John Armistead is a Mississippi author, painter, journalist and minister. Born in 1941 in Mobile, Ala., he began publishing short stories and articles during the 1970s, but did not publish his first novel until 1994.
"I have always loved stories," said Armistead. "Like every Southern writer of my generation, I remember sitting on the front porch and hearing my great-aunts and grandmother talk of people and events from long past days. I can also remember beginning to make up my own stories, daydreaming, as it were, when I was in grammar school. That's still the way I make up stories today."
Armistead is the author of three mystery novels, "A Legacy of Vengeance," "A Homecoming for Murder," and "Cruel as the Grave." His novel for young people, "The $66 Summer," was named by the New York Public Library as one of the best books for teenagers published in 2000. His novel, "The Return of Gabriel," is used in many schools throughout the nation in teaching about the civil rights era.