Location, Location, Location – Deadly Southern Charm
The short stories in Deadly
Southern Charm were written by Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia members.
This is our chapter’s third mystery anthology. The themes change, but all are
full of good mysteries that can be read individually or as a collection.
All
of the stories had to have a female sleuth and be set somewhere in the southern
United States. Our authors and editors are:
Frances Aylor,
CFA combines her investing experience and love of travel in her financial
thrillers. MONEY GRAB is the first in the series. www.francesaylor.com
Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of cookbooks, articles, essays, poetry, and fiction. An Agatha Award nominee, she lives in Central
Virginia. www.molliecoxbryan.com
Lynn Cahoon is the NYT and USA
Today author of the
best-selling Tourist Trap, Cat Latimer and Farm-to-Fork mystery series. www.lynncahoon.com
J. A. Chalkley is
a native Virginian. She is a writer, retired public safety communications
officer, and a member of Sisters in Crime.
Stacie Giles,
after a career as a political scientist, linguist, and CIA analyst, is now
writing historical cozies with a twist. Her first short story is in honor
of her grandfather who was a policeman in Memphis in the 1920s.
Barb Goffman works as a freelance crime-fiction editor to support her short-story
habit. She's won the Agatha, Macavity, and Silver Falchion awards for her short
stories, and is a twenty-three-time finalist for US crime-writing awards. She
lives in Winchester, Virginia. www.barbgoffman.com
Libby Hall is a
communication analyst with a consulting firm in Richmond, Virginia. She
is also a blogger, freelance writer, wife, and mother of two.
Bradley Harper is a retired Army pathologist. Library
Journal named his debut novel, A KNIFE IN THE FOG, Debut of the Month for
October 2018, and a finalist for the 2019 Edgar Award for Best First Novel by
an American Author. www.bharperauthor.com
Sherry Harris is the Agatha
Award-nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale mystery series and is
the president of Sisters in Crime.www.sherryharrisauthor.com
Maggie King penned the
Hazel Rose Book Group mysteries. Her short stories appear in the Virginia
is for Mysteries and 50 Shades of Cabernet anthologies. www.maggieking.com
Kristin Kisska is a
member of International Thriller Writers and James River Writers, and programs
chair of the Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia chapter. www.kristinkisska.com
Samantha McGraw has
a love of mysteries and afternoon tea. She lives in Richmond with her husband
and blogs at Tea Cottage Mysteries.www.samanthamcgraw.com
K.L. Murphy is a freelance
writer and the author of the Detective Cancini Mysteries. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her
husband, four children, and two dogs.www.Kellielarsenmurphy.com
Genilee Swope Parente
has written the romantic mystery The Fate Series with her mother F. Sharon
Swope. The two also have several collections of short stories. www.swopeparente.com
Deb Rolfe primarily writes
mystery novels. This is her first published short story. She and her husband
enjoy life in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Ronald Sterling is the author of
six books and draws upon his colorful and varied life experience as a U.S.
Airman, saloonkeeper, private detective, realtor, and New Jersey
mayor.
S.E. Warwick, in the last century earned a bachelor’s
degree in American Studies. Ever since, she has been trying to decipher the
American enigma.
Heather
Weidner is the author of the Delanie
Fitzgerald Mysteries. She has short
stories in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 SHADES OF CABERNET and TO FETCH A THIEF. She lives in Central Virginia with her
husband and Jack Russell terriers. www.heatherweidner.com
Our editors are:
Mary Burton is a New York
Times, USA Today and Kindle best-selling author. She is currently working on her latest
suspense. www.maryburton.com
Mary Miley is a historian
and writer with 14 nonfiction books and 5 mystery novels to her credit. www.marymileytheobald.com
The stories in DEADLY
SOUTHERN CHARM are all set in the South. Do you have a favorite Southern
mystery?
Heather: I love learning about different locales with
regional mysteries. My favorite southern ones are by Sherry Harris, Maya
Corrigan, and Ellen Byron.
Lynn: You know, I don’t really think of books divided up by
regions. Thinking about a few I like, Julie Chase has a fun cozy set in New
Orleans. Charlene Harris (of course.) And Laura Child’s scrapbooking mysteries
also set in New Orleans.
Mollie: I’m with Lynn on this. I don’t think of books that
way. I do love the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Also, I love
Rita Mae Brown's mysteries.
Frances: While traveling in Hilton Head a number of years
ago, I visited a local bookstore selling mysteries by Kathryn Wall. She’s a
Northerner who retired to South Carolina’s Low Country and has written 13 books
in her series featuring financial planner Bay Tanner. The first one I read was In
for a Penny, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
As an author, do you
have a favorite quote from one of your books or stories?
Heather: This is my favorite quote from my story, “Art
Attack” in Deadly Southern Charm. “I love that goblet,” Ilsa said. “It’s
irresistible to a specific type of man—the greedy and dishonest sort who see
its legend as a challenge…"
Lynn: For me, this quote from Cat Latimer, female protagonist
of A Story to Kill, Book 1 of the Cat Latimer series, sums up my love of
writing and being an author quite nicely. “I
love this office. I always wanted to write here. Not grade papers, not work on
lesson plans, just write the stories in my head.”
Frances: This is from
“The Girl in the Airport” in Deadly Southern Charm: The storm system
had hit Atlanta around three o’clock that afternoon, part of a wide mass of
squalls that muscled in from the Atlantic and quickly smothered the entire East
Coast. Powerful winds slammed against the airport terminal as churning black
clouds dumped torrential rains onto the tarmac. The “on time” flight notices on
the departure board flipped to “delayed” – first one, then three, then all the
rest, succumbing one after another like helpless victims of a particularly
contagious strain of flu.
DEADLY SOUTHERN CHARM is an anthology that features
female protagonists. Who is your favorite fictional female character? Why?
Mollie: Definitely Eve in the JD Robb “In Death” series.
Talk about a strong female character!
Heather: I like mysteries with strong female protagonists.
Nancy Drew was my first favorite sleuth. She was young, smart, and had the
freedom to solve crimes that the adults couldn’t. She was my gateway sleuth to
other mysteries.
Lynn: I really loved following Diana Bishop’s character in A
Discovery of Witches. The book is part mystery, part romance, definitely
paranormal, and part historical. Diana is the character I want to be when I
grow up – a researching academic with a magic problem.
Frances: A current favorite is Ruth Galloway, a forensic
archeologist in a mystery series by British writer Elly Griffiths. Ruth is a
very approachable character. She’s smart, career-oriented and professionally
competent, but struggles in her personal life to live up to the expectations of
her family.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
BOOK LINKS
PRAISE FOR THE ANTHOLOGY
Deadly Southern Charm is a
keep-you-up-at-night collection loaded with well-crafted characters and perfect
plotting by some of today’s best mystery writers. Brava!
USA Today and NYT Best-selling
author, Ellery Adams
Deliciously devious and
absolutely delightful, these marvelous stories will keep you captivated!
Sweeter than sweet tea on the surface, but with smartly sinister secrets only a
true southern writer can provide. What a joy to read!
Hank Phillippi Ryan best-selling Agatha and Mary Higgins Clark
Awards winner
This collection of short
crime fiction charms even as the stories immerse you in murder, revenge, and
deadly deeds. Set all over the south, from Virginia to North and South
Carolina, in Atlanta, Memphis, and New Orleans, the stories by eighteen authors
engage and entertain with rich imagery and dialog from the region - and
nefarious plots, too. Pour a glass of sweet tea and settle in on the porch
swing for a fabulous read.
Edith Maxwell, Agatha and Macavity Awards nominee
This can’t-put-it-down collection
of mystery short stories is flavored with the oft-eerie ambiance of the South,
where the most genteel manners may hide a dark and murderous intent. Enjoy Deadly Southern Charm with a Mint Julep in hand – a strong one.
Ellen Byron, USA Today best-selling author, Agatha and
Daphne Awards nominee and Lefty winner
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Review
DEADLY SOUTHERN CHARM is a collection of short stories showcasing the dark underside of the South, what's hidden beneath that Southern charm and gentility. There's strength, there's vengeance, and there's murder.
The short stories found here are quite brief, you can easily enjoy them like bon bons, popping one into your mouth before bed, although perhaps keeping a nightlight on as you close the book. There are a range of styles here as well, some cozy, some definitely not, but certainly something for everyone.
One of my favorite stories was "Cayce's Treasures" by Lynn Cahoon which provided a strong set of characters richly developed in such a short space of time. "Keepsakes" by J. A. Chalkley provided an intense atmosphere along with an unexpected ending leaving me with a chill.
DEADLY SOUTHERN CHARM brings together a variety of quick reads that ooze Southern sweetness dipped in venom.
The short stories found here are quite brief, you can easily enjoy them like bon bons, popping one into your mouth before bed, although perhaps keeping a nightlight on as you close the book. There are a range of styles here as well, some cozy, some definitely not, but certainly something for everyone.
One of my favorite stories was "Cayce's Treasures" by Lynn Cahoon which provided a strong set of characters richly developed in such a short space of time. "Keepsakes" by J. A. Chalkley provided an intense atmosphere along with an unexpected ending leaving me with a chill.
DEADLY SOUTHERN CHARM brings together a variety of quick reads that ooze Southern sweetness dipped in venom.
I'll second the motion that J. A. Chalkley's story took full advantage of the delicious deviousness of the southern mystique--well done, Judy. Thanks for getting the word out about Deadly Southern Charm. Let's applaud the value of cozy (and all) mystery reviewers. Writers need to reach readers, and reviewers make much of that possible.
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