Beverle Graves Myers
Encyclopedia
Beverle Graves Myers is an American
author of mystery
novel
s and short stories. Her major work is the Baroque Mystery series set in 18th-century Venice, published by Poisoned Pen Press
. The novels are traditional mysteries which feature a large cast of characters, a deep sense of time and place, and meticulously researched period details. Myers’ short stories are set in a variety of times and places; several stories feature her series characters.
. Her father was an attorney, her mother a homemaker. Myers attended the University of Louisville
, earning a BA in History and an MD from the School of Medicine. She also completed a residency program in psychiatry and practiced at a public mental health clinic in eastern Kentucky for approximately ten years before taking up writing fulltime. Myers now lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband, Lawrence. The couple has two adult children and four grandchildren.
as a young girl. She credits Anne Rice
’s Cry to Heaven and Steven Saylor
’s Gordianus the Finder series with providing inspiration for her historical series that follows the career of Venetian castrato soprano and amateur sleuth Tito Amato. Her first novel, Interrupted Aria, was published by Poisoned Pen Press
in 2004. The series now encompasses five books. Her first published short story, “A Baroque Phantom,” was also set in Venice and has been followed by numerous others. Four stories which have been published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine form a series featuring Nico Zianni, an 18th-century “Private Eye.”
Myers’ work has been nominated for the Macavity Award, Kentucky Literary Award, and Derringer Award
. One of her short stories, “Haven City,” was named a Notable Story of 2006 by the Million Writers Award.
She is a member of Mystery Writers of America
, Sisters in Crime
, and Historical Novel Society. She has served on the board of the Midwest Chapter of MWA and the Ohio River Valley Chapter of SinC and was Program Chair for the Kentucky Woman’s Book Festival 2006.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of mystery
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...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and short stories. Her major work is the Baroque Mystery series set in 18th-century Venice, published by Poisoned Pen Press
Poisoned Pen Press
Poisoned Pen Press is a publisher of hardcover mystery fiction in the United States. It is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Poisoned Pen Press typically publishes thirty-six new hardcover mysteries per year, thirty-six new large type editions of those hardcovers, and between thirty and forty new trade...
. The novels are traditional mysteries which feature a large cast of characters, a deep sense of time and place, and meticulously researched period details. Myers’ short stories are set in a variety of times and places; several stories feature her series characters.
Background
Myers was born and raised in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. Her father was an attorney, her mother a homemaker. Myers attended the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, earning a BA in History and an MD from the School of Medicine. She also completed a residency program in psychiatry and practiced at a public mental health clinic in eastern Kentucky for approximately ten years before taking up writing fulltime. Myers now lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband, Lawrence. The couple has two adult children and four grandchildren.
Career
Myers combined her love of history, opera, Italy, and mystery to write the Baroque Mystery series. She often states that she fell in love with the mystery genre while reading Agatha ChristieAgatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
as a young girl. She credits Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
’s Cry to Heaven and Steven Saylor
Steven Saylor
Steven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
’s Gordianus the Finder series with providing inspiration for her historical series that follows the career of Venetian castrato soprano and amateur sleuth Tito Amato. Her first novel, Interrupted Aria, was published by Poisoned Pen Press
Poisoned Pen Press
Poisoned Pen Press is a publisher of hardcover mystery fiction in the United States. It is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Poisoned Pen Press typically publishes thirty-six new hardcover mysteries per year, thirty-six new large type editions of those hardcovers, and between thirty and forty new trade...
in 2004. The series now encompasses five books. Her first published short story, “A Baroque Phantom,” was also set in Venice and has been followed by numerous others. Four stories which have been published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine form a series featuring Nico Zianni, an 18th-century “Private Eye.”
Myers’ work has been nominated for the Macavity Award, Kentucky Literary Award, and Derringer Award
Derringer Award
The Derringer Award is the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s annual award honoring excellence in Short Mystery Fiction. The awards were created in 1997 and named derringer after the palm-sized handgun, chosen as a metaphor for a short Mystery or Crime story....
. One of her short stories, “Haven City,” was named a Notable Story of 2006 by the Million Writers Award.
She is a member of 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...
, and Historical Novel Society. She has served on the board of the Midwest Chapter of MWA and the Ohio River Valley Chapter of SinC and was Program Chair for the Kentucky Woman’s Book Festival 2006.
Novels
| Year | Title | ISBN | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Interrupted Aria | ISBN 1590582241 | Poisoned Pen Press |
| 2005 | Painted Veil | ISBN 1590582942 | Poisoned Pen Press |
| 2006 | Cruel Music | ISBN 1590584252 | Poisoned Pen Press |
| 2008 | The Iron Tongue of Midnight | ISBN 1590586727 | Poisoned Pen Press |
| 2009 | Her Deadly Mischief | ISBN 1590582330 | Poisoned Pen Press |
Short stories
| Year | Title | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 (Summer Issue) | A Baroque Phantom | Fables |
| 2002 (November) | Head Case | Orchard Press Mysteries |
| 2002/2003 (Winter Issue) | A Minor Break-In | Flashquake |
| 2003 (February) | Foul Ball | Shred of Evidence |
| 2003 (Fall) | Revenge of the Snake Woman | Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine |
| 2003 (November 18) | Force of Habit | Woman’s World |
| 2004 (January 20) | A Foolproof Scheme | Woman’s World |
| 2004 (January) | Sweet Smell of Success | Who Died in Here?, Penury Press |
| 2004 (May) | Dead Heat with a Pale Horse & Walking Around Money | Derby Rotten Scoundrels, Silver Dagger |
| 2004 (June) | Mirror, Mirror | Dime, Quiet Storm Publishing |
| 2004 (September) | The Franklin Fiasco | Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine |
| 2004 (November) | Windows to the Soul | Shred of Evidence |
| 2005 (December) | The Mozart Muddle | Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine |
| 2006 (April) | The Casanova Caper | Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine |
| 2006 (May) | The True Story of the Whirlaway Café | Low Down and Derby, Silver Dagger |
| 2006 (Fall Issue) | Haven City | Spinetingler Magazine |
| 2007 (May) | Brimstone P.I. | Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine |
| 2007 (December) | The Bookworm’s Demise | Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine |
| 2009 (April) | A Cutting Wind | Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine |
| 2009 (October) | A Good Cuppa Joe co-authored with Joanne Dobson | Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine |
Articles
| Year | Title | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 (Winter) | All Roads Lead to Venice | Mystery Readers Journal |
| 2006 | Thoughts on The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco) | Mystery Muses, CrumCreek Press |
| 2008 (Spring) | Forgotten Heroes of the Stage | Mystery Readers Journal |