Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Mummy’s Locket (Mallory Grayson Mysteries) by Nan S. Russell. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Mummy’s Locket (Mallory Grayson Mysteries) by Nan S. Russell
Mummy’s Locket (Mallory Grayson Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – New York State
Publisher : Next Chapter
Publication date : May 25, 2026
Print length : 308 pages
Hardcover
The truth doesn’t stay buried forever.
After losing everything, Mallory Grayson retreats to a quiet town, hoping a vintage shop and a fresh start will help her rebuild her life. But when the mummified body of her long-missing great-grandmother is discovered, Mallory is pulled into a mystery.
Clues hidden in heirlooms, a secret room, and a past lover’s return offer answers … if she’s willing to risk everything to uncover them. In a story steeped in secrets and history, her courage may be the only thing that can break the curse.
The past and present collide in MUMMY’S LOCKET, the first book in the Mallory Grayson Mysteries series by Nan S. Russell.
CHARACTER GUEST POST
Yup. I’m an Introvert and an Amateur Sleuth!
By Mallory Grayson (dictated to my writer, Nan S. Russell)
When I was asked to write a character guest post for my author’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour, I struggled to come up with a topic. It’s not my nature to publicly proclaim my delight with her book, Mummy’s Locket, or my starring role in it. Nor is it like me to share much about myself, my background, or my struggles. So, where does that leave me with topics?
Luckily, while hunting for ideas, I stumbled across an In the Scheme of Things column my writer wrote for a women’s magazine eight years ago. Here’s the opening:
“Her name is Mallory. At least it is for now. She’s the amateur sleuth in my new cozy mystery, or technically I should say my first cozy mystery. While I’ve written non-fiction books on leadership, trust, and self-development topics, I’ve started a few mysteries over the years but never finished them.
Mallory’s story might someday be read by me and others. Who knows? But I’m at the point that to acknowledge her presence in my life is a step in learning more about her and her voice. These days, becoming a mystery writer is something I’m actively involved in doing. The operative word here is “becoming.”
Given that, I want to share the process of “becoming” an amateur sleuth from the point of view of an introvert and the book’s protagonist. Let’s start with the latter. As an avid lover of mysteries, which I enjoy eavesdropping when my writer listens to them, I can’t recall ever hearing a story with an introverted sleuth. Still, I’ve been told that 30-50% of the population claims to be introverted. So, where are the introverted sleuths I can learn from? I figured I was going to be on my own in the story she decides to write with me in it. My writer claims to be an introvert herself so maybe she’ll help me out.
Introvert-me in this story …
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- Quiet, not shy. Growing up my temperament got me labeled “aloof” and “stuck up” in school. I was happy to read all day in my room or observe rather than participate. But when I got older, I learned to morph into more social and outgoing roles as needed.
- No casual friends. I use the word “friend” sparingly. I have lots of acquaintances, but only a handful of friends. I’m not into casual, surface connections, but deep and lasting ones. More soul to soul than persona to persona.
- Energy drain. If I’m around people for too long, my energy drains and I need to withdraw alone or quietly with one or two friends where I don’t have to pretend to be someone that I’m not.
- Professional side. People who know me running my vintage shop don’t experience me as an introvert. I morph as needed and am more interactive in work roles. But even then, I spend large amounts of time in my head, considering, thinking, planning, and the like.
- Happiest when. I like spending time by myself or being deeply involved in focused work alone or with a few trusted others. I’m pretty good at reading people, maybe because I love watching and listening to them. People watching is a sport for me.
- Asking for help. I need time to process when things go wrong or when I’m upset. Others see that as retreating or withdrawing, but that’s not it. Sometimes, I just need to live inside my head a bit or figure out how I feel about something or someone. One of the hardest things for me to do is ask for help. You’ll see what I mean when you read about the challenges I have to face.
Amateur sleuth-me in this story …
There’s a difference between becoming an amateur-sleuth and being one. I think I’ll always consider myself in the becoming camp. Partly because it’s not a full-time job that pays the rent or something I expected, and partially because the energy and focus needed can be intense. And yet, the feeling of success is something I’ve never experienced quite like this before, and I’m pretty sure I’m hooked.
I didn’t ask for the sleuth role, but ultimately, I chose it. I’m thankful that I did. Solving my great-grandmother’s murder brought both heartache and resolution. But it also brought me more confidence in myself and in others, something I’ve been missing for a while, ever since I had to leave the town where I grew up and start over. But the biggest take-away for me was finally realizing I couldn’t do it totally alone.
I must admit the sleuth role aligns with some of my favorite things to be involved in such as research, exploration, and discovery. I like examining things from a variety of vantage points, collecting the clues, piecing them together, and creating a roadmap to find the answer. This is where my attention to detail, curiosity, persistence, and studies in historical archeology help.
My life was impacted by finding the answers to what happened and why. On one hand, it left me struggling with Grayson family secrets. On the other hand, it challenged me to look beyond the past and try to make a new life for myself. I like the town where I landed, I like the vintage shop I opened, and I like the people I’ve met. Some more than others. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I made a difference. I must have done a pretty good job in my first sleuth role that was thrust upon me because my writer told me I would be sleuthing again in her next book, One Deadly Postcard, coming out in 2027. [More about me and my writer at www.nanrussell.com]
Anyone, regardless of location, who signs up for the author’s occasional newsletter at www.nanrussell.com, during the tour dates, can arrange to have the author be a book club guest via Zoom to discuss and answer questions about Mummy’s Locket and/or the writing process
About Nan S. Russell
With both a bachelor’s and master’s in psychology, Nan S. Russell was fired from her first professional job. Taking a minimum wage position to pay the rent, sixteen promotions later, she decided to end a successful corporate career as a Vice President of a multibillion-dollar East Coast company, to pursue a life dream to live and write from the Rocky Mountains, first in northwestern Montana and now along the Front Range of Colorado. With a desire to help others live their dreams, too, she turned her real-world experience into writing award winning non-fiction career and business books and articles, and became a speaker and consultant on leadership, trust, and culture development. But she always knew she wanted to write fiction, too. That point arrived during the pandemic pause which provided the catalyst for rethinking her writing and its purpose, sparking the decision to move towards fiction with more time to study the craft, take online classes, hone skills and work on her first novel. Now, she is living her second dream: Writing mysteries. Mummy’s Locket is her debut novel and the first in her Mallory Grayson series. More at www.nanrussell.com.
Author Links
- Website: https://www.nanrussell.com
- Blog: https://www.nanrussell.com/blog
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nansrussell
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/nan_russell
- Threads: https://www.threads.com/@nan.s.russell/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nan.s.russell/
- BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/nanrussell.bsky.social
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nan-s-russell-7868417/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nansrussell/
- Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TwinklingStarVintage
- GoodReads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/940006.Nan_S_Russell
Purchase Links:
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Mummy’s Locket TOUR PARTICIPANTS
August 17 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – Romance Novel Giveaways – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 18 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 20 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 21 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
August 21 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 22 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 24 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
August 25 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 26 – Sarcastically Yours, Jen – SPOTLIGHT
August 26 – Salty Inspirations – SPOTLIGHT
August 27 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 28 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
August 29 – deal sharing aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
August 30 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
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