Malice, Matrimony, and Murder
Author: Joslyn Chase, Charlotte Morganti, P.M. Raymond, Paige Sleuth, Teresa Inge, Sally Milliken, Rebecca Olmstead, Nikki Knight, Shari Held, Barbara Howard, Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier, KD Sherrinford, Stephen D. Rogers, Elaine Togneri, Lynn Hesse, Margaret S. Hamilton, Stella Oni, Pamela Kyel, Karen McCullough, Wil A. Emerson, Becky Clark
Genre: Cozy Mystery Anthology
Release Date: November 13, 2023, by Marla Bradeen
Pages: 478
Summary:
The bride wore an orange jumpsuit…
Everyone loves a good wedding–and a good mystery. Combine the two and what do you get? Malice, Matrimony, and Murder!
Over two dozen authors have teamed up to offer you this wedding-themed collection of brand-new cozy mystery and cozy crime fiction stories that will keep you wondering whodunit and what’s next from the first page to the last. Between bad bridesmaids, conniving caterers, greedy guests, ill-mannered in-laws, savvy sleuths, and vengeful villains, this anthology has it all! All of the stories are clean and fun, with a general feel-good tone. If you read to be entertained, surprised, and uplifted, then this collection is for you!
Plus, the anthology as a whole contains an overarching wedding whodunit woven throughout. As you’re reading, collect the clues, identify whodunit, and access a special ebook filled with bonuses and extras. Inside you’ll find recipes, character interviews, bonus stories, and more!
If you’re drawn to shorter mysteries that are light on gore and language, and high on humor, entertainment, and happy endings, then you don’t want to miss out on Malice, Matrimony, and Murder. But this collection is only available for a limited-time, so grab it now before it’s gone forever!
Our stories:
– “The Groom’s Club” by Joslyn Chase.
– “A Wedding Planner’s Nightmare: A Persimmon Worthing Mystery” by Charlotte Morganti.
– “Cinderella at Midnight” by P.M. Raymond.
– “Ring Robbery: A Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Short” by Paige Sleuth.
– “What’s a Little Murder Between Friends” by Teresa Inge.
– “Icing on the Cake” by Sally Milliken.
– “Love and Death in Madison, Georgia” by Rebecca Olmstead.
– “Second Chances Are…Murder: A Vermont Radio Mystery” by Nikki Knight.
– “Wedding Vows & Vipers” by Shari Held.
– “The Bride Wore Death” by Barbara Howard.
– “Chill: A Naomi Sinclair Short Story” by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier.
– “A Bit of a Do” by KD Sherrinford.
– “Goes Around” by Stephen D. Rogers.
– “Jilted” by Elaine Togneri.
– “Sabotage and a Murder Mystery” by Lynn Hesse.
– “Til Death Do Us Part” by Margaret S. Hamilton.
– “A Wedding Most Bitter: A Lara’s Detective Agency Series” by Stella Oni.
– “Better Late Than Murdered” by Robert Petyo.
– “Charm City Wedding” by Pamela Kyel.
– “The Other Wedding Crasher” by Karen McCullough.
– “Marriage, Neighbors and Best Friends: A Wally and Ollie Series” by Wil A. Emerson.
– “The Wedding Dress in the Middle of the Road” by Jack Bates.
– “Death, the Unwanted Wedding Guest” by J. Aquino.
– “We Haven’t Had Cake” by Sharyn Kolberg.
– “To Have and To Scold” by Becky Clark.
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About the Authors
Joslyn Chase
Joslyn Chase is a prize-winning author of mysteries and thrillers. Any day she can send readers to the edge of their seats, chewing their fingernails to the nub and prickling with suspense, is a good day in her book.
Joslyn’s story, “Cold Hands, Warm Heart,” was chosen by Amor Towles as one of The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2023. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Fiction River, Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem, Mystery Magazine, and Pulphouse Fiction, among others.
Known for her fast-paced fiction, Joslyn’s books are full of surprising twists and delectable turns. You will find her riveting novels most anywhere books are sold.
Joslyn’s love for travel has led her to ride camels through the Nubian desert, fend off monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar, and hike the Bavarian Alps. But she still believes that sometimes the best adventures come in getting the words on the page and in the thrill of reading a great story.
Join the growing group of readers who’ve discovered the thrill of Chase! Sign up on her website and get VIP access to great bonuses, like your free copy of No Rest: 14 Tales of Chilling Suspense, as well as updates and first crack at new releases. See you there! You can also find her at Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Charlotte Morganti
Charlotte Morganti is a Canadian writer of crime fiction. She has been a burger flipper, beer slinger and a corporate finance/mining lawyer. In addition to her law degree, she holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. Now retired from legal practice, she focuses on writing crime fictionnovels and short stories, ranging from gritty investigations to lighter capers. Charlotte usually sets her stories in small towns that harbour both villains (often cunning, occasionally inept) and the sleuths who pursue them.
Charlotte Morganti’s novels-in-progress have been short-listed for various awards, including the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence (formerly the Unhanged Arthur) for unpublished manuscripts. Her short stories have appeared in Black Cat Weekly and several anthologies, including Mystery Weekly’s Die Laughing, An Anthology of Humorous Mysteries, Iguana Books’ Blood is Thicker, an Anthology of Twisted Family Traditions, and Sisters in Crime-Canada West’s anthology, Crime Wave. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers of Canada, and is a past president of Sisters in Crime-Canada West. Charlotte and her husband live in a small town on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. You can find out more about her on her website, Newsletter, Bookbub, Goodreads, Facebook, and Instagram.
P.M. Raymond
P.M. Raymond is a project consultant living on the East Coast with 27 cookbooks and an imaginary dog named Walter. As a native of New Orleans, mystical undertones are the roux in her crime and horror writing. Her main writing goal is to bring Black characters to life that preserve their humanity and dignity. Most days you can find P.M. enjoying a café au lait and indulging in the short story mastery of Shirley Jackson, M.R. James, and Joe Hill, or the storytelling of Tananarive Due, and manga maestro, Junji Ito. Her work has appeared in Flash Fiction Magazine, Dark Fire Fiction, Pyre Magazine, Kings River Life Magazine, and Rock, Roll, and Ruin: A Triangle Sisters in Crime Anthology from Down & Out Books. You can find out more about her on her website, Newsletter, Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter, and Facebook.
Paige Sleuth
Marla Bradeen previously worked as a software consultant and analyst. In 2012, she gave up a traditional job for no other reason than to have more time to pursue personal interests, such as sleeping in late and taking naps. Although she misses seeing regular deposits into her bank account, she hasn’t once regretted that decision.
These days, Marla enjoys inventing imaginary friends and killing them off. She’s thrilled to have finally found a use for that bachelor’s in psychology: getting into her characters’ heads. When she’s not plotting murder, she spends her time fighting for mattress space with her two rescue cats.
She also writes cozy mysteries under the pseudonym Paige Sleuth. You can find out more about her on her website, Newsletter, Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter.
Teresa Inge
Teresa Inge is an author in the Mutt Mysteries series (To Fetch a Thief, To Fetch a Scoundrel, To Fetch a Villain, and To Fetch a Killer), Virginia is for Mysteries series volumes I, II, III, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Coastal Crimes: Mysteries by the Sea, and Murder by the Glass.
She is president of the Sisters in Crime, Mystery by the Sea chapter, a member of the Central Virginia chapter, Chessie chapter, Guppies chapter, Hampton Roads Writers, and Short Mystery Fiction Society. During her writing career, Teresa has mentored mystery authors to help develop their writing craft and pathway to publication.
A Navy brat, Teresa grew up reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries. Combining her love of reading mysteries and writing professional articles led to writing short fiction and novellas.
Today, she doesn’t carry a rod like her idol but she hot rods. A gearhead, Teresa attends classic car shows showing her Torch Red, 1955 Thunderbird. By day, she juggles assisting three busy executives and resides in Southeastern Virginia with her husband and two dogs. She can be reached on all social media or by posting a comment on her website. You can find out more about her on her website, Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Sally Milliken
After a career in environmental education, Sally Milliken now writes contemporary and historical mysteries and crime fiction, trying to incorporate her love of and respect for nature in her writing. She enjoys cold water dipping in the Merrimack River with her mermaid sisters, playing ice hockey with the Clippers and the Panthers, and creating bowls on the pottery wheel. She and her family live in coastal Massachusetts. You can find out more about her on her website, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, and Facebook.
Rebecca Olmstead
Rebecca Olmstead is an award-winning author of both fiction and non-fiction, speaker, and teacher. Her book, Loved So Much, It Hurts: Purpose in the Pain, Is a Book Excellence Award and Global Book Award finalist.
Her short story, “The Uninvited Guest” is a fun read and her first award-winning story. She will be releasing Dreams and Illusions, the first in her Gabrielle Dorian Mystery Series in October, 2023, and her story, “Love and Snakes” will be in the Malice, Matrimony, & Murder anthology in November.
Rebecca’s stories have been published in a number of periodicals, including Live, The Upper Room, Now What?, Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse, Jr., and Houseboat magazine.
When she’s not writing, Rebecca enjoys time with her family, camping, hiking, gardening, baking, and crochet. She also enjoys showing Jersey Woolies with her daughter. You can find out more about her on her website, Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Nikki Knight
Nikki Knight describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at New York City’s top all-news radio station, 1010 WINS, she writes mysteries including LIVE, LOCAL, AND DEAD, a Vermont Radio Mystery from Crooked Lane, and as Kathleen Marple Kalb, the Ella Shane and Old Stuff series. Her short stories appear online and in anthologies, and have been short-listed for Black Orchid Novella and Derringer Awards. She, her husband, and her son live in a Connecticut house owned by their cat. You can find her at Amazon, Goodreads, and Facebook.
Shari Held
A writer of many interests and multiple careers, Shari’s been a medical assistant, purchasing agent, salesperson, website developer, adjunct professor (Purdue University), editor, academic writer, technical writer, newspaper and magazine writer, ghostwriter, and freelance writer. She also served as the first Webmaster at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
Her non-fiction articles have appeared in local and national newspapers and magazines, including Indianapolis Business Journal, Indianapolis Monthly, Library Journal, LIFT Magazine for the Aspiring and the Successful, Forefront Magazine, Healthcare Traveler, and many others. She authored two custom “For Dummies” books—Performance Management for Dummies and Understanding Credit Risk for Dummies—as well as narrated Indianapolis: A Photographic Portrait and edited Advice You Never Asked For. . . But Wished You Had.
But it’s writing fiction that has her heart. She loves giving life to new characters on the page, confronting them with challenges, and seeing how they escape—or not! She mainly writes short crime fiction. Her short stories have been featured in several collections, including Murder 20/20 (for which she also served as co-editor), Homicide for the Holidays, Fine Art of Murder, Circle City Murder, and Hoosier Noir Magazine. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Short Mystery Fiction Society. You can find out more about this author on her website, Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, and Twitter.
Barbara Howard
Author of mystery stories featuring a female amateur sleuth, diverse characters, and a dash of romance.
Barbara Howard is a mystery author of over a dozen books, including the trilogy, Finding Home Mystery Series; Final Harvest, Charlotte’s Revenge, and Milo’s Journey. She is a first generation tech geek turned master gardener. She returned to her Midwestern hometown after an extensive career as a Department of Defense Project Manager at the Pentagon and spends most of her time treasure hunting, spoiling her fur-babies, growing veggies, and plotting whodunits.
She has also published a collection of books on food-related topics, food safety, and heirloom recipe cookbooks under the pen name, Arlene Lee.
Memberships/Affiliations: Mystery Writers of America (MWA), Sisters in Crime (SinC), Great Lakes Fiction Writers (GLFW), Crime Writers of Color (CWoC), Gamma Xi Phi (GXP). You can find out more about this author on her website, Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Spotify.
Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier
Ashley-Ruth Bernier lives in Apex, North Carolina. Originally from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, she is an emerging writer of contemporary Caribbean mysteries. The winner of the North Carolina Writers Network’s 2022 Jacobs/Jones prize for Black writers, Ashley-Ruth’s stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and The Caribbean Writer. Ashley-Ruth is a first grade teacher, a wife, and a mom of 4. For her, uninterrupted writing time is more valuable than gold. You can find out more about this author on her website, Bookbub, and Goodreads.
KD Sherrinford
KD Sherrinford was born and raised in Preston, Lancashire, and now resides on The Fylde Coast with her husband John, and their four children. An avid reader from an early age, KD was fascinated by the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, she read the entire Doyle Canon by the time she was 13. A talented pianist, KD played piano from age six, the music of some of her favourite composers, Beethoven, Schubert, Stephen Foster, and Richard Wagner, all strongly feature in her novel. KD had a varied early career, working with horses and racing greyhounds, she and her husband won the Blackpool Greyhound Derby in 1987 with Scottie. Then to mix things up KD joined Countrywide, where she was employed for over 20 years and became a Fellow of The National Association of Estate Agents. Retirement finally gave KD the opportunity to follow her dreams and start work on her first novel. She gained inspiration to write” Song for Someone” from her daughter Katie, after a visit to the Sherlock Holmes museum on Baker Street in 2019. It had always been a passion to write about Irene Adler, she is such an iconic character, and KD wanted to give her a voice. KD recently completed her second book in the Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler mystery series, “Christmas at The Saporis”, and is currently working on the third. You can find out more about this author on her website, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Facebook.
Stephen D. Rogers
Stephen D. Rogers is a multi-published writer of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Over eight hundred of his stories and poems have been selected to appear in more than three hundred publications, earning among other honors two “Best of Soft SF” winners, two Derringers (with seven additional finalists), a Shamus Award nomination, a Black Orchid Novella finalist, a Rhysling nomination, two “Notable Online Stories” from storySouth’s Million Writers Award, honorable mention in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, mention in The Best American Mystery Stories, and numerous Readers’s Choice awards.
Stephen is a proud member of the Mystery Writers of America, the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. A participant in the Fairfield University Writer’s Institute of 1989, the Bread Loaf conference of 1994, and Robert McKee’s STORY seminar, Stephen is also a member of Toastmasters International (where he is a Distinguished Toastmaster). Catch his stand-up act as a member of The Bad News Bears of Comedy. Founder of Gateway Improv.
Stephen’s writing advice has appeared in Write Now! Mysteries, Writer’s Digest, and Writing World. He’s taught writing workshops for Crime Bake, Romance Writers of America / Kiss of Death, Savvy Authors, Sisters in Crime / Guppies, Writers College, Writers University, and Writing World. His webinar “Selling to Anthologies” is now available from Writer’s Digest Tutorials. You can find out more about this author on his website, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon.
Elaine Togneri
Elaine Togneri has over forty published short stories in markets ranging from webzines and anthologies (When a Stranger Comes to Town, The Rich and The Dead, Blood on Their Hands) to major magazines (Woman’s World). She is also published in non-fiction and poetry. Elaine holds an MA in English from Rutgers University and has taught courses in English Composition, Technical Writing, and Short Fiction. She is a member of MWA and SinC. The founder and a past president of the Sisters in Crime – Central New Jersey chapter, Elaine relocated to Florida in 2007. You can find out more about this author on her website, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon.
Lynn Hesse
Lynn Hesse won the 2015 First Place Winner, Oak Tree Press, Cop Tales, for her mystery, WELL OF RAGE. Her mystery, ANOTHER Kind of Hero, was a finalist for the 2018 Silver Falchion Award and won the International Readers’ Chill Award in 2021. Lynn’s suspense novel, “THE FORTY KNOTS BURN,” was published by Blue Room Books in January 2022. A MATTER OF RESPECT, the sequel to the crime novel WELL OF RAGE, was published by Scribblers Press in November 2022.
Her short story, “Shrewd Women,” was published by Onyx Publications in July 2022. Another short story, “Bitter Love,” was accepted for publication in CRIMEUCOPIA, THE I’s HAVE IT” in the October 2021 issue of Murderous Ink Press, United Kingdom. “Jewel’s Hell” was published in ME TOO SHORT STORIES: AN ANTHOLOGY by Level Best Books, 2019, and edited by Elizabeth Zelvin. Her short story about a domestic homicide, “Murder: Food For Thought,” published in the anthology DOUBLE LIVES, REINVENTION, & THOSE WE LEAVE BEHIND, 2009 by Wising Up Press, was adapted in the play WE HUNT OUR YOUNG, produced at Emory University Field Showcase and Core Studio Luncheon Time Series, 2011. Excerpts from the play UNACCEPTABLE TRUTHS were performed on the Atlanta BeltLine in 2013.
An interview concerning Lynn’s role as a police officer, BLUE STEEL, is in The Women’s Studies Archives, The Second Feminist Movement, Georgia State University. She performs in several dance and theatrical troupes in Atlanta, Georgia. The dandelion is one of her performance personas.
Lynn Holmes Hesse was Police Officer Standard Training (POST) certified as an officer at Georgia State University. She was one of DeKalb County, Georgia’s first female officers in uniform. Winning the DKPD Academic Award in 1980, she won the Larry Quinn Award for academic merit and honorable service in 1997. She was also a detective in the Traffic Specialist Unit, handling death notifications, specialized accident scene investigation documentation, and criminal prosecution of offenders.
She was part of a seven-woman coalition that fought DeKalb County (Georgia) to allow women to make rank in the 1980s. She was part of a team who rallied for peer counseling and the Employee Assistance Program. As a sergeant, she developed a squad to answer domestic violence 911 calls in the highest crime area of the county. While a lieutenant, she supervised approximately thirty patrol officers and a Mobile Crisis Unit consisting of a nurse and an officer who answered calls involving the mentally ill. Lynn retired from law enforcement in 2003.
She is the Atlanta Writers Club, Sisters-in-Crime, Walton Writers, National League of American Pen Women, International Women Police Association, and Crime Writers Association, UK. You can find out more about this author on her website, Bookbub, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Margaret S. Hamilton
From the time I devoured my first Nancy Drew book, I’ve been an avid mystery reader. In addition to sitting on the protagonist’s should as she solves crimes, I enjoy learning about different places and occupations: Sarah Graves’s Home Repair is Homicide Mysteries, Cleo Coyle’s Coffeehouse Mysteries, Elly Griffith’s Ruth Galloway forensic archeology mysteries, and Martin Walker’s Inspector Bruno, Chief of Police series.
After graduating with a degree in English from Connecticut College, I held an astonishing variety of jobs as we moved around the country, finally earning an MBA at Kent State University. I landed in sales support and management for the custom decorating division of a national department store chain.
On a bleak January day at the start of a major birthday year, my youngest a freshman in college, I opened a blank Word document and started writing my first amateur sleuth mystery. My experience in interior design and home renovation provided the necessary background for my protagonist, Lizzie Christopher, to manage both an interior design shop and historic renovation projects. I combined the Ohio towns where I’ve lived: Wyoming, Hudson, and Evendale, into the fictional college town of Jericho.
Several years later, What the Artist Left Behind was a 2019 Daphne Mainstream Mystery Finalist. I’ve published close to thirty mystery short stories, and contribute a monthly piece to the Writers Who Kill Blog. You can find out more about this author on her website, BookBub, Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Stella Oni
Author Stella Oni creates content in Food and Technology. She also loves reading and reviewing books on her blog. Her debut police procedural, “Deadly Sacrifice,” featuring detective Toks Ade, the first black female police detective in UK fiction, was nominated for the SI Leeds Literary Prize and was an Audible Crime and Thriller pick.
She has contributed short stories to various anthologies, including “Midnight Hour” published by Crooked Lane.
She is writing book two of the Toks Ade Mystery series and book 1 of her contemporary crime mystery, The London House Mystery series, set in Lagos, Nigeria and Knightsbridge in London. You can find out more about this author on her website, Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Pamela Kyel
I am Baltimore (pronounced “Bawlmore”), Maryland born and raised; from Oriole’s games to a bushel of crabs, I bleed Baltimore pride. Life has taken me everywhere from California to Italy courtesy of Uncle Sam and the US military. I am married and a mom to two children and two furry babies. I am an active member of MWA, SinC, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. While I am not currently published I will be querying my current work in progress in the not-so-distant future. You can find out more about this author on her website, newsletter, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon.
Karen McCullough
Karen McCullough is the author of almost two dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romance, suspense, and fantasy genres, including the Market Center Mysteries Series, originally published by Five Star/Cengage and reprinted by Harlequin Worldwide Mystery Library, and three books in the No Brides Club series. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society, she is also a past president of the Southeast chapter of Mystery Writers of America and served on the MWA national board. Karen has won numerous awards, including the 2021 Bould Awards, an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Dream Realm, International Digital, Lories, and Vixen Award contests. Her short fiction has appeared in a wide variety of anthologies. You can find out more about this author on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.
Becky Clark
Becky Clark is the seventh of eight kids, which explains both her insatiable need for attention and her atrocious table manners. She likes to read funny books so it felt natural to write them too. She surrounds herself with quirky people and pets who end up as characters in her books. Her stout-hearted dog keeps her safe from menacing squirrels, leaves, and deer, but not plastic bags. Those things are terrifying.
Readers say her books are “fast and thoroughly entertaining” with “witty humor and tight writing” and “humor laced with engaging characters,” so you should “grab a cocktail and enjoy the ride.” They also say, “Warning: You will laugh out loud. I’m not kidding,” and “If you like Janet Evanovich, you will like Becky Clark.”
Becky won the 1st place “Best in Category” Mystery & Mayhem Award from the Chanticleer International Book Awards for Fiction Can Be Murder, book one in the Mystery Writer’s Mystery series. You can find out more about this author on her website and join her newsletter to keep up to date with her. Other places to look at are Bookbub, Amazon, Goodreads, and Becky’s Book Buddies (Facebook Group).
Giveaway
Prize: 3 Winners ebook copy (.epub or .mobi) of Cherry Hills Case Files: Holiday Holdup by Paige Sleuth
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Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
Thank you so much for spotlighting our anthology, Karen! Much appreciated.