About Me

Ashley-Ruth Bernier's work has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, Stone’s Throw, Smoking Pen Press, Malice Domestic's Mystery Most Devious and Mystery Most Humorous, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, and other esteemed anthologies. Originally from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ashley-Ruth writes mysteries highlighting the vibrant culture of her home. Ashley-Ruth is a 2023 SMFS Derringer finalist, a 2023 and 2024 Killer Nashville Claymore finalist, and one of the 2024 recipients of MWA’s Barbara Neely grant for Black mystery writers. Her first novel length work is forthcoming from Crooked Lane books in Spring 2026. She currently lives with her family and teaches first grade in North Carolina. 

*I am proud to be represented by Kathy Schneider of the Jane Rotrosen Agency. 

Ashley-Ruth Bernier lives in Apex, North Carolina. Originally from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, she is an emerging writer of contemporary Caribbean mysteries. The winner of the North Carolina Writers Network’s 2022 Jacobs/Jones prize for Black writers, Ashley-Ruth’s stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and The Caribbean Writer. Ashley-Ruth is a first grade teacher, a wife, and a mom of 4. For her, uninterrupted  writing time is more valuable than gold. 

My stories reflect my most treasured identity—that of a daughter of the Virgin Islands. My stories all feature St. Thomas in some way, and hopefully show the joy of a life spent in a dynamic community. I invite my readers to enter a cozy and vibrant world full of flavor, color, and a fair share of intrigue.

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember, as my mother, teachers, and former classmates will be quick to confirm. But being “A Writer”? Well…that’s something it’s taken me a little longer to get to; a destination I’m finally beginning to see in the distance. Join me on this journey by signing up for my newsletter ( I won’t even come close to flooding your inbox…it’ll be barely a drizzle, I promise!) and by following me on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram. I can’t wait for you to join me on this awesome ride!