Lilian Braun

Lilian Braun is an acclaimed American mystery writer whose best-known “Cat Who…” series has twenty-nine novels, the most recent in January 2007. Mrs. Braun was born in 1913 and started her writing career in Michigan with her husband, Earl Bettinger. Mrs. Braun began her writing career as a teenager and wrote sports poetry. She later was employed as a copyright editor and then as an editor. She started writing the "Cat Who..." series during her career as an editor and achieved success with her early novels in the late sixties. These same novels were rereleased in the eighties to a new generation and again became popular. She has continued to write and keeps details about her life quiet.

The “Cat Who…” series is sold internationally and these books are often hard to find at used bookstores because of the many collectors. There are fan clubs about the books from mystery fans and cat lovers. This series details two detective cats, but does not have foul language, sexual overtones or serious crime. After the first three novels were written, Mrs. Braun took a hiatus of eighteen years. Some people speculate it was during this time that mystery novels took a darker direction, but upon her return in the mid-eighties her fans returned to enjoy the future novels in the series. Mrs. Braun does not promote her books or lecture. She intentionally keeps out of the media and lives a quiet life in North Carolina. She continues to use a typewriter to write her novels.