Guest Post

Guest Chick: Cathy Wiley

We have a winner of the Giveaway! Congrats to Linda Herold! Hurrah!

Today, the Chicks are pleased to present Cathy Wiley, one of the Destination Murders authors – cozy mystery writers who pen short stories set in a specific location, such as Murder at the Beach or Murder in the Mountains. The newest in the anthology series, Murder in the Graveyard, released just last month. And, she’s giving away a copy of the new book to one lucky commenter!

Take it away, Cathy:

Go With the Flow

I’m honored to be a Guest Blogger on Chicks on the Case to discuss the latest Destination Murders anthology. I have two Leslies to thank for this opportunity, since Leslie Budewitz (one of the contributors to this anthology) reached out to Leslie Karst to see if we could have the chance to talk about Murder in the Graveyard.

I’m writing this blog post from my house in Maryland. That is not how this was supposed to go. At this moment, I should have been in Las Vegas at a conference, enjoying educational sessions, friendship, and more buffet options than any human needs.

Instead, my husband was hit with severe upper abdominal pain and gastric distress (the polite version to describe what happened), and we ended up in the ER. One emergency gallbladder surgery later—thankfully, he’s recovering well—and my neatly scheduled plans evaporated into thin air like well-intentioned diet plans facing those tempting Vegas buffets.

Life has a way of reminding us that we’re not always steering the boat. Sometimes the current decides for us.

Marriage, relationships, friendships—all of them require the ability to adapt, bend, and yes… go with the flow.

And honestly? Editing and publishing anthologies requires the exact same skills.

Our newest release, Murder in the Graveyard, is a perfect example. We originally planned a Fall 2024 publication date, but after publishing Murder in the Air in May, we said, “You know what? Two in one year is a little ambitious for mere mortals.” Then a few authors needed to step away for totally understandable reasons. So we did what anthology editors do best—we pivoted, reshuffled, filled the gaps, and kept the book moving forward. But here’s the truth:

The book is stronger for every twist, every adjustment, every unexpected change we made along the way.

Just like life.

Just like writing.

Because as writers, going with the flow is practically a job requirement. You think you know your plot, until your characters grab the rudder and say, “Sorry, but no, we’re going this way. And you can’t stop us.” Or you think your story is flawless, until you discover a plot hole bigger than the Grand Canyon. Or you finish your final draft and suddenly realize the book would be better if you rewrote…the entire thing.

And in cozy mysteries? Going with the flow is practically survival. After all, these poor characters are just living their lives until— surprise!—they trip over a dead body or get drawn into something mysterious or dangerous.

So, I wanted to spotlight how each sleuth in Murder in the Graveyard “went with the flow” when their current pulled them off course. Because if anyone understands unpredictability, it’s a cozy mystery protagonist.

Riley Rhodes (“Murder at the Midnight Madness Book Sale”, Meri Allen) volunteers at a fundraiser and ends up navigating suspicious customers and graveyard murders.

Pepper Reece (“The Devil’s Chair”, Leslie Budewitz) signs up for a midnight cemetery tour only to discover someone in the group has darker intentions than ghost-hunting.

Barbara Marr (“The Goode, the Dead, and the Hungry”, Karen Cantwell) expects a relaxing getaway, but her haunted B&B serves up a dead man instead of cocktails and antipasti.

Karin Garcia (“Graves Millie Does a Bunker”, Eleanor Cawood Jones) attends a writer’s event and ends up uncovering a long-buried secret.

Lucy Berberian (“A Killer Party”, Tina Kashian) expects playful high school pranks at a graveyard party, until the game takes an unexpected turn.

Juniper Blume (“Grave Expectations”, Daphne Silver) goes for a peaceful day of cataloguing gravestones, only to uncover something decidedly un-peaceful.

Tessa Treslow (“Battle of the Grapevine Creek Graveyard”, Rosalie Spielman) tries to honor veterans… but a long-standing feud erupts all around her.

Jackie Norwood (“Rest in Peas”, Cathy Wiley) arrives to judge a Pennsylvania pea festival and finds that cracked crypts and troubles in the past can lead to present danger.

And finally, there is Misha Crews’ protagonist in “I Thought You Were the Dead Man.” He wakes up in a graveyard with no memory. This poor guy has to piece together his location, what happened… and who he even is. If that’s not the ultimate in navigating the unexpected, I don’t know what is.

Life didn’t send me to Las Vegas this week.

Life sent me to hospital waiting rooms, medical updates, and canceled plans.

But life also reminded me of something important: We don’t grow when everything goes according to plan. We grow when we learn to go with the flow.

The good news is, oftentimes, the flow takes us somewhere way better than we ever expected.

Readers, for a chance to win a copy of Murder in the Graveyard, answer this question in the comments: When life throws you a plot twist, are you more “go with the flow” or “stop and rewrite the scene”?

Murder in the Graveyard, the fifth entry in the fan-favorite Destination Murder series, invites you to take a walk among the tombstones—just watch your step. This collection of cozy mystery short stories delivers light chills, clever thrills, and a few restless spirits who may have unfinished business.

Perfect for curling up with on a crisp fall evening or anytime you’re craving bite-sized mysteries with big personality, this anthology is also a great way to discover new favorite authors who know exactly how to balance the eerie with the endearing.

Dig into Murder in the Graveyard today…your next cozy mystery obsession is just six feet under.

Link to Purchase: https://books2read.com/mitg

41 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Cathy Wiley”

  1. Cathy, congrats on the anthology and I’m so sorry about your husband. I’m glad he’s doing better.

    I think I’m a combo of the two. I.e., I’m writing this from the hospital couch where I spent the night to be by my daughter’s side when she underwent a procedure – but having been here almost 24 hours, aka/ going with the flow – I read a book on plot twists by Jane Kalmes, found a hole in a current ms, and will stop everything to rewrite it when I get home.

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    3. Ellen, glad you found your plot hole, but so sorry for the circumstances. Hope all went well with your daughter.

      Cathy, certainly hope your husband is recuperating nicely and who knows, next year’s buffets may be all the tastier!

      I tend to be more a go with the flow person, but every once in awhile something arises that simply needs to be addressed, full stop, redo!

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  2. Welcome Cathy. Sorry to hear about your husband but glad it’s going well.

    Like Ellen, I’m kind of a combo person. What can I change? Nothing? Well, go with it!

    Ellen, I hope your daughter is doing well too.

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  3. Hi, Cathy! I’m so glad your husband is feeling stronger. How scary!

    Thank you for visiting with us. Congratulations on the release of Murder in the Graveyard. The stories sound fabulous. Best wishes for continued success!

    I’m a combination go-with-the-flow/stop-and-rewrite, leaning heavily toward go-with-the-flow. I’ve realized when a character deletes reams of information from my painstakingly crafted outline, it’s for a good reason.

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  4. Cathy, thanks for being here! Congrats on the anthology! I’m always amazed at the hard work that goes into gathering a collection of stories.

    Glad your husband is doing better, but how scary! I do appreciate your lesson reminder (including the rhyming!): We grow when we learn to go with the flow.

    In writing, I’m more go-with-the-flow, but in real life, I usually freeze and would love to rewrite the situation.

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  5. I’m a bit of a control freak, so I bet you can guess that I’m a “stop and rewrite the scene” kind of gal. But I can go with the flow when necessary.

    Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, Cathy, and hurrah for the new anthology! I so love the Destinations Murders concept!

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  6. Glad your husband is doing better!

    I’m more of a stop the presses kind of person when life throws me the unexpected. I have to stop and take a few deep breaths before I can begin to go with the new flow.

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  7. My series is about a destination wedding planner, so of course my ears perked up when I saw “destination murder”! The anthology sounds wonderful… and if you ever need to reshuffle and fill holes in the future, I’m always up for destination related short stories!! 🙂 In the meantime, glad your husband is on the mend and thanks for joining us today on Chicks!

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  8. Unfortunately, my husband and I can so relate to the circumstance you described. I was the one who needed an emergency gallbladder removal. He was the one who had to miss his high school reunion. It was a good thing I had the surgery when I did though. It could have been so much worse if I had a gallbladder attack on the drive from Minnesota to Ohio. I didn’t really have much choice then. But usually I am not the go with the flow type. I tend to expect things to always go smoothly and desperately want to rewrite the situation to resemble exactly what I expected when something unexpected happens. Somehow, the go with the flow attitude just doesn’t stick with me lol. Your book is already on my radar. Anthologies introduce me to new authors. I also appreciate having the option of a short story to read.

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  9. So glad Joe is on the mend, Cathy. (There are times when this ‘for better or worse’ thing gets a bit tricky!) Like others here, I’ve wished for a revision pass IRL more times than I can count, but hey, who’s counting?

    The stories are all fun, and I’m delighted to be included!

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  10. It depends on the situation. Most times I am a go with the flow type of person. If the situation is one I believe I can change for the better than I will make the effort to do that.

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  13. Hi Cathy, thank you for visiting Chicks! So sorry that your husband (and you!) had to go through such an ordeal, and also that you missed your conference. Glad to hear your hubby is doing well, though. I’m really looking forward to reading this anthology!!! I’m pretty much a pantser in both my writing and personal lives, so I guess I’d say I go with the flow in general. But I do take a deep breath when twists come up, and try to swim as hard as I can in the right direction, even if it’s against the current!

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  14. Congratulations on your new release Murder in the Graveyard that sounds really interesting. Thank you for being here Cathy! Speedy recovery to your husband, as well as Ellen’s daughter.

    I will go both ways, depending on the given situation; but I think I lean more toward going with the flow and finding ways to turn situations around for the better! – Emily

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  15. i’m sorry you had to miss your Vegas trip. Once Joe is feeling better, I think the two of you should just go there to have some fun!

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