Barbara DeMarco-Barrett’s (’92) latest book is Palm Springs Noir (Akashic), which she edited and contributed a story. Writing noir fiction began with the short story, “Crazy for You,” first published in the Akashic anthology, Orange County Noir, later included in USA Noir: Best of the Akashic Noir Series. Her fiction and poetry has been published in Coolest American Stories 2022, CrimeReads, Dark City Crime & Magazine, The Ekphrastic Review, Crossing Borders, Shotgun Honey, The Literary Hatchet, Rock and a Hard Place, Paradigm Shifts, Broad River Review, Serial Magazine, Beach Reads, and The Oyez Review. Her first book, Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman’s Guide to Igniting the Writer Within, was a Los Angeles Times best-seller and honored with an American Society of Journalists and Authors Outstanding Book Award. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her short story, “Rowboat,” in Kelp Journal (Dec. 2023).