Persia Walker attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York City and Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she majored in Comprehensive Religions, with a minor in Black Anthropology. In 1983, she completed her Master's degree at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

In 1987, she returned to New York to work at AP's World Desk, joining the pipeline of hopefuls for a foreign assignment. Because the projected wait would've been five years, Persia accepted a position with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc., (RFE) which was then based in Munich. Persia arrived in Munich in 1988, virtually on the eve of history-making changes in the former East bloc: She was on hand for the collapse of the Berlin Wall. RFE shut its Munich operation in the mid 1990s and moved to Prague. Persia remained in Munich and decided to finally do what she'd always wanted to do: write novels.

In 1998, she began HARLEM REDUX. Set against the backdrop of the glittering 1920s' Harlem Renaissance, it tells the story of a man in self-imposed internal exile. The story reflected the expatriate's longing for home.

Work on HARLEM REDUX was laid aside in late 1999, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she completed her Harlem Renaissance novel. BET.com listed "Harlem Redux" as among the Best Fiction for 2002, and the Go On Girl! Book Club named Walker Author of the Year 2003.

In 2003, Persia and her family returned to the United States, where she's experiencing an intense case of writer's block.

Black Orchid Blues
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Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Akashic Books (April 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936070901
ISBN-13: 978-1936070909

Lanie Price, a 1920s Harlem society columnist, witnesses the brutal nightclub kidnapping of the "Black Orchid," a sultry, seductive singer with a mysterious past. Price, a female 1920s version of Dominick Dunne, soon finds herself elbows-deep in a story in which everyone seems to be either lying or keeping a secret to die for. When hours pass without word from the kidnapper, puzzlement grows as to his motive. Then a gruesome package arrives at Price's doorstep and the questions change. Just what does this kidnapper want--and how many people is he willing to kill in order to get it?

Evil hides behind the genteel fa'ades of affluent Strivers' Row and stalks the ballroom of one of Harlem's most famous gay parties. In a complex plot that keeps you tied to the page, Black Orchid Blues explores the depths of human depravity and the desperation of its victims.

Mystery Writers of America Presents The Blue Religion: New Stories about Cops, Criminals, and the Chase
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Presented by the Mystery Writers of America Inc.  Michael Connelly, Persia Walker, et al. (Contributors)

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (April 14, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316012513
ISBN-13: 978-0316012515
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches

Persia Walker's 'Such a Lucky, Pretty Girl,' and a new contribution by New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly are among 19 original stories about riveting showdowns between cops and criminals.

From Hawaii at the turn of the twentieth century to the post-Civil War frontier, from smoggy Los Angeles to the woods of Idaho, these gripping stories trace the perils and occasional triumphs of lawmen and -women who put themselves in harm's way to face down the bad guys. Some of them even walk the edge of becoming bad guys themselves.

In T. Jefferson Parker's "Skinhead Central," an ex-cop and his wife find unexpected menace in the idyllic setting they have chosen for their retirement. In Alafair Burke's "Winning," a female officer who is attacked in the line of duty must protect her own husband from his worst impulses. In Edward D. Hoch's "Friday Night Luck," a wanna-be cop blows his chance at a spot on the force'and breaks his case. In Michael Connelly's "Father's Day," Harry Bosch faces one of his most emotionally trying cases, investigating a young boy's death.

The magnificent and never-before-published Connelly story is alone worth the price of admission, and-combined with 18 unexpected tales from crime's modern masters-makes this an unmissable collection.

Darkness and the Devil Behind Me
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Paperback: 284 pages
Publisher: Rich Girl International (October 3, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0979253802
ISBN-13: 978-0979253805

The devil claimed Esther Todd. Or so they say.

In December 1923, this lovely young pianist was a rising star. By January of '24, she was on the most wanted list. She'd vanished along the snowy streets of a storm-swept night in Harlem and thieves had hit the home of her society patron, pulling off a million-dollar heist.

Were the disappearance and the robbery coincidence or conspiracy? Somebody knew, but nobody was talking. Three years later, the puzzles remained unsolved.

As a crime reporter, Lanie Price covered the initial case. Now a frustrated society columnist, she's ready for a change. It comes in the form of Esther's sister, Ruth.

Desperate for closure, Ruth begs Lanie to dedicate her Christmas column to the case. maybe someone, somewhere will remember something. Seeking fresh material, Lanie starts asking hard questions, dangerous questions, the kind just about guaranteed to get her killed.

Harlem Redux
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ISBN: 0743224973
Format: Hardcover, 320pp
Pub. Date: May 2002
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
 

Read An AALBC.com Book Review

It is 1926, at the height of the glittering Harlem Renaissance. Civil rights attorney David McKay is summoned home to Strivers' Row after a mysterious four-year absence. He has been told that his sister Lilian, a rising member of the Harlem literary elite, has committed suicide. His mind struggles to accept Lilian's death even as his heart rejects it. 'What brought her down?' he asks the housekeeper, Annie, whose years with his family have given her intimate knowledge of its workings. She tells of Lilian's impetuous marriage to a cunning stranger and subsequent mental collapse. She warns him that his ambitious brother-in-law is ready to lay claim to the family home. It's time for David to return, to take his place. 'Later might be too late.' But he knows he can't afford to stay in Harlem: Someone might discover his secret. Racing against time, he sets out to untangle a web of deceit and in so doing, unleashes forces that are bent on destroying him. He finds himself accused of a murder he didn't commit. Only by admitting to the crime he did commit can he hope to survive ' and find the absolution he so desperately seeks.

Shifting Ground
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ISBN: 0595096212
Format: Paperback, 236pp
Pub. Date: September 2000
Publisher: iUniverse, Incorporated

A slick murder mystery set in the treacherous territory of New York's high fashion scene. When tyrannical fashion designer Catherine St. Claire is found shot to death in her Upper East Side townhouse, the only clue to her assailant's identity is a swatch of denim clutched in her hand. Police suspicion turns to her financially-strapped husband and his lover, Catherine's assistant, Clover Daniels. Clover launches a desperate inquiry to solve the puzzle of the dying woman's clue. Did it point to her mercenary young lover, her embezzling business manager or her frustrated stepson? Along the way, Clover not only discovers secrets about her slain mentor, but must come to terms with her own dark side.

Shifting Ground: Fashion can be Murder in Manhattan

only available as an eBook

...the trail of blood began by her bed.

A fashion designer's death propels her assistant into a desperate search for answers. This tense psychological thriller explores the dark side of admiration, love and ambition.
 

Related Links

Persia Walker's Official Web Presence
http://www.persiawalker.com/

Persia Walker Real Estate Agent
http://www.elliman.com/MainSite/Agents/Agent.aspx?BID=PRW

...She brings the excellent instincts and communication skills she applied to journalism to the practice of real estate. Her integrity, patience and good humor have earned her the trust and respect of her clients. Warm-hearted and empathetic, she will put you at ease, whether you're buying or selling your property.

Persia offers sellers both traditional and global marketing plans. She loves the Internet and will use it as part of a strategy to market your property on a global basis. 'My sellers are guaranteed high-profile, multinational exposure. I work with them to develop an individualized marketing strategy, one that will showcase their property in its best light. Then I make sure that the property is right up there, on web sites around the world for the best buyers, both here and overseas, to see.'

'Persia has two great character traits that make her an invaluable advisor: She has the ability to listen and empathize and she has great taste. More than any other friend, I would trust her judgment in matters as personal and valuable as the right choice of a home,' says Mark Dietrich, head of Business Development at Burda-Yukom GmbH in Munich.