A Radio Interview with WHUP
I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by my local radio station, WHUP. Listen to the interview!
Porch Book Signing Event at Buxton Village Books
Diane Kelly and I will be at Buxton Village Books on June 30th for a Porch Book Signing Event! I love this bookshop on the Outer Banks, and Gee Gee, the owner, is such a delight. She supports local authors and has made her bookstore a destination for so many people. If you’re in the North Carolina area, come to the Outer Banks and Buxton Village Books on June 30th from noon-2!
Alabama Reader Events: Murder in the Magic City and Murder on the Menu
I haven’t done very many reading events, especially in the last several years. When I was invited to be a guest at Murder in the Magic City in Birmingham and Murder on the Menu in Wetumpka, both in Alabama, I jumped at the chance. It was so much fun to be around readers and other mystery writers. And–so fun!– the lovely Deborah Holt won the auction event to have her name as a character in one of my books. I already know who she’ll be! So many talented authors! Lovely masked audience ? Murder in the Magic City Panel With Deborah Holt, who will appear in one of my books! Diane Kelly, SC Merritt, and moi ?
I’m Thankful For…
In my newsletter a few weeks ago, I asked my lovely readers what they were thankful for. So many people replied with really touching, meaningful, and often personal reflections. Thank you to those who shared. I am honored you shared your thoughts with me. I compiled these reflections into some fun holiday word art. I couldn’t decide which one I liked best, so I’m sharing several of them here. Feel free to download and share so we can continue to spread holiday spirit and thankfulness.
The Cozy Corner, Holiday Edition
Being a writer comes with the added bonus of getting to chat about your book with people like the fabulous Alexia Gordon on her podcast, The Cozy Corner. We sat down recently to talk about A Murder Yule Regret as part of her holiday series. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts, or on SOUNDCLOUD or on ANCHOR.
Thankfulness
For America, it’s Thanksgiving week. Whether you’re here in the U.S., or somewhere else in the world, I want to take a moment to share with you my gratitude, and to reflect on the year gone by. I have so much to be thankful for. My family, friends, my sweet pups, the forest, and that we’re all healthy are givens. I have so much more for which I have gratitude, especially in my writing world. Here are just a few, just because… ? The fact that I have a career doing the thing I love doing the most…writing!? Words! I am a vocabulary lover. We have a box of SAT words at the dinner table and quiz ourselves regularly!? Grammar. Enough said.? WriterSpark Writing Academy! I’m so thrilled to be able to pay it forward and help aspiring writers.? All the writers who came before…JRR Tolkien; Margaret Mitchell; Frances Hodgson Burnett; Homer; Orson Scott Card; CS Lewis; Jane Austin; Shakespeare; Mary Shelley; Dickens; Poe; Hemingway; Fitzgerald; Steinbeck; Robert Louis Stevenson… I could go on and on!? And the poets, especially Robert Frost, because like him, I took the road less traveled. ? All the stories yet to be told, simmering in writer’s minds.? All the words yet to be written, that will make up those stories.? Art and how it influences my writing.? And you, lovely readers. I am SO thankful for each and every one of you. Wishing you all a wonderful week full of hope and gratitude, and good books. Happy Reading!
A New Cover for Murder in Devil’s Cove
I’ve always felt that the Murder in Devil’s Cove cover lacked something. Umph? Color? Sailor, the rescue dog? All three? That’s fixed now. I got together with my cover design artist (who is amazing!) and we reimagined the cover. Now it has beach houses, a cove, Sailor, and the bike Pippin rides around the island. I love it! Check out the praise for this book and series. I think the cover now represents it better. Happy reading! XOXO Melissa
Find a New Female Sleuth to Read!
Last week in my newsletter, I asked folks who their favorite female sleuth is. The responses came in for days! If you love a good female sleuth, check out the recommended list below. The Top Four Choices with the most mentions: Kinsey Millhone Miss Marple Jessica Fletcher Nancy Drew And the rest of the list: Aurora Teagarden Stephanie Plum Agatha Raisin Temperance Brennan Joanna Brady If you like Cat Mysteries, try these: Peggy Winn from Scotshop series Sarah Grayson of the second Chance Cat series Darla Pettistone from Black Cat Bookshop Kathleen Paulson of Magical Cats Minnie Hamilton from the Bookmobile Cat series The unnamed protagonist of the Cats and Curios series Emma Cross of the Gilded Newport Mysteries by Alyssa Maxwell. Set in the 1890s, Emma is a poor relative of the Vanderbilts who is fiercely independent, supporting herself as a journalist Cait from Kathi Daley’s Whales and Tails series. She works with a “magic” cat in each book to solve the mystery Librarian Lucy Richardson and feline Charles for Charles Dickens. Minnie Hamilton with feline rescue cat Eddie Septuagenarian sleuth librarian Cleo Watkins with her cat Rhett Butler in a Bookmobile Mystery series And then there’s: Michelle Cox V.I. Warshawski Siobhan O’Sullivan Detective Jo Wyatt Ellery Hathaway Robbie Jordan Gemma Doyle Merry Wilkinson Lucy Richardson Tricia Miles Stephanie Plum got a few mentions, as did Mrs. Polifax And for a few more… CIA Assassin Fortune Redding and her sidekicks Gertie and Ida Belle Spy Charlotte Mission and her retired spy grandmother, Georgina Mission Lady Eleanor Swift Beryl and Edwina Lilly Jayne and her Garden Squad Mercy Carr Pepper Reece Jazz Ransey Lucy Lancaster, of Ancestry Investigations Annie Darling The indomitable Amelia Peabody there is now septuagenarian sleuth librarian Cleo Watkins with her cat Rhett Butler in a Bookmobile Mystery series by Nora Page. A new sleuth on the scene is Helen Morrisey Helen Morrisey, real estate agent, widow, mother of adult twins, animal lover, and an extraordinary friend. A new sleuth on the scene is Helen Morrisey making her debut with first cozy mystery publication, “Murder in the Master: A Chesapeake Bay Mystery” by Judy L. Murray and I hope she’s planning on a long series. Helen Morrisey, real estate agent, widow, mother of adult twins, animal lover, and an extraordinary friend. Helen is also a devoted mystery lover with favorites of Nancy Drew, Agatha Raisin, Nora Charles, Jessica Fletcher, and Miss Marple. As the author is a realtor this cozy has authenticity that rings true in language when talking to any realtor. Arly Hanks Georgiana Rannoch Phryne Fisher Eve Dallas Temperance Brennan Joanna Brady You’ll have to search the sleuth’s name to find the books they go in. Good luck, and happy reading!illhone
Nonfiction Book Recommendations
I recently finished listening to Leah Remini’s Troublemaker. I loved the book! Leah narrates it, and does a phenomenal job. I want to be her friend in real life. She’s strong, committed, feisty, and downright hilarious. The book is primarily about her time (30 something years) as a Scientologist. Fas.Cin.A.Ting. Reading (listening to) it got me on a bit of a nonfiction kick. I am currently reading (listening to) The Ballad of a Whiskey Robber. It’s presented like a radio show, and so far it’s kind super interesting and fun. It’s “the hilarious and improbable true story of Attila Ambrus, the Robin Hood of Eastern Europe”. So far, it’s living up to its claims. In my last October newsletter, I asked readers for nonfiction book recommendations. Here’s the list of the top recommendations. Hope you find something interesting to read! Michelle Obama’s Becoming A Sand County Almanac (with essays on conservation from Round River) by Aldo Leopold The Outermost House (A Year Of Life On The Great Beach of Cape Cod) by Henry Beston The Field House, A Writer’s Life Lost and Found on an Island in Maine, by Robin Clifford Wood. Tornado, by John Nichol. Higher Calling Helter Skelter, by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry The Gates of Janus, by Ian Brady Molly: The True Story of the Amazing Dog Who Rescues Cats, by Colin Butcher I Will Find You and Killer Triggers, by Joe Kenda March trilogy, by Congressman John Lewis, with Andrew Aydin and art by Nate Powell They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon The Library Book, by Susan Orlean! Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI Countdown 1945, by Chris Wallace The Happiest Man on Earth, by Eddie Jaku Peril, by Bob Woodward & Robert Costa Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s “Girl Stunt Reporters, by Kim Todd The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia, by Esther Hautzig Zamba: The True story of the Greatest Lion that Ever Lived, by Ralph Helfer Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculee Ilibagiza & Steve Erwin The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five sisters, one remarkable family, and the woman who risked everything to keep them safe Run, Don’t Walk: The Curious and Chaotic life of a Physical Therapist at Walter Reed Army Medical Ce Bree, by Adelle Levine Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who saved Him Tuesday’s Promise: One Veteran, One Dog, and Their Bold Quest to Change Lives Nujeen: One girl’s Incredible Journey from War-Torn Syria in a Wheelchair Trusting Calvin: How a Dog Helped Heal a Holocaust Survivor’s Heart Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys Upstairs At the White House: My life with the First Ladies, by JB West; Marylynn Kotz Mrs. Kennedy and Me, by Clint Hill The Diary of Samuel Pepys The Assassin’s Cloak: An Anthology of the World’s Greatest Diarists The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Wm World War II, by Denise Kiernan Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women who Propelled us from Missiles to the Moon and Mars, by Nathalia Holt Band of Brothers It’s Only Too Late if you Don’t Start Now, Barbara Sher Judy: The Unforgettable Story of the Dog Who Went to War and Became a True Hero Reckless: Pride of the Marines