Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes mystery novels about 1960s black detective Smokey Dalton under the name Kris Nelscott. Those novels have been nominated for the Edgar, the Shamus and several other awards. As Kristine Kathryn Rusch, she writes science fiction and fantasy. While most readers ask Nelscott how she can write from the perspective of a black man, no one asks Rusch how she can write from the point of view of an elf.