Allison Epstein

Author Photo

Bios

Short (32 words, 179 characters)

Allison Epstein is a historical fiction author and professional editor based in Chicago. She is the author of A Tip for the Hangman and the forthcoming Let the Dead Bury the Dead.

Medium, Formal, Third Person (69 words)

Allison Epstein earned her M.F.A. in fiction from Northwestern University and a B.A. in creative writing and Renaissance literature from the University of Michigan. A Michigan native, she now lives in Chicago, where she works as an editor. When not writing, she enjoys good theater, bad puns, and fancy jackets. She is the author of A Tip for the Hangman and the forthcoming Let the Dead Bury the Dead.

Long, Not Formal, First Person (222 words)

I’m a historical fiction writer with an MFA in fiction from Northwestern University. I finished my BA in creative writing from the University of Michigan in 2014. I was born in Lansing, Michigan, and currently live in Chicago, where I share a home with a grumpy cat named Mina.

My first novel, A Tip for the Hangman, was named one of Barnes & Noble’s Most Anticipated Reads of February 2021 and one of the Chicago Tribune‘s most anticipated 2021 releases. My second novel, Let the Dead Bury the Dead, received the 2019–2020 Distinguished Thesis award from Northwestern University in an earlier form.

When asked during grad school to generate a list of themes and objects that appear repeatedly in my writing, I came up with the following: church schisms, rats, high-stakes dinner parties, the Decembrist revolt of 1825, Anne of Cleves, salmon, librarians, puns, people who are very wrong but believe themselves to be very right, and passive-aggressive breakfasts.

I also write a twice-monthly newsletter called Dirtbags Through the Ages, which profiles the weirdest and wackiest people and events from across world history. There are a lot of swears in it, but my grandmother subscribes and enjoys it, so you might too.

By day, I work as an editor for a philanthropic consulting firm. By night, I am in bed by 10:30.

Social Media Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rapscallison
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rapscallison/
Substack: https://rapscallison.substack.com

Buy Links

A Tip for the Hangman: Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Amazon

Let the Dead Bury the Dead: Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Amazon

Literary Agent

Bridget Smith — JABberwocky Literary

Cover Art

A Tip for the Hangman: Paperback (design: Mark Abrams) | Hardcover (design: Mike Windsor)

Let the Dead Bury the Dead: Hardcover (design: Emily Mahon, artist: Roberts Rurans)