Marni Graff is the Award-winning author of The Nora Tierney English Mysteries, and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries.
The Nora Tierney English Mysteries feature American Nora living in England. THE BLUE VIRGIN received First Prize in the Mystery and Mayhem Award for Best British Cozy from Chanticleer Review and is set in Oxford. THE GREEN REMAINS takes Nora to the Lake District and murder follows and won the same award for Best British Cozy. THE SCARLET WENCH, shortlisted for the same award, finds Nora involved in finding the murderer from a visiting theatre troupe living amongst her and her son at the lodge where she’s staying. A copy of SW is in the archives of the estate of Noel Coward, as all of the chapter epigrams are lines from his farce, “Blithe Spirit” which figures in the action. The fourth, THE GOLDEN HOUR, finds Nora visiting Brighton, Cornwall, and her beloved Oxford, with key action in Bath. The entire series has been narrated for Audible books by British actress Nano Nagle and are available on Kindle.

The fifth in this series, THE EVENING’S AMETHYST, finds Nora in Oxford again, with several scenes in Cambridge. Publication is slated for the end of May 2021, Covid notwithstanding!

The first Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery, Death Unscripted, is based on Graff’s real-life work as a medical consultant for a New York movie studio. Trudy has that job, too, but in her case, murder follows. This is the book P. D. James insisted Graff write and is dedicated to her. The book was named a finalist for the IAN Awards and was shortlisted as Best Mystery from Chanticleer Media. Book 2 in that series, DEATH AT THE DAKOTA, debuted in 2019 and also made the shortlist for Chanticleer’s Mystery and Mayhem award. Actress/director Lucinda Gainey narrates both Trudys on Audible, and these are also on Kindle.

Graff is also nominated for an Anthony Award for her story “Quiche Alain” as part of the Malice Domestic Anthology Murder Most Edible.

Graff is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press, an author’s cooperative based out of Baltimore, MD. Until December 2020, she wrote the popular crime review blog, Auntie M Writes.

Also known as Auntie M, MK and Marnette, Marni grew up in Floral Park, NY. She currently resides in rural North Carolina, and lives on the Pungo River, part of the coast’s Intracoastal Waterway with her husband and two Aussie Doodles.

She is the author of screenplays, stories, essays and poetry, in addition to the two mystery series. Her creative nonfiction was most recently seen in the book of collected essays The Who, The What and the When; Southern Women’s Review;  Fine Line Anthology ;and Shelf Pleasures. Her poem about Amelia Earhart is part of an anthology of poems dedicated to the pilot that is on display in Earhart’s hometown museum.

Author Marni Graff (R) with Barb Jancovic, owner 365 Days of Christmas

Marni’s background as a registered nurse always encompassed her love of writing.  She was a feature writer for Nursing Spectrum for six years and editor of a nursing journal for three. Her favorite nursing position was as a medical consultant for television and motion pictures, working on scripts from home and medical scenes on set in Manhattan.

She also wrote interview articles for seven years for Mystery Review, an opportunity to interview and learn from many of her favorite mystery authors, including Val McDermid, Deborah Crombie, Ian Rankin, and her mentor and friend for many years now, the Queen of British Mystery, P D James, who remained a mentor and friend until the Baroness’ death in 2014. Graff later attended her memorial service in London’s Inner Court.

Leaving nursing to pursue writing full time has taken Marni to study literature six times at the University of Iowa and one summer at Oxford University, as well as courses at New York University, Harvard, and Radcliffe.  She has taught Creative Writing and Memoir in North Carolina, and has done book reviews for Raleigh’s largest paper, The News and Observer.  Marni edits manuscripts, conducts writers workshops, and has twice been the recipient of month-long writing residencies at the Vermont Studio Center.

One of the founders of the ground-breaking Screw Iowa! Writers Group, Marni is a member of Sisters in Crime and of Mystery People in UK, and has twice attended St Hilda’s Mystery and Crime Conference In Oxford, England.

UK:  You can order all books through Bridle Path Press or Amazon.com.UK . The Blue Virgin is also available as an eBook for other ereaders through Smashwords.com;and in Washington, NC at RiverWalk Gallery.  All of the novels are available on Kindle and on Audible books.

Contact Marni at: bluevirgin.graff@gmail.com. Twitter: @GraffMarni Facebook: bluevirgin.graff or Marni Graff.