Marcia Talley
Encyclopedia
Marcia Talley is an award-winning mystery
novelist, author of the Hannah Ives mystery series, two collaborative novels, and numerous short stories. A former librarian, she took early retirement in 2000 to write full-time. She divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland
and an antique sailboat in the Bahamas.
, the daughter of COL Thomas Chester Dutton, a career U.S. Marine Corps
officer, and Lois Elizabeth Tuckerman Dutton, a registered nurse. On September 5, 1964 she married her college sweetheart, John Barry Talley, who was for thirty-six years Director of Musical Activities at the U.S. Naval Academy
in Annapolis, Maryland
. Talley has two daughters, Laura Geyer, an attorney in Washington, D.C., and Sarah Glass, a former teacher who lives in Dallas, Texas. She has five grandchildren.
Talley studied French at Oberlin College
and obtained her B.A. 1965. She was a librarian at Bryn Mawr School
from 1968-1971. She then worked as a cataloguer at St. John's College in Annapolis. She received a master's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park
in 1981. Later, Talley later worked for TeleSec Library Services, the American Bankers Association
, the U.S. General Accounting Office and the U.S. Naval Academy Library.
Talley is a member of the Mystery Writers of America
, Sisters in Crime
, Authors Guild and the Maryland Writers Association.
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
novelist, author of the Hannah Ives mystery series, two collaborative novels, and numerous short stories. A former librarian, she took early retirement in 2000 to write full-time. She divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
and an antique sailboat in the Bahamas.
Early life, education and career
Marcia was born April 12, 1943, in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, the daughter of COL Thomas Chester Dutton, a career U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
officer, and Lois Elizabeth Tuckerman Dutton, a registered nurse. On September 5, 1964 she married her college sweetheart, John Barry Talley, who was for thirty-six years Director of Musical Activities at the U.S. Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. Talley has two daughters, Laura Geyer, an attorney in Washington, D.C., and Sarah Glass, a former teacher who lives in Dallas, Texas. She has five grandchildren.
Talley studied French at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and obtained her B.A. 1965. She was a librarian at Bryn Mawr School
Bryn Mawr School
The Bryn Mawr School is an independent, nonsectarian, college-preparatory school for girls from preschool through grade twelve. Founded in 1885, BMS is located in the Roland Park community of Baltimore, Maryland, USA at 109 W. Melrose Avenue, Baltimore MD 21210.-The Bryn Mawr School Community:In...
from 1968-1971. She then worked as a cataloguer at St. John's College in Annapolis. She received a master's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
in 1981. Later, Talley later worked for TeleSec Library Services, the American Bankers Association
American Bankers Association
The American Bankers Association is an industry trade group and professional association representing the United States' banking industry...
, the U.S. General Accounting Office and the U.S. Naval Academy Library.
Talley is a member of the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
, Sisters in Crime
Sisters in Crime
Sisters in Crime is an organization that has 3,600 members in 48 chapters world-wide, offering networking, advice and support to mystery authors. Members are authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians bound by their affection for the mystery genre and their support of women...
, Authors Guild and the Maryland Writers Association.
Awards and nominations
- Malice Domestic Grant, Best Unpublished Novel, 1998 (Sing It to Her Bones);
- Agatha AwardAgatha AwardThe Agatha Awards are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write via the same method as Agatha Christie...
nomination, 1999 (Sing It to Her Bones); - Reviewers Choice, Best Contemporary Mystery, Romantic Times, 2001 (Unbreathed Memories);
- Agatha Award and Anthony Award, Best Short Story, 2003 ("Too Many Cooks" in Much Ado About Murder);
- Agatha Award, Best Short Story, 2005 ("Driven to Distraction" in Chesapeake Crimes II).
- A keynote speaker at the Great Manhattan Mystery ConclaveGreat Manhattan Mystery ConclaveThe Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave is an annual convention for mystery writers and fans held in Manhattan, Kansas. The Conclave is a Non-profit organization.-Panelists:...
in 2005.
Novels
Hannah Ives Mystery series- Sing It to Her Bones (1999)
- Unbreathed Memories (2000)
- Occasion of Revenge (2001)
- In Death's Shadow (2004)
- This Enemy Town (2005)
- Through the Darkness (2006)
- Dead Man Dancing (2008)
- Without a Grave (2009)
- "All Things Undying" (2010)
- "A Quiet Death" (2011)
Short stories
- "With Love, Marjorie Ann" Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine, Fall 1999;
- "For Sale by Owner" Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine, Winter 2000;
- "Conventional Wisdom" Malice Domestic 9 (Avon, 2000);
- "To Catch a Fish" Death by Horoscope (Carroll & Graf, 2001);
- "Too Many Cooks" Much Ado About Murder (Berkley, 2002);
- "Safety First" Blood on Their Hands (Carroll & Graf, 2003);
- "Vital Signs" Chesapeake Crimes I (Lulu.com, 2006);
- "Miss Havisham Regrets" Death by Dickens (Berkley Prime Crime, 2004);
- "Driven to Distraction" Chesapeake Crimes II (Tidewater Publishing, December 2006);
- "The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen" Thou Shalt Not Kill (Carrol and Graf, December 2005);
- "Home Movies" Baltimore Noir (Akashic Books, May 2006);
- "Two Sisters" Chesapeake Crimes III (Tidewater Publishing, December 2007).
- "Can You Hear Me Now?" Two of the Deadliest: New Tales of Lust, Greed and Murder from Outstanding Women of Mystery (Harper Collins, 2009)
Other
- Naked Came the Phoenix (collaborative serial novel), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2001;
- I'd Kill for That (collaborative serial novel), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003;
- A Second Helping of Murder: More Diabolically Delicious Recipes from Contemporary Mystery Writers, Poisoned Pen Press, 2003.
Podcasts
- "Making Crime Pay: An Author's Journey," Milner Library, Illinois State University, June 8, 2007
- "Mystery Writer Visits ISU," WJBC AM 1230, June 7, 2007
- Drake Ferguson interviews Marcia Talley, April 28, 2007, Oxford Days, Oxford, MD
- Marcia Talley: This Enemy Town, Eye on Books, with Bill Thompson, (2005)
Articles
- "Novelist Encourages Fellow Cancer Survivors," Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL, June 7, 2007
- Writing Habits of Mystery Writers, Marcia Talley," The Motivated Writer, November 2006
- "The Mystery Mews," Mystery Scene Magazine
- Marcia on the annual St Hildas Crime and Mystery Conference
- Marcia attends the Firearms and Fiction Seminar, Las Vegas, NV
- "Second Chances," Baltimore Magazine, October, 2004
- "Thirteen Writers Take A Stab at a Witty Whodunit," Baltimore Sun, May 27, 2004
- "Murder She Wrote," by Hope Katz Gibbs in Crystal City, etc., Summer 2001
- "Crime and Publishing," Marcia Talley with SJ Rozan and Sara Hoskinson Frommer, Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Winter 1999
- "Hannah Ives leaves no stone unturned in this thrilling mystery," Melissa Kammer
- PW [Publishers’ Weekly] Talks with Marcia Talley, 7/2/2001
- Bay Weekly, Between the Covers, Marcia Talley’s In Death’s Shadow