CHRISTI KEATING SUMICH

Christi Keating Sumich holds a PhD in History from Tulane University and a master’s degree in English. Her research focuses on seventeenth-century disease and healing.

Christi’s writing blends her fascination with history and her love of the mystery genre. Her debut novel, Lafitte Lives (Level Best Books, February 2026), is a historical mystery centered on her ancestor, the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. She is also the author of the Old New Orleans Bookshop Mysteries, featuring characters from Lafitte Lives. The Swamp Ghost is the first book in the series (Level Best Books, September 2026).

Christi's nonfiction titles include Hauntingly Good Spirits: New Orleans Cocktails to Die For (Wellfleet Press, 2024) and The Brandy Milk Punch (Louisiana State University Press, 2025), part of the Iconic New Orleans Cocktail Series, both written with her mother, Sharon Keating.

Christi lives just outside New Orleans with her husband and too many pets, as she has a soft spot for “unconventionally attractive” animals in need of homes. She is the mother of three grown children (plus a daughter-in-law). Her claim to fame is being the winningest contestant on Hollywood Squares.