Joanne Pence is the author of a long running and successful romantic culinary mystery series. Fourteen books were published 1993 to 2006. Her amateur sleuth Angie Amalfi is an underemployed food writer and gourmet chef in San Francisco, romantically involved with homicide inspector Paavo Smith. As well as fitting in the culinary mystery niche, her books are followed by romance novelist enthusiasts and also have a humorous, screwball adventure flavor. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Novelists, Inc, and Romance Writers of America.