; the New York Times calls V.I. "a proper hero for these times," adding, "To us, V.I. is perfect."
While Paretsky's fiction changed the narrative about women, her work also opened doors for other writers. In 1986, she created Sisters in Crime, a worldwide organization that advocates for women crime writers. This organization earned her Ms. Magazine's 1987 Woman of the Year award. More accolades followed: the British Crime Writers awarded her the Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement; Blacklist won the Gold Dagger from the British Crime Writers for best novel of 2004, and she has received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from several universities.
Called "passionate" and "electrifying," V.I. reflects her creator's passion for social justice. After chairing the school's first Commission on the Status of Women as a Kansas University undergraduate, Paretsky worked as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side during the turbulent race riots of 1966. Since then, Paretsky's volunteer work has included advocating for healthcare for the mentally ill homeless, mentoring teens in Chicago's most troubled schools, and working for reproductive rights. Through her Sara & Two C-Dogs foundation, she also helps build STEM and arts programs for young people.
The actress Kathleen Turner played V.I. Warshawski in the movie of that name. Paretsky's work is celebrated in Pamela Beere Briggs's documentary Women of Mystery. Today, Sara Paretsky's books are published in 30 countries.
Paretsky detailed her journey from Kansas farm girl to New York Times bestseller in her 2007 memoir, Writing in an Age of Silence, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. In addition, Paretsky has written two stand-alone novels, Ghost Country and Bleeding Kansas, set in the part of rural Kansas where she grew up. She has published several short story collections, most recently Love & Other Crimes, and has edited numerous other anthologies.
Learn more about Sara Paretsky at https://saraparetsky.com/.
Caitlin Rother
Caitlin Rother is a New York Times bestselling true crime author and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist. She worked for nearly two decades as an investigative reporter and has had work published in Cosmopolitan, The Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, among others. As a TV crime commentator, she has done more than 200 media appearances on episodes of 20/20, People Magazine Investigates, Crime Watch Daily, Australia's World News, Nancy Grace, Snapped, and numerous shows on Netflix, Investigation Discovery, HLN, REELZ, Oxygen, E!, A&E, C-SPAN and various PBS affiliates. Rother also works as a writing/research coach and consultant, and plays piano and sings in an acoustic band. She lives in Southern California and can be found online at CaitlinRother.com.