Vanessa Lillie

Vanessa Lillie
Born	Miami, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	American, Cherokee Nation
Alma mater	Rockhurst University American University
Genre	Suspense mystery thriller
Website
vanessalillie.com

Vanessa Lillie is a Cherokee suspense and mystery writer.

Early life and education

Lillie is originally from Miami, Oklahoma and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. ^[1] She attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. She then studied public administration at American University in Washington, DC. ^[2]

Career

Lillie's debut novel, Little Voices, was published in 2019. ^[3] Lillie wrote “Home But Not Alone: A Coronavirus Diary” for The Providence Journal during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Her second book, For the Best, was published in 2020. ^[4]

Lillie started writing her third novel, Blood Sisters, in 2020 and was out of contract after the publication of her first two books. ^[5] She has said that Blood Sisters contains many elements of her own identity. Like Lillie herself, her protagonist, Syd Walker, is a queer, white-presenting Cherokee from Northeast Oklahoma. ^{[1] [6]} Blood Sisters, which was published in 2023, was a national pick for the Good Morning America, Amazon, and Target book clubs. ^{[7] [8]}

Personal life

Lillie lives in Rhode Island, on Narragansett land, with her husband and son. She is two-spirit and identifies as queer. ^[1]

Books

• Little Voices (2019) ^[3]
• For the Best (2020) ^[4]
• The Widows
  • Young Rich Widows — co-written with Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, and Cate Holahan (Audible original, 2022) ^[9]
  • Desperate Deadly Widows — co-written with Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, and Cate Holahan (Audible original, 2024)
• Syd Walker series
  • Blood Sisters (2023) ^[10]
  • The Bone Thief (2025)

References

1. Daley, Lauren (2023-10-30). "Author Vanessa Lillie tackles Indigenous erasure in new thriller". www.boston.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
2. Miller, G. Wayne (2023-04-04). "Q & A with writer Vanessa Lillie". Ocean State Stories. Archived from the original on 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
3. Miller, G. Wayne (2019-09-26). "R.I.-based novel is a stunning debut". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
4. Miller, G. Wayne (2020-09-10). "Book review: Another winner from Providence's Lillie". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
5. Brewer, Robert Lee (2023-10-30). "Vanessa Lillie: On Exploring Family Heritage Through Fiction". Writer's Digest. Archived from the original on 2025-04-24. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
6. Canfield, Kevin (2023-11-02). "Vanessa Lillie on Writing a Thriller That Explores Native American Issues and Environmental Injustice". CrimeReads. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
7. Clarke, Jemma (2024-04-29). "Vanessa Lillie on the Historical Erasure of Indigenous People and their Current Representation". Pell Center. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
8. Brennan, Emily (2025-06-02). "Local author Vanessa Lillie promotes indigenous authors, booksellers". WPRI. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
9. Ciampa, Gail. "Murder, mystery and the mafia: Audible hit uses 1980's Providence to tell thrilling story". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
10. Schlichenmeyer, Terri (2024-01-14). "Book review: 'Blood Sisters' by Vanessa Lillie". QSaltLake Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2025-06-04.