An Interview With M. A. Monnin

by Grace Topping

 

For mystery readers who may be armchair travelers, finding a mystery series set in places they may never visit is a real joy. One of those is M. A. (Mary) Monnin’s Intrepid Traveler Mystery series, with books set in Greece, Italy, Bermuda, and soon, Egypt. If you have visited some of those places, reading the vivid descriptions in Mary's 's books will make you feel as though you are there again. The most recent book in the series, Death in St. George, takes readers to Bermuda. Death in Luxor (Egypt) comes out in August. 

 

Death in St. George

When Stefanie and Thomas meet in Bermuda for time alone away from the demands of the Artifact Retrieval Team that Thomas heads, their romantic rendezvous is waylaid by an archaeologist who requests their help to recover an emerald bracelet that’s been stolen from his site. Thomas is reluctant, but Stefanie can’t resist the lure of Spanish gold. Then one of the archaeologists is murdered, and they find themselves on the suspect list. Spanish gold isn’t the only thing uncovered. Secrets can be deadly, and Stefanie and Thomas must find the killer before it’s too late.

 

 

Welcome to Writers Who Kill, Mary.

 

With your interest in travel, it’s no surprise that you would write about interesting places. But what inspired you to incorporate antiquities retrieval and suspense?

 

I didn’t set out to have artifacts be at the center of the series. When I visited Santorini, I was fascinated by its history as the inspiration for Plato’s Atlantis, and we visited the archaeological site of Akrotiri, the very modern city (for its time) that was buried under 40 feet of ash when the volcano erupted back in the Bronze Age. Then we went on to Crete. The museum had clay snake goddess statues from Crete, and a small gold ibex, which was the only gold item found thus far in Akrotiri—other than a few tiny gold beads. My mind went to ‘what if.’ What if a gold snake goddess was found in Akrotiri? What kind of people would go see it? Who would go to any length—even murder—to own a piece of Atlantis?

 

I went home and wrote Death in the Aegean. After it was finished, I realized it had series potential, and the biggest draw for me, and, I hoped for readers, would be interesting artifacts and antiques from different cultures.

As for suspense, I’ve always loved mysteries. As a teen, I loved the gothic romances of Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels and Phyllis A. Whitney. They were mysteries at heart, and I’m sure that’s where I get my need to include romance and suspense.     

 

How do you pick the places you feature—places you’ve been or places you want to visit?

 

Places I’ve been. When I’m considering a location for a book, first I look at places I’ve been to, and then I look at what kind of special items from that country’s past would be attractive enough to steal, either by thieves or by a collector who coveted the item. That research has been a lot of fun. I got to dig into Renaissance pendants for Italy, New World jewels transported by the Spanish Treasure Fleet for Bermuda, and in my upcoming book, the gold of the pharaohs.

 

Do you visit the places where you set your stories?

 

Every country, but not every location within the country. That’s where research is invaluable.

 

You’ve set your books in Greece, Italy, Bermuda, and soon to come, Egypt. Is there a place you yearn to visit or write about?

 

Right now, Malta is calling to me. So is Gibraltar.

 

Do you have a favorite among the places you’ve set your books?

 

Greece. I’d live there on one of the islands if I could. I’m not picky. I’d take Crete, Santorini, or Rhodes. I’ve been twice, and would love to go back.

 

You spent years living in Germany. Was this your first foray into foreign travel? Please tell us about it.

 

I’m an Army brat, and spent nine years of my childhood living on US Army posts in Germany. That had a huge influence on me. In addition to loving to travel, I think of myself as a child of the Cold War. When my father retired, I missed the travel, so I joined the Air Force and was stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. I got out at that time, but my husband was Air Force, and after Germany, we moved to The Netherlands, Spain, and England. After my husband retired from the Air Force, we continued to travel, visiting countries that we hadn’t lived in.

 

When did you develop your interest in archaeology?

I want to say the seed was planted when my father brought home Greek vases from his military exercises on Crete, but also, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in old buildings and artifacts. Growing up surrounded by medieval churches and walled towns made an interest in archaeology second nature. And I can’t leave out the movies—I’m a huge movie fan, and Raiders of the Lost Ark probably sparked my interest in archaeology as a hobby.

 

You’ve written several short stories, published in well-regarded publications. Which came first, the short stories or the novels?

            

The short stories came as I was waiting for “the call.” I believed in my first book, but it took a long time to get a contract, so, since I was a fan of short crime fiction, I thought I’d try my hand at it. Besides reading lots of Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock magazines, I’d listened to probably hundreds of hours of the old half-hour radio programs like Suspense and Johnny Dollar, so the short format was easy to move to.

 

Please tell us about your journey to publication. Was it a long one?

 

Very. It took me several years to get a contract for Aegean, my first book. And of course, I had a few manuscripts in boxes that weren’t good enough to pitch. All the rejections were hard to take, but I’m very thankful that I stuck with it. There is nothing more rewarding than hearing that a reader really enjoyed my book. Except for them saying they didn’t guess whodunnit!

 

With writing being such an isolating activity, how do you connect with other writers and the mystery-writing community?

 

That is so important. First, I have my local group of romance writers. I meet with them monthly. Then, there is the wider mystery/crime fiction community. I’m the current president of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime. We have over 950 members, and we connect online in an io Group. It is wonderful—no matter what writing-related topic you have a question or comment about, someone will chime in with advice, experience, and commiseration. And everyone can contribute when it’s convenient to them. I’m also a member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. Each organization gives back and connects in different ways. I’m also a member of Curators of Crime with authors Connie Berry, Lane Stone and Nina Wachsman. We present programs that connect our books with real life art/artifact/antiquities crimes.

 

What’s next for Stefanie and Thomas?

Egypt! Their fourth adventure, Death in Luxor, will be out August 11^th. After that, I’m not sure. They have a couple options they can pursue. 

 

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned since you started writing?

 

For every piece of advice an industry expert gives you about writing, there is another expert who swears by the exact opposite. So it’s important to learn the craft, and go with what feels right for your book.

 

Thank you for letting me spend time with you today.

 

Thank you, Mary.  I look forward to Stefanie and Thomas’s adventures in Luxor. A place I’ve always wanted to visit. 

 

Be on the lookout for Death in Luxor, coming in August.

 

 

Death in Luxor

 

Undercover artifact theft investigator Stefanie Adams and her Artifact Retrieval Team (ART) lead and partner, Thomas Burkhardt must head off trouble before it starts at the opening ceremonies of Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum. Anonymous notes have threatened the Gold of the Pharaohs, a special exhibit featuring glittering gold pectorals, collars, bracelets and rings that once belonged to Egypt’s powerful pharaohs. Stefanie is thrilled at the opportunity to fulfill her dream of visiting Egypt and the fabulous tomb of Queen Nefertari, She For Whom The Sun Shines. But trouble comes from an unexpected quarter, and this thief doesn’t stop at murder to possess a golden relic of ancient Egyptian royalty. She and Thomas suspect members of the Kemet Forever Society, wealthy A-listers who all admit to an obsession with ancient Egypt, and aren’t above using their influence for special perks. Trailing the suspects up the Nile, through temples and tombs, Stefanie and Thomas race against time to recover the stolen gold before it is secreted out of Egypt and another victim falls in the thief’s deadly game.

 

 

BIO

M. A. Monnin is the author of the Intrepid Traveler Mystery series, including Agatha Best First Novel finalist Death in the Agean. The fourth in the series, Death in Luxor, releases in Aug 2026.She also writes the St. Killian, PI and the Hawk Hathaway, Time Traveling Troubleshooter short stories. Mary’s short stories have appeared in Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and numerous anthologies. A member of ITW, MWA, SinC, and SMFS, an avocational archaeologist and USAF veteran, Mary is President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime, a trustee of the Kansas City Archaeological Society and treasurer of Mid-America Romance Authors. She lives in Kansas City, MO. Find her on FB and IG, and at www.mamonnin.com and www.CuratorsofCrime.com .

Grace Topping is the author of the Laura Bishop Mystery Series.