Board of Directors — 2026
MARK THIELMAN
President
Mark Thielman has served as a criminal magistrate as well as a prosecutor in both Tarrant and Dallas Counties. He is the author of the Johnson and Nance Mysteries, dual-timeline thrillers set in America’s national parks. A two-time Black Orchid Award-winning novella author, Mark’s short fiction has been published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and various anthologies, including The Best Private Eye Stories of the Year. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife, two sons, and a pair of St. Bernards.
TIFFANY SEITZ
Secretary | Membership
Tiffany Seitz is a native Texan, raised in the DFW area. She has worked as an occupational therapist for over thirty years. A lifelong avid reader, she began writing in 2013 and has since published five novels. The first book of The Tess Corona Chronicles--And They Danced was published in March 2023. Her latest short stories are included in the 2024 Sisters in Crime North Dallas Notorious in North Texas and Inkd Publishing's Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors anthologies. Tiffany is a member of several local and online writing groups, including Sisters in Crime national and Heart of Texas (Austin chapter).
LORI TCHEN
Treasurer & Webmaster
Lori Tchen is an accomplished author and Texas native, best known for her Sterling Fierce fantasy series, celebrated in the U.S. and internationally, with its origin story finding success in the United Kingdom. Transitioning into crime fiction, Lori debuted with her short story “The Case of the Butterfly Eater”, featured in the 2025 anthology Trouble in Texas: Metroplex Mysteries IV. Her compelling crime narratives draw on her experience as a former law enforcement agent with the State of Texas and her graduate degree in Criminology. Lori resides in Dallas with her husband, two sons, and their two beloved pugs.
KAREN HARRINGTON
Social Media Director
Karen Harrington is a freelance writer and author from Texas. Her short work has appeared in Shotgun Honey, Mystery Tribune, Pulp Modern, and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, where she won the 2021 Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice Award for her short story “Boo Radley College Prep.” She is the author of four novels, including Sure Signs of Crazy (Little, Brown, 2013), which has been translated into four languages and was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. Her most recent young adult novel, Mayday, appeared on the Texas Library Association’s Lone Star Reading List. “The Strange Disappearance of Jason Whetstone” , published in the Sisters In Crime anthology “Reckless in Texas’ is one of a series of stories featuring clients engaging the services of Dallas’ fictional Remedy Clinic. Another entry in this series, “Would You Like A Remedy?”, appears in the March/April 2023 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.
BJ CONDIKE
Anthology Coordinator
BJ Condike lives in Big Pine Key, just a skip and a jump from Key West. A lifelong reader, BJ’s favorite genres are mystery and science fiction. He minored in English while pursuing a BS in chemistry and later earned his MBA. He graduated from The Writers Path Program at Southwestern Methodist University in Dallas, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Citizen’s Police Academy. BJ loves writing short stories and has won several regional contests in that category. He also placed in the top 1% in two national contests by Writers Digest, and his stories have appeared in several anthologies. In 2024 BJ was the recipient of an Anne McKee Artists Fund grant, and also won the 20th Annual Key West Writers Guild Award. BJ spent ten years acting and directing in community theater, and thinks realistic dialogue is key to a good story. BJ is also a member of Mystery Writers of America. He is currently querying his first novel, Murder is Personal. When BJ is not writing, he’s exploring the sparkling waters of the Florida Keys in his boat Plot Twist along with his wife ML and their Welsh corgi Sophie.
MARY LOU CONDIKE
Anthology Coordinator Assistant
Mary Lou Condike’s professional career included computer technology, industrial management, and small-business ownership. Once retired, she completed the Southern Methodist University Writer’s Path. Her stories appear in anthologies that include Strange & Sweet (2019), and Tall Tales and Timeless Stories (2022) by the Granbury Writers Bloc, and Malice in Dallas, Metroplex Mysteries (2022), by Sisters in Crime North Dallas. Her first novel, The Desk From Hoboken, A Genealogy Mystery, published by Harbor Lane Books, LLC, debuted on March 5, 2024. It is book one in a three-book series under contract. Notable awards include 1st Place in the 15th annual Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Mystery/Crime Category, and 2nd Place in the Tennessee Williams Short Story Contest. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Granbury Writers’ Bloc, and Key West Writers Guild, she now resides on Big Pine Key, Florida with her husband and granddaughter.
BARBARA SPENCER
Immediate Past President
Barbara Spencer enjoyed a non-fiction writing career with San Antonio News and Jan Gardner Advertising before joining a Fortune 500 company where she designed and presented corporate training materials and other business communications. She now pursues her true love of writing fiction, especially mysteries. While her first novel Family Business is waiting for a publisher to love and publish it, she works on her follow-up novel, writes short stories and volunteers for her favorite causes. A Frisco resident, she has three outstanding grown daughters, three perfectly wonderful grandchildren and one adorable fur baby.