All About Mary Coley

I am a lifelong writer, and if you love to read books with a little, or a lot of murder mystery in them- plus feature female sleuths- you are in the right place!

Born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma, I spent as much time as possible in my early years playing in my back yard and throughout my neighborhood. Many children lived nearby and we rode our bikes to nearby parks or the Taft Elementary playground. I wrote my first story in the second grade, and my first 'book,' a spy novel, in the eighth grade while I was a student at Waller Junior High School.

For many years, I dabbled in writing, attending conferences and seminars, jotting down story starts and journaling. I worked as a feature writer with The Ponca City News and served a stint as the Public Relations Director at the local hospital before returning to OSU to earn a Master’s Degree. I was a charter member of OKAEE, the state affiliate of NAAEE, the North American Association for Environmental Education. My new expertise landed me a job as the Education and Outreach Director of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. In that position, I trained volunteers statewide, wrote training materials, and edited the state's membership magazine and volunteer newsletters. I also attended some fantastic seminars in TNC preserves across the country, including West Palm Beach. I served as president and vice president of OKAEE, among other roles and attended some fantastic NAAEE conferences, including sessions in Portland, ME; Cancun, Mexico; Vancouver, Canada; Boston; Biloxi, MS; and Cincinnati. 

Finally, I worked for the city of Tulsa as the coordinator of the water education for teachers program and then as a communications officer specializing in science and environmental issues for the mayor's office.

In 2009, my first nonfiction educational book for children, Environmentalism: How You Can Make a Difference, was published by Capstone Press. Meanwhile, I also did a lot of journaling, writing about nature, and crafting short stories, women's fiction, and mysteries.

In 2013, I self-published two short story anthologies, which are also available as eBooks through Smashwords. My first mystery, Cobwebs, was published by Wheatmark in November 2013, the second, Ant Dens, in November 2014, and the third, Beehives, in December 2015. My novel, The Ravine, was published by Wild Rose Press in May 2016.

In October 2017, my stand-alone mystery, Blood on the Cimarron, which I published through Create Space became available on Amazon and Kindle. In 2018, this book won the Hillerman Award, given by the New Mexico/Arizona book awards.

In 2018, the fourth book in the Family Secret Series, Chrysalis: A Race to Death, was published by Moonglow Books (my publishing company) and Create Space. This book was selected as a 2019 finalist in the suspense category of the Silver Falchion Awards, given by the Killer Nashville International Mystery Writer's conference.

In 2019, I published, Crystalline Crypt. A finalist in the Oklahoma Book Awards for 2020.

In May 2021, I published the sequel to Blood on the CImarron, another mystery featuring Claire Northcutt, a news reporter. The book, titled Blood on the Mother Road, takes place in Persimmon, OK, a fictional town near Tulsa on Route 66, where Claire detects a possible coverup, and becomes friends with a mysterious waitress, Rhonda at Tiny's Route 66 Diner. 

GREAT NEWS! This book won the Oklahoma Book Award for Fiction, 2022. Coming Summer 2022 the story will be featured in a new Tulsa Escape Room and by Fall 2022, the book will be available through Audible as an audiobook.  Watch my website and Facebook for more information about what's coming from Mary Coley.

Meanwhile, sign up for my mailing list and receive a free short story!

What's next?  Read on!