Melodie Campbell Author (the home of Bad Girl Comedy)

Monday, 13 April 2026

Such a wonderful interview on Cozy up with Kathy today! And a heart-warming review of The Merry Widow Murders, first of the series.

Here's the review! Link below to the interview. With many thanks to Kathy!

THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERS by Melodie Campbell
The First Merry Widow Murders Mystery

A voyage back to England aboard the Victoriana should be a relaxing time for Lady Lucy Revelstoke. A dead body dumped in her stateroom the first evening aboard quite dampened that notion. Was this a personal message, something related to her past, or was her room just a handy location. With her maid and sidekick, Elf, Lucy intends to use the knowledge instilled in her as a youth to track down a cunning killer.

I absolutely adored THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERS. With quick wit, impeccable plotting, and intriguing characters I was completely immersed in this novel. Vivid descriptions made it easy for me to picture myself aboard this luxury ocean liner in 1928.

My favorite part of the first Merry Widow Murders Mystery was the characters, each with an interesting backstory that really fleshed them out. I particularly like the fact that all of the women were strong, intelligent people. No wall flowers here, from minor characters to Lucy and Elf. They can handle themselves and, though it's nice to have a decent chap, it's certainly not necessary. It also goes to show you should never underestimate a woman. The final line found a broad grin on my face!

Embark on a delightful transatlantic voyage in THE MERRY WIDOW MURDERS where mystery, murder, and humor combine to create a captivating start to a wonderful series!

https://cozyupwithkathy.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-merry-widow-murders-interview-and.html?sc=1776090926486&fbclid=IwY2xjawRKAzlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFKajF5WXd1YmgxN0FqcXNxc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHi7l3vdkRFWZzdOBfJAIBXSukhsSgLaXk6hVEkIhESQdmvduVvsLuVd1GjYB_aem_di40i7oNMQHrqWJU7Tm3bg#c7198214578988679657

On Dru's Musings today with a delightful interview of my Heroine, Lady Lucy Revelstoke!

https://drusbookmusing.com/melodie-campbell-lady-lucy-revelstoke/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRKAiBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEehuRR7oOlGUeo9umkbWqLE4dZr3FBKQkA9qLj-4BvzSEbeH1or6nCd2Rh2b8_aem_dDbVGlBMrn0I7JCot-5uaw

Here's a sample!

Saturday, 28 March 2026

You can't take the Italian out of the Writer!

On Sleuthsayers today, and repeated here for my regular readers...

It’s been brought to my attention that some readers here might not know that I got my start writing stand-up. (30 years later, I have to work hard to simply stand up, but that’s another column.)

It’s also quite possible that since I collect husbands with Celtic last names (Campbell and O’Connell), readers might not know that I am predominantly Italian.

So when I was asked by Gemma Media – a terrific publisher of short, easy to read adult books- to write a crime series for them, it was just possible that my Italian background might come through. As it did for The Goddaughter series. As it did for…okay, all the others. I’m an Italian gal masquerading as a WASP, and I couldn’t keep a straight face if they ironed and botoxed it.

Melodie Campbell is Canada’s “Queen of Comedy” – The Toronto Sun

Comedy is my lifeline. Laughter is my survival kit. I love the Merry Widow Murder series that I’m currently writing for Cormorant books. It has humour in the form of my beloved character Elf. But I miss the old standup days.

Writing PIZZA WARS brought me back to my early comedy-writing days. It’s perhaps my most loopy book. Take a city (Hamilton) that’s known for steel mills. Take a population where a good many came from Sicily between the wars.

Take all that, try to fit it into a Police precinct, arm the place with Officer Rita “Mom” Gallo, and you can have some pretty funny things take place.

After all, who needs a gun when you have a wooden spoon?

Now available! At Amazon, and all the usual suspects. (If you like The Goddaughter books, check out PIZZA WARS!)