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WORK TITLE: Cremains of the Day
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1976?
WEBSITE: https://mistysimon.wordpress.com/
CITY:
STATE: PA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
Married with one daughter.
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born c. 1976; married; one daughter.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
MEMBER:Romance Writers of America.
WRITINGS
Author of novellas, including One Kiss. Work represented in anthologies, including Leading Ladies: Four Fairy Tales Retold, and ParaNaughty.
SIDELIGHTS
Misty Simon is an author of romance and mystery novels. She bought a romance novel in a grocery store in 1999 and immediately became addicted to the genre, and within a few years she decided to try writing. She gave up a full-time job after giving birth to her daughter, and she vowed that if she sold a book within a year, she would devote herself to writing. She did sell one, so her writing career was born. She has since produced several series, including the “Kissinger Kisses” romance novels and the “Ivy Morris” mystery series. In 2017 she initiated a new series, the “Tallie Graver” mysteries, involving an amateur detective whose family runs a funeral home. Most of Simon’s books have touches of humor. “There’s nothing better in the world than making someone laugh,” she wrote on her home page. She added: “I continue writing and submitting, getting rejections and contracts. Working on my writing even though I have a full time job again, making that time because I love to share my stories, the people in them and the hope of a Happily Ever After.”
Cremains of the Day
This novel is the first in the “Tallie Graver” series. The books are considered “cozy” mysteries, with quirky characters and comedic touches, and a lack of graphic violence. Tallie, full name Tallulah, who declined to join her family’s funeral home business and instead married a wealthy man, Walden Phillips III. During her marriage to “Waldo,” Tallie became something of a snob and alienated many old friends, while making new ones among the upper class of her community. Her marriage eventually falls apart, though, and she is left without financial resources. She goes to work as a housecleaner, working in the homes of many of the rich families with whom she used to socialize. She also works part-time in the family business, Graver’s Funeral Home, and she reunites with old friends, the closest one being Gina Laudermilch, who runs a coffee shop and caters post-funeral dinners for the Graver family’s clients. Her career as a detective begins when she goes to Gina’s shop to pick up food for one of the dinners, and she finds Gina’s cousin Katie Mitchner tied to a chair. Katie tells Tallie that Waldo is in a nearby alley, dead, but Tallie soon discovers he has only been rendered unconscious with a stun gun. The local police chief, James Burton, suspects Tallie of attacking Wally. When Tallie subsequently discovers the corpse of one of her housecleaming clients, Darla Hackersham, Burton suspects her of murder as well. Tallie sets out to find the real perpetrator, and along the way she learns that Waldo owes a great deal in back taxes and meets tax investigator Max Bennett, who initially seemed to be stalking her but actually wants to help her out–and he also becomes a potential love interest.
Some critics found Cremains of the Day a charming, lighthearted mystery and a promising start to the series. Simon “combines a bit of humor and romance with a heroine who knows no boundaries while searching for the truth that will keep her out of jail,” remarked a Kirkus Reviews contributor. The blogger behind Lesa’s Book Critiques thought Cremains of the Day “an amusing mystery with a flawed, introspective sleuth.” She further described the novel as “a fun story, an enjoyable launch to a new cozy series.” Another blogger, at Dru’s Book Musings, concluded: “I can’t wait for more adventures with Tallie and her friends.”
Grounds for Remorse
The second installment in the series finds Gina suspected of murder and Tallie trying to clear her friend’s name. Gina is about to go on a date with a man who seems promising when a woman bursts into her shop claiming to be his wife. Gina is furious and chases both the man and his supposed wife out of the shop, and she threatens the man with physical violence. Soon he is found dead, and Gina is arrested. Tallie knows her friend is not the killer, so she takes on the task of determining who is. Both Max, who is now her boyfriend, and the police chief wish she would not become involved in the case, but she will not be deterred. It turns out that her two jobs–cleaning houses and helping out at the family funeral home–provide her with ample opportunity to pick up clues.
Several commentators deemed the novel another enjoyable Tallie Graver adventure. “Grounds for Remorse was fun, addictive, and charming.” remarked a contributor to the Urban Book Reviews website. “It had enough suspense to keep me guessing. The characters were quirky and realistic.” The blogger behind Carrie’s Book Reviews called it “another solid addition to this series that is good for a few laughs, a little romance and an interesting mystery to be solved.” Another online critic, at Writing While Distracted, pronounced Tallie “a classic armchair sleuth” and Grounds for Remorse “well written, engaging, and clever … a great summer novel.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2017, review of Cremains of the Day.
ONLINE
Carrie’s Book Reviews, https://carriesbookreviews.com/ (April 28, 2018), review of Grounds for Remorse.
Dru’s Book Musings, https://drusbookmusing.com/ (November 12, 2017), review of Cremains of the Day.
Kensington Books website, http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/ (June 14, 2018), brief biography.
Lesa’s Book Critiques, https://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/ (November 4, 2017), review of Cremains of the Day.
Misty Simon website, https://mistysimon.wordpress.com (June 14, 2018).
Urban Book Reviews, https://urbanbookreviewsrus.wordpress.com/ (May 9, 2018), review of Grounds for Remorse.
Writing While Distracted, https://blog.writingwhiledistracted.com/ (May 24, 2018), review of Grounds for Remorse.
Quoted in Sidelights: “There’s nothing better in the world than making someone laugh,” she wrote on her home page. She added: “I continue writing and submitting, getting rejections and contracts. Working on my writing even though I have a full time job again, making that time because I love to share my stories, the people in them and the hope of a Happily Ever After.”
Visit my blog for more book love!
Misty Simon loves a good story and decided one day that she would try her hand at it. Eventually she got it right. There’s nothing better in the world than making someone laugh, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband, daughter and three insane dogs in Central Pennsylvania where she is hard at work on her next novel or three. She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at
The History of Misty
One writer’s journey into the country of dreams…
It’s 1999 – Ive been married for two years and my husband and I work opposite shifts. I’m in the grocery store and see a book called Tender Triumph by Dianna Devlin. I’m home by myself most nights with not a whole lot to do, so I pick it up, thinking it’s better than watching more Lifetime than is strictly healthy for one person. And I’m hooked on the romance…
That was the beginning for me. I devoured books after that, haunting used books stores and the local independent book sellers. I’d always been a reader, but ran more toward High Fantasy and Suspense. But now, my romance collection grew and so did my appetite for that Happily Ever After. I read them all – historicals, Harlequins, contemporary, romantic suspense. You name it, it was on my bulging shelves. I wanted to write for Harlequin so bad, I could taste it in the back of my throat. I had no idea what I was doing when we got a computer for Christmas one year and my husband cranked it up. I opened a word document and began a truly ridiculous novel called The Teacher’s Lesson…
Drums sounded, fireworks went off. I never got past the first three chapters. I decided that it must be easier to write Children’s Books because they were small and I could get my feet wet. I joined a Children’s Writers Group at the local independent bookstore whose name escapes me. I worked on many stories that I made into my own children’s books with artist paper and terrible drawings. The leader of that group and I were talking one day and I told her I really wanted to be a romance author and she sent me to her mother Elizabeth Sinclair…
I about fell over! This was a HARLEQUIN AUTHOR! She encouraged me and sent me a wonderful book called The Dreaded Synopsis, which she wrote. I worried over it but kept writing.
Fast forward a year. My husband’s mother is a graphic designer and she put together a monthly magazine called The Country Review. They wanted someone to write articles that would be of interest to the male population. She offered me up as a candidate and I began researching Antique Cars and my articles gained popularity. My name was on something! Well, the name M. Simon Penner was since they wanted me to be a guy…
But it was addictive. Even as I continued getting rejections for my children’s stories and struggled through my ridiculous romance, I continued to dream of writing novels. I entered a Writing Round Robin contest through Harlequin and won. I nearly fainted when I got the email. ME? Seriously? And it came with an offer to send in one of my own manuscripts. I did, one with seven points of view – even the dog had a POV. They politely declined but said they would be interested in seeing something else down the road. So began my affair with rejections…
And then I took one day courses at the local college and read tons of how to books. I got involved with a group of women online who wrote Big Beautiful Women. I joined RWA and was writing greeting cards for which I was also getting rejected. However I did get an invite to submit something for a book Blue Mountain Publishing was putting together called Words of Wisdom from Our Grandparents. I submitted my ideas and received an offer to be in the book but no money. I was rolling.
In the BBW group they had a call out for an online retailer of BBW lingerie. You had to write a short piece using their inventory to entice someone to buy with the fantasy. I submitted and sold. My first real sale for actual money to someone I didn’t know! And I got to use my own name!
My next opportunity came with a now defunct online mystery magazine called The Crimson Dagger. They bought my Death By Hair Product – which got good reviews. Then I was invited into an anthology of paranormal erotic romance and another for retelling fairy tales. I was off and running.
I had to quit my job to stay home with our daughter so I wrote, promising myself that if I could sell a full length novel before a year was up that I could stay home and do this. I sold 362 days later to Rida Allen at Draumr Publishing and The Ivy Morris Mysteries were born. I haven’t looked back since.
I continue writing and submitting, getting rejections and contracts. Working on my writing even though I have a full time job again, making that time because I love to share my stories, the people in them and the hope of a Happily Ever After.
Let’s see where the next chapter takes us…
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ABOUT:
Misty Simon loves a good story and decided one day that she would try her hand at it. Eventually she got it right. There’s nothing better in the world than making someone laugh, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband, daughter and three insane dogs in Central Pennsylvania where she is hard at work on her next novel or three. She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at misty@mistysimon.com.
Laughter and Love are two main components of any story I write. Laughter really is the best medicine and my heroines always figure that out at some point, though perhaps some later than others. I live in Central Pennsylvania with my family and two rambunctious dogs in a house that is about to celebrate its two hundredth birthday.
Quoted in Sidelights: “combines a bit of humor and romance with a heroine who knows no boundaries while searching for the truth that will keep her out of jail,”
Print Marked Items
Simon, Misty: CREMAINS OF THE DAY
Kirkus Reviews.
(Aug. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Simon, Misty CREMAINS OF THE DAY Kensington (Adult Fiction) $7.99 10, 31 ISBN: 978-1-4967-
1221-9
A former rich snob who's transformed her lifestyle and attitude faces further--involuntary--changes.All
right, Tallulah "Tallie" Graver was a spoiled brat while married to the insufferable Walden Phillips III, aka
Waldo, who left her with nothing after a bitter divorce that she initiated. Now she's cleaning houses for
former friends and working part-time at her parents' funeral home while refusing the money her grandchildobsessed
mother urges on her. Still, her life is much happier until she goes in search of sauerkraut for a
funeral dinner and finds her frenemy, Katie Mitchner, tied up in a chair in her caterer cousin Gina's store.
Katie's story is suspicious, especially the part about Waldo being dead in the alley behind the store. Waldo's
there but not dead, only recovering from a stun-gun attack to a very tender part of his anatomy. Although the
timeline for her to have done it is tight, Police Chief James Burton considers Tallie a fine suspect. Trouble
finds her again when she stumbles on the body of wealthy Darla Hackersham, one of the ex-friends for
whom she now cleans house. Now Burton's even more suspicious of Tallie, even when she points out that
Darla's husband, maid, and pool boy all had equal opportunities. Meanwhile, Tallie's apparently being
stalked by a flower deliveryman who turns out to be her childhood friend Max Bennett, an investigator with
the tax bureau who's trying to keep her out of trouble. Evidently Waldo hasn't paid taxes in years, and she
may be on the hook for a hefty sum. Although sparks fly between them, Tallie doesn't entirely trust Max,
and since Burton still considers her a suspect, she decides to poke around, a decision that could end in her
demise. Simon kicks off a new series that combines a bit of humor and romance with a heroine who knows
no boundaries while searching for the truth that will keep her out of jail.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Simon, Misty: CREMAINS OF THE DAY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A500364958/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=837588ae.
Accessed 20 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A500364958
Quoted in Sidelights: “a classic armchair sleuth and Grounds for Remorse “well written, engaging, and clever … a great summer novel.”
If you like your characters quirky and fun Tallie Graver will become a favorite. Misty Simon’s Grounds for Remorse is a funny, lovely, cozy mystery. The second in the Tallie Graver series, this book is engaging and full of Misty Simon’s trademark humor and cleverness. Told in first person, the novel follows Tallie as she solves a locked door murder mystery and tries to keep her best friend Gina, out of jail. The novel is well written, engaging, and clever, the solution to the mystery satisfying. If you are new to the series, this book works very well as a stand-alone, but do yourself a favor and go back and read the first in the series. Tallie is a classic armchair sleuth and if cozy mysteries are your thing then this book is a fantastic addition to that tradition. A great summer novel, perfect for a tall glass of tea and front porch reading.
Quoted in Sidelights: “Grounds for Remorse was fun, addictive, and charming.” remarked a contributor to the Urban Book Reviews website. “It had enough suspense to keep me guessing.
Review:
Grounds for Remorse by Misty Simon is a deadly chase for a woman sleuth, Tallie. Tallie’s best friend is dating a man that seems too good to be true. Just when they should be heading out for a date, a wife comes in cursing at Tallie’s bff. Gina swore to kill her latest if he does not stay away from her. Turns out that a lot of people overheard. Next thing they know, he ends up dead in Gina’s place. From there Gina is a top suspect. But Tallie knows her friend did not do it. That left questions of who did it and why he or she would frame Gina.
Tallie is a strong woman dependent woman who left her previous ex. Both she and her friend Gina start dating again. Only Gina’s date seems to be more than what he appears to be. Tallie is dating a decent man, Max. Max is easy to love. He is perfect for Tallie. Max is a complete gentleman around Tallie and makes her happy. Tallie works for her family’s funeral home yet she has a thing for solving a crime and getting into deadly situations. The police, like Burton do not want to see Tallie in a long time. She’s always getting herself into trouble. Her boyfriend, Max, agrees. This made me laugh.
Tallie wants everyone she cares about to be happy and safe. Yet it appears all she gets is yelled at for placing herself into danger. She swears she won’t get involved again…but usually, when that is said, it seems trouble will always find Tallie no matter what she says. I can already feel it brewing.
Gorunds for Remorse was fun, addictive, and charming. It had enough suspense to keep me guessing. The characters were quirky and realistic. I felt like I was there and could see these things happening for real. Trouble, mischief, and death can be found inside this book. I was thoroughly entertained. The promise of another book featuring Tallie, Gina, and Max is exciting. I cannot wait to read the next grand adventure. Misty Simon has caught my full attention and will be keeping it glued for her next book in this, A Tallie Graver Mystery, series.
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Quoted in Sidelights: ” I can’t wait for more adventures with Tallie and her friends.”
This was a fun book to read. Tallie has downsided her status by cleaning houses and working for her father when she finds her employer dead. In trying to clear her name, Tallie begins an investigation with the help of a long ago friend and in the process, her name is attached to another dead body. What’s a girl to do?
The premise of this book was intriguing and I liked how the author set this up with this murder and mayhem. The mystery was nicely done with with a killer hiding in plain sight, but it was the clues dropped throughout that made kept my interest growing as I had to know how this was going to end. There were a few twists and turns that set things in motion for Tallie to figure out who was behind the murders. I enjoyed meeting Tallie’s family and friends and the interaction between was engagingly entertaining, especially those with Max. This is a welcome edition to the cozy genre and I can’t wait for more adventures with Tallie and her friends.
Quoted in Sidelights: “an amusing mystery with a flawed, introspective sleuth.”
“a fun story, an enjoyable launch to a new cozy series.”
Cremains of the Day by Misty Simon
I don't know if I should suggest that fans of Tonya Kappes' Ghostly Southern Mysteries would like this book, with the connection to a funeral home. Maybe it would be fans of Kathy Hogan Trocheck's Callahan Garrity cleaning service mysteries. Or, maybe I should just recommend Misty Simon's first Tallie Graver mystery, Cremains of the Day, to those who enjoy cozy mysteries with a self-aware, spirited amateur sleuth.
Tallie Graver could have gone into the family funeral home business. Instead, she married a man with money, Walden Phillips III. As their marriage deteriorated, she called him Waldo. Now that they're divorced, she's cleaning houses, usually for socialites she once considered friends. Darla Hackersham, for one, enjoys rubbing Tallie's nose into it, that she no longer has the money and position she once had. But, Tallie's happier now that she's admitted her mistakes, knowing she had been "a stuck-up bitch" when she was married. She's made up with her best friend Gina Laudermilch, owner of the local coffee shop. Now, Tallie cleans, helps her family with funerals, and helps Gina cater the dinners after the funerals.
After one of those funerals, everything goes downhill for poor Tallie. Sent to pick up sauerkraut at Gina's shop, she finds Gina's cousin tied to a chair and Waldo in the back alley. Who does the gruff police chief suspect might have attacked Waldo? Tallie hardly had time, but she's not one of the chief's favorite people. She's already not happy when she starts to have odd encounters with the flower deliveryman. When she shows up at Darla's house to clean after a party, she finds the woman's body. She's not having the best week. And, that flower deliveryman? He's looking for money that Waldo hid from the IRS.
Cremains of the Day is an amusing mystery with a flawed, introspective sleuth. She's reluctant to look for Waldo's money, but she's also on the hook for payments. However, as she bumbles along, she admits, "I was a failure at this whole sleuthing thing." But, with murder and money and the pressure getting to her, she begins to see herself a little differently. "Tallie Graver, amateur sleuth, wanted to stay out of jail, get the money, and solve whodunit before anyone else."
Misty Simon's first Tallie Graver mystery is a fun story, an enjoyable launch to a new cozy series.
Quoted in Sidelights: “another solid addition to this series that is good for a few laughs, a little romance and an interesting mystery to be solved.”
Grounds for Remorse by Misty Simon is the second book of the cozy A Tallie Graver Mystery series. Tallie is a divorcee who is living in an apartment above her families business of a funeral parlor working part time for the family and trying to get her own cleaning business up and running.
Tallie’s best friend, Gina, runs a coffee shop across the street from Graver’s Funeral Home. Gina was about to head out on a date with a man that she thought just might be the one after numerous attempts at online dating when a woman walks into the shop claiming to be his wife.
After Gina runs them off threatening bodily harm to the lying excuse for a man Tallie is of course there for her friend helping to lock up after she’s cried out. The next thing Tallie knows however is the police at her friend’s and Gina being taken into custody when her date ends up dead at the bottom of her stairs.
Grounds for Remorse is another solid addition to this series that is good for a few laughs, a little romance and an interesting mystery to be solved. Tallie has a unique way of getting close to get answers to her questions not only by being behind the scenes at the funeral but also cleaning her clients homes. With Tallie again digging up suspects and suspicion the story was another fun one to follow and I’ll definitely look forward to book three of the series.