Paula L. Woods

Paula L. Woods (born 1953 in Los Angeles) is an African-American crime novelist and literary critic. Her 1999 novel, "Inner City Blues", was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author <ref awards and winners.com </ref>won the Macavity Award for best first mystery and was followed by other novels featuring its heroine, L.A. policewoman Charlotte Justice. She has also edited an anthology of African-American crime literature and co-edited (with Felix H. Liddell) three anthologies of African American literature illustrated with African American fine art.