Elle Higgins

Elle Higgins, Ph.D., has taught writing and literature on the college and community levels, including popular writing workshops with Bethlehem Continuing Ed. A transplant to New York’s Capital District, Elle is a member of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and Sisters in Crime, founding the Mavens of Mayhem, Upper Hudson Chapter in 2007. Her published nonfiction work, as Ellen Higgins, consists of personal essays, as well as essays in pedagogy and literary criticism. Recent fiction projects consist of flash pieces and short stories, including one with her series character, Emma Grant, appearing in the short story “Backyard Blues,” published in Crimeucopia: The Not So Frail Detective Agency (Murderous Ink Press, December 2025), a Best Anthology Finalist for the 2026 Derringer and Falchion Awards. The series debut novel is The Burmese Kitten, set in Albany, NY, in 1980. It contains the bonus short story “Twist of Fate,” its prequel. Another Emma Grant story, “Special Delivery,” appears in the 20th Anniversary Anthology, The Mavens of Mayhem: Empire State Crimes.