Annette Meyers papers

Annette Meyers is a published author who writes mysteries. Her three mystery series are the Smith and Wetzon Mystery series, The Dutchman Historical Mystery series, written with her husband Martin Meyers, and the Olivia Brown Mystery series. Her one stand alone novel is called Repentances. Her mysteries, both those written alone and those co-written with her husband, take place in New York City. Meyers' short stories have been featured in many anthologies.

Annette Meyers was born in Manhattan, New York, on January 31, 1934, to Paul and Esther (Weiss) Brafman. She grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, on a chicken farm and graduated from Toms River High school in 1951. Meyers went on to graduate from Douglass College in 1955 with a degree in English.

At the age of 29, Annette Brafman married Martin Meyers.

Right out of Douglass, Meyers taught schoolchildren English until she got a job doing historical research for Broadway director-producer Harold Prince's musical Fiorello in 1960. Her research about former New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia landed her the job of Prince's assistant for the next sixteen years. She worked on such productions as Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, A Little Night Music, Company, and Follies. Meyers is credited on eleven productions as Annette Brafman (prior to her marriage in 1963) and as Annette Brafman Meyers after that.

After leaving show business in 1976, she took a job as an Executive Search Consultant, recruiting talent for Wall Street firms until 1996. She then moved on to work as an Arbirtrator for the National Association of Securities Dealers.

Meyers enjoyed reading from a young age. When she was a young girl, Nancy Drew captured her attention. In high school, this turned to The New Yorker, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald. She said “I was always going to write a novel.” A number of jobs, unexpected turns in life, and lack of time kept her from writing and achieving her dream. It was not until her 40s that Meyers decided to write a novel. She was unable to find a publisher for the novel. Meyers did not give up. After leaving her Wall Street job, Meyers decided to write a novel using her experiences. That book was The Big Killing. With the publication of the book, Meyers became a published author at last. She did well enough with her novels to allow her to quit her job and write full time. Meyers has admitted to missing the excitement of her Broadway career, but she feels very fortunate to be living her dream.

Meyers launched her literary career in with Big Killing (1989), the first novel in the Smith and Wetzon series. In addition to this series, she has another series entitled Free Love about Olivia Brown, and one stand-alone novel, Repentances (2004). She has also written over ten short stories published in various anthologies. Meyers teamed up with her husband to under the pseudonym Maan Meyers to write the Dutchman Historical Mystery Series as well as some short stories.

Meyers has held various positions on the board of Sisters in Crime (a group that is dedicated to promoting the professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry), including serving as its tenth president from 1995-97. She has also been involved in the International Association of Crime Writers, North America, Mystery Writers of America, The Authors Guild, and Private Eye Writers of America. Additionally, Meyers joined the Douglass Society in 1995. She currently works as an arbitrator with the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD).