About Me

Posted on 3 June, 2015

I teach research and writing at Virginia Commonwealth University, in the Department of Focused Inquiry, and have also taught creative writing, mass com, writing in the workplace, Harry Potter, interdisciplinary studies, pseudoscience, and independent studies relating to the craft of YA fiction, the art and craft of revision, reflections of trauma in fiction, and vampires in literature. I have a PhD in literature and criticism, and an MFA in creative writing. My dissertation explored the many uses and functions of second person, as well as delving more deeply into point of view in general.

I’ve been a private investigator since 2002, working full time for the first three years, half time for about four more, and very part time since then. My case work has been extremely varied, including patent infringement, counterfeiting, insurance fraud, backgrounds, thefts, shootings, and murders. One of the few types of cases I haven’t worked on is marital infidelity.

I am also a writer and an editor. I co-wrote the novel The Persistence of Dreams with Robert Waters and co-edited the multi-genre anthology Trust and Treachery: Tales of Power and Intrigue with Day Al-Mohamed. I have published stories in several genres, as well as essays, a variety of scholarly work, poems, and multimedia work of various sorts. Click the handy Writing menu above for more details.

I was born and “raised” in Staten Island, NY, and have lived in Harrisburg, PA; Worcester, MA; Olympia, Seattle, and other assorted cities in WA; and Dublin, Ireland. It is my great pleasure to be living in Richmond, VA now, where the climate is sunnier and warmer than everywhere else I’ve ever lived. Also, the James River is gorgeous, the people are nice, and the traffic is a dream.

My dog, D’Argo, is completely adorable, and he says hi. If you’d like to contact either of us, write me at meriah (a) rhinoi.com, or you can find me on Facebook or Twitter.

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