Shelley Puhak is a poet and nonfiction author whose work explores history, gender, and cultural mythmaking. She wrote The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster, published by Bloomsbury, which examines the life and legend of Elizabeth Báthory and the historical forces that shaped her reputation. Blending archival research with narrative history, Puhak investigates how political intrigue, violence, and early modern power structures contributed to the creation of one of Europe’s most enduring figures of infamy. Her work situates biography within broader debates about truth, storytelling, and the construction of monsters.