About
D. S. Mori (he/him) is a crime fiction author and Southern California native. A former college administrator, he has a fondness for campus mysteries/thrillers and dark academia.
Before retiring to pursue writing, he had a long and successful career in nonprofit fundraising, specializing in higher education and the arts. This included 12 years at ArtCenter College of Design, where he became the first person of color to lead development in the institution’s 92-year history.
In addition to fiction, Mori has written nonfiction articles for Discover Nikkei (a website about people of Japanese descent around the world) and grants for the National Endowment for the Arts. Early in his career, he studied screenwriting under famed UCLA instructor Golda David and worked as a story editor in film and television.
Mori serves as a board member of Sisters in Crime Orange County. He also is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers of Color, California Writers Club, and the Pure Fiction League critique group. He is an alumnus of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; UCLA Extension Writers' Program; and Gotham Writers.
Awards and Honors
Finalist, Daphne du Maurier Award (RWA Kiss of Death, 2026)
Grantee, Kelli Devan Edwards Memorial Grant (California Writers Club Orange County, 2026)
Runner-Up, Eleanor Taylor Bland Award (Sisters in Crime, 2026)
Fellow, Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing (2025)
William F. Deeck-Malice Domestic Grant (Malice Domestic, 2025)
