"It has been a long haul," states Kent Braithwaite upon the publication of his first novel, The Wonderland Murders, as a trade paperback by Four Seasons. "But the quality of this work made the years of effort worthwhile."
A professional educator for over 20 years, Braithwaite is also a widely published writer. He is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America, and his short fiction has appeared in a variety of mystery, sports, and academic publications. His poetry and literary criticism appear regularly in journals and magazines. He has won a number of national writing awards.
The Wonderland Murders stems from a variety of life experiences. The mystery takes place in an amusement park, similar to the one in which he worked during college.
"I had the good fortune to have a job that largely involved my circulating around the park and keeping my eyes open for all sorts of developing situations, in the hope that my spotting problems before the occurred would keep the park's operations running smoothly," says Braithwaite. "I used what I learned in that position to give the amusement park created in my novel a genuine and realistic ambience."
Other life experiences also played important parts in the development of The Wonderland Murders.
The private investigator in the mystery is a highly-educated poetry-writing Latino with a diverse professional resume. He is proud of his cultural background, yet he has assimilated into mainstream America.
Braithwaite is extremely familiar with Hispanic culture. He has taught for over twenty years at a high school with a student population that is over 95% Latino.
As a teacher, Braithwaite served as an English department chairman, an academy lead teacher, a teachers' union president, and a coordinator of a gifted and talented program. He has presented papers at state educational conferences and is listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers.
Braithwaite has won many professional awards. He was honored as Teacher of the Year by his high school's faculty in 1989 and its graduating class in 1991. He received additional honors in 1995, 1997, 1998, and 1999.
Married with three children, Braithwaite was born and raised in Orange County, California, where The Wonderland Murders takes place. His family spends every summer in Huntington Beach, California, while they reside the rest of the year in Palm Desert, California.
Educationally, Braithwaite holds degrees from Claremont McKenna College and the Claremont Graduate University.
Read an interview with Kent Braithwaite
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