Guest Post, Mysteries

Guest Chick: Melinda Mullet

The Chicks are delighted to welcome Melinda Mullet, author of the Whisky Business Mysteries and A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder! 

I’m a big fan of all the ladies in the coop and immensely enjoy the Chicks on the Case postings. I was recently struck by a piece from Lisa Mathews lamenting that the Sunday Scaries have now invaded the rest of the week unrelentingly disturbing our quiet nights and by extension trashing our productive days like a drunk racoon on a binge. Whether it’s work or school, family or the first flush of menopause, we’ve all experienced those nights staring at the ceiling as we rattle around in the attic of our own heads.

Personally, I struggle with anxious, repetitive, and intrusive thoughts every day, and these same thoughts start a conga line in my head when I lay down to try to sleep and the party can last into the wee hours of the morning. None of this is conducive to consistently restful sleep. A friend recommended the Calm app, and it was there that I first discovered sleep stories. For those of you not familiar with sleep stories they are benign stories about peaceful happenings told very gently. Descriptions of the everyday bringing into sharp focus the beauty of the world around us and the simple meditative actions of daily life whether it is walking down a beach at sunset or baking a pie in the kitchen.

The thought occurred to me that some of the most restful and beguiling locations are the settings for cozy mysteries. Full of found friends they are the reason we love them and return to visit again and again. It inspired me to launch Tranquil Tales from Death’s Doorstep, a free collection of sleep stories penned by some of your favorite cozy mystery writers and read aloud for your sleepy time enjoyment. Think of it as a bedtime snack, a little bonus content, read by a quiet, well-modulated storyteller to provide a sweet ending to a crazy day.

Sleep stories are not only fun; recent scientific research has shown that listening to stories at bedtime is helpful not just for children but for adults too.  The distraction of gentle, soothing words helps to reduce your stress hormones by slowing your breathing and lowering your heart rate.  This in turn helps you to fall asleep quicker and most important helps usher you into a state of deep sleep and keep you there longer.  Why is deep sleep important? Deep sleep is vital for all kinds of things: cell repair, immunity support, brain recharging. All the things that help us function optimally during the daylight hours. (There’s plenty more science available on the website at www.tranquiltalesfromdeathsdoorstep.com for those of you that are interested!)

So, take a little break from the madness of your day and join us each week for a new story. At night we will lull you to sleep and in the morning you’re likely to have a new mystery series to add to your To Be Read list! We invite new listeners to like and follow the program available wherever you enjoy your podcasts, and as always, we love to welcome new cozy writers wanting to join the fun. In the meantime, check out our back catalogue of stories designed to sweep you away in a narrative where all is calm, all is safe, and all is well.

Dear Readers, what helps you drift off to sleep in the best state of mind?

 

Melinda Mullet, is a dual US/UK national. Formerly a lawyer specializing in communications, media and entertainment law she is now enjoying a second career as a mystery writer.

Melinda is the author of the Whisky Business Mysteries, a six-part series of traditional mysteries set in and around a boutique single malt whisky distillery in Scotland. A standalone traditional mystery called A Ghostwriter’s Guide to Murder debuted in July 2025 and is set on a houseboat along the Regent’s Canal in London. Book seven in the Whisky Business series arrives November 2026.

Melinda is a travel junkie and a life-long advocate for children’s literacy causes both domestic and international. When she is not in the UK, she lives just outside of Washington, DC with her whisky-collecting husband and two wild Covid canines named Bailey and Captain Jack.

Find her at MelindaMullet.com or on Facebook and Insta at Melinda Mullet, Author.

34 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Melinda Mullet”

  1. Thank you for the reminder to check out this podcast. I had forgotten about it. Anything to relax in today’s off-the charts world is appreciated!

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    1. I love to read at bedtime as well, but sometimes I’m just too tired, if you know what I mean. My eyes are sore from staring at computers and I just want to close my eyes. Being read to is a nice change of pace. A great way to cater to your inner child!

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  4. This is a fabulous idea! I know it would help me drift off. My husband has read me several books, but I had to beg him to read to me after the first one, The Hobbit. He got mad because I would fall asleep because I found it so soothing lol. But I came up with a solution. I figured out that I just had to sit up straight with my feet on the floor, instead of in the recliner, and I was able to listen without falling asleep. I will definitely check out the Tranquil Tales Podcast.

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    1. We’d love to have you! Aren’t husbands great. Mine read me the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was pregnant with our first child because I was so nauseous I couldn’t read for myself.

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      1. That is so sweet! My husband introduced me to Tolkien. I hadn’t ever read his works. We enjoyed the movies and are looking forward to the new movie that Stephen Colbert and his son are helping write.

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  5. I, too, often have problems falling asleep, but listening to stories doesn’t help, alas. One thing that does seem to help is getting up and eating a spoonful of peanut butter followed by a few gulps of milk, lol.

    Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks, Melinda. I do love the idea of this podcast–what a terrific idea!

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    1. Loved being here. Sorry sleep stories don’t work for you but I will say one of my more requested stories is something from you about Hawaii!! Think about it. 😉

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  7. When I saw you on the schedule, I hoped you’d write about this very topic! I loved the idea when you told me about it at Malice. I’ve gotten too good at falling asleep to podcasts, so now I can’t listen to anything where I actually want to hear what they’re saying. Sleep stories are the perfect compromise. I’m so in!

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    1. I too encourage my family to avoid screen time before sleep, which is why it is so nice to have someone reading a story softly in your ear. I think for my grown up kids it reminds them of when I would read bedtime stories to them as children.

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  9. I don’t always have problems falling asleep, but I have problems staying asleep. I.e., waking up at 3 a.m. and not being able to go back to bed. But I always know I’m about to drift off when a song starts playing in my head. It’s like my brain is programmed to play music that lulls me back to sleep!

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  10. How timely, since I had a hard time falling asleep last night. Normally, I can pick up whatever book I’m reading, and that will quiet my brain enough to let me sleep. But in this case, I finished the book. Granted, I only had about 30 pages left.

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  12. I review my day and try to have 3 things that made me proud, happy, or content with finishing. I call it the rule of 3. That and petting my little black pug, Rasputin as he keeps away evil anxiety, mostly.

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  14. Hi Melinda! We’re so glad you visited Chicks today, and thanks for reading my Sunday Scaries post, lol! Congrats on your upcoming book and also Tranquil Tales. Such an awesome idea–I immediately clicked the link and I’ll be back soon to start listening. Right now I have a terrible way to fall asleep. I watch late-night TV (comedy) until I’m so tired I know I’ll fall asleep instantly and won’t wake up in the night (I hate that). I know…not a healthy plan. I need Tranquil Tales instead!

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  15. This sounds fascinating! I’m going to listen. I’m one of those who lays (lies?) in bed with a constant parade of thoughts.

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  16. I just heard of sleep stories about a week ago and I think the person mentioning it had read your post! I think I’d have a hard time going to sleep if I’m listening to a good book. I tend to fight sleep if I’m sucked in! Better to let me drift off unstimulated…

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  17. I’ve been listening to Sleepcasts on my Headspace app for several years now, and it’s as if my brain says, “Oh, okay, I guess we’ll conk out now.” Call it behavior modification, but I rarely make it to the end of the story anymore. Will definitely check out Tranquil Tales!

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