Welcome to the World of Celia Miles
“Books & Stories About Women that Will Inspire You”
Eight Nights at the Harris Hotel
Mrs. Wheeler, a rich elderly widow, arrives at The Harris Hotel, on the Hebridean island Lewis and Harris off the Scottish coast.
There her memories of a dust bowl youth, military service, Chicago’s business and art venues, along with multiple marriage interweave with a guest’s murder.
With the help of her young aide from the island, Mrs. Wheeler is determined to solve the crime … even when experience and innocence are sometimes at odds.
Review from The Laurel of Asheville:
Celia Miles’ new novel, Eight Nights at the Harris Hotel, is a departure from her series of mysteries centering around Appalachian grist mills.
“My inspiration for writing started when my doctor was whistling Mendelssohn’s overture The Hebrides,” says Miles. The Hebrides are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland.
“Since I’ve been to the islands often, it suddenly offered my main character, Mrs. Grant Worthington Wheeler.” Set on the Hebridean island Lewis and Harris, the novel offers its elderly protagonist travel and a murder to investigate with the help of a young island girl.
Learn moreFeatured Books
“Having quit her marriage and teaching career, Marcy Dehanne, a newly established Mill Consultant, arrives at remote Wrapp’s Mill in western North Carolina. She expects to land her first employment – but instead she finds murder.”
The Marcy Dehanne Grist Mill Mysteries
My Other Books
A Thyme for Love Thyme for Love
ThymeTable Mill
Mattie’s Girl: An Appalachian Childhood
Sarranda
Journey to Stenness
Sarranda’s Heart: A Love Story of Place
The Body at Wrapp’s Mill: A Marcy Dehanne Grist Mill Mystery
The Body at StarShine Mill: A Marcy Dehanne Grist Mill Mystery
Sarranda’s Legacy: 3rd installment of Sarranda’s saga
The Skeleton at the Old Painted Mill: A Marcy Dehanne Grist Mill Mystery
The Secret at the Little Lost Mill: A Marcy Dehanne Grist Mill Mystery
Discover More about My Other Books
Get to know the author
About Celia Miles
Celia Miles, a native of western North Carolina, lives, and writes from Asheville. She writes in various genres and her fiction—all women-oriented—reflects her interests in old grist mills and Neolithic sites around the world.
She attended Brevard and Berea Colleges and has graduate degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and IUP in Pennsylvania.
She taught at Brevard College and retired from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College as an instructor.
Her clean and cozy mysteries feature intrepid Marcy Dehanne, an instructor turned grist mill consultant, who finds that old mills too often harbor a dead body.
We invite you to explore Celia’s novels: The Body at Wrapp’s Mill; The Body at StarShine Mill; The Skeleton at the Old Painted Mill and, The Secret of the Little Lost Mill.
What Readers are Saying
Readers commonly describe Celia’s books as warm, woman-centered. They are centered Appalachian stories and mill mysteries with a strong sense of place, everyday details, and history. Her stories have been called engaging, quietly humorous, and atmospheric, blending cozy mystery elements with literary, character-driven themes.
Teresa R.
Hi Dr. Miles,
I found your first mystery at our local bookstore a few weeks ago and have been thoroughly delighted by it. The discovery of your mysteries has been a wonderful addition to my new year.
Keep writing!
One of your former students!!
Carol
I loved this book! Set in the mountains of WNC, Celia captures place so well you escape to the mountains without leaving your chair! Mystery, mountains and Marcy Dehanne make you not want it to end!
Danielle
Having just moved to western North Carolina I was looking for a book about the region, a story of women in the area during the civil war. This book hit the mark, it was a fast read that kept me captivated throughout. The story of a young woman and the toils of living in the mountainous region that I now call home.