Hiya, my name is Natalie Payne, but my friends call me Nat. I’m the Head of Ceremonies at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. My title sounds really fancy, but I’m basically an event planner. I organise lavish galas, formal dinners and important celebrations in Oxford’s thirty-one different colleges.

I moved to Oxford a few months ago, thinking that party planning would be my biggest challenge. Wow, was I wrong about that! On my very first day at work I stumbled across the dead body of St Margaret College’s famed chef. And if that wasn’t surprise enough, the next day my new cat turned into a wyvern and announced that I’ve got the magic of Oxford running in my veins. All those stories my grandfather used to tell me about a magical Oxford were true. Ghosts walk the halls, paintings come to life, books speak – all there to help the Oxford scholars remain the best in the world.

My wyvern (his name is Humphrey but he prefers to go by H) told me that the Head of Ceremonies has an additional responsibility. I’m a prefect – one of three here at Oxford. My events help strengthen Oxford’s connection to the magic. The other two prefects are also new, working in the library and the museum. Together, we’ve got a big problem to solve. Something is wrong with the magic, and it is up to us to figure out what has gone awry.

As a result, my typical day is anything but typical. After all, who starts their day sharing a breakfast table with a wyvern?

Some days find me wandering the halls of St Margaret College. In between event planning meetings with my team of assistants, I make time to chat with the Eternals, learning everything I can about the history of the college and all of its famous members. Other days I have to venture outside the college walls, visiting with the other prefects or tracking down potential suspects. After all, the chef’s murder and the problem with the magic aren’t going to solve themselves! It’s up to me to identify the culprit, investigate the magic and plan the most magical event of the season. All in a day’s work for an Oxford prefect.

I know this sounds like a stressful life, but I’ve got a hilariously ridiculous wyvern to keep me on my toes, and an amazing set of best friends ready to lend a hand. And then there’s Professor Edward Thomas. He makes me grind my teeth, but I’m starting to think that might not be a bad thing.

Murder at St Margaret is the first book in the NEW “Oxford Key” humorous paranormal cozy mystery series, released May 31, 2020.

WELCOME TO OXFORD, WHERE KNOWLEDGE AND MAGIC LIVE ETERNALLY EVERY AFTER

When Natalie Payne accepts the Head of Ceremonies role at the University of Oxford, her first assignment is planning the spectacular autumn gala at St Margaret College. However, her plans are dashed when she finds their famed chef dead in the kitchen.

If that discovery isn’t enough, the cat following her around is actually a four-hundred-year-old wyvern. He’s got news for her: Nat’s a prefect, with the magic of Oxford running in her veins.

Nat’s got to solve the murder, find a new chef for the gala and get to the bottom of why Oxford’s magic is acting up. With the help of her wyvern, a band of Eternals and the savviest assistant who ever existed, Nat is sure to be a success.

But can she do it before St Margaret loses its connection to the magic of Oxford?

Purchase Link
# # # # # # # # # # #

Meet the author
Lynn Morrison lives in Oxford, England along with her husband, two daughters and two cats. Originally from the US, she has also lived in Italy, France and the Netherlands. It’s no surprise then that she loves to travel, with a never-ending wishlist of destinations to visit. She is as passionate about reading as she is writing, and can almost always be found with a book in hand. You can find out more about her on her website at LynnMorrisonWriter.com. If you want to chat with her directly, join her Facebook group – Lynn Morrison’s Not a Book Club – where she happily talks about books, life and anything else that crosses her mind.

All comments are welcomed.