About Belinda J. Stevens
Belinda J. Stevens was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi — the gateway to the Mississippi Delta — in 1948. She grew up in the turbulent sixties and has a true appreciation for the difficulties experienced by Katherine, the protagonist of her first novel, Just Out of Reach.
An attorney by profession, Belinda has practiced law since 1987. In addition to serving as the State section representative for the Department of Health, she worked as a Special Assistant to Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore for ten years, and served as both juvenile court prosecutor and city prosecutor in Yazoo City, Mississippi. She has also served as lead counsel and co-counsel in numerous murder cases.
Belinda is a graduate of Belhaven University and earned a Master's in Social Science and a Law Degree from Mississippi College. She resides in Brandon, Mississippi with her dog Luna Belle Stevens, and practices law in Yazoo City where she serves as Public Defender.
Inspired by Her Father
Belinda watched her beloved father as he fought for justice for those in need throughout his 50 years of practicing law. His dedication inspired her to follow in his footsteps into the legal profession — and ultimately to write Murder in the Delta, based on one of her father's most notorious cases.
Her Writing
Belinda's debut novel Just Out of Reach is set in a small Mississippi town in the turbulent 1960s. Her second novel, Murder in the Delta, is a psychological thriller based on a true crime that shook Yazoo City in 1957. She has also been a longtime contributor to The Yazoo Herald, whose collected stories form her humor collection Never Give a Cat a Poodle Cut.