Whenever I tell people I write cozy mysteries, the response is often: what exactly is a cozy? Which is totally a fair question! And one I typically answer with some version of the following: a cozy is a mystery with the puzzle of a whodunit, but without the gore. And there’s usually a cat. Now, while the […]
I’ve been working on my cozy mystery for months now, outlining and writing, re-outlining and re-writing, and there was still a major flaw: the detectives didn’t seem real. They had no depth, no growth opportunities, no spark. They could’ve been replaced by an inanimate object and had the same impact on the story. Needless to say, this […]
I attended my first RMMWA (Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America) meeting on Thursday. There was camaraderie, a themed cake (which was as delicious as it was fun), and a guest speaker. The speaker was Dr. Jane Bock, a forensic botanist who was an expert witness on the Casey Anthony Trial. Dr. Bock was involved […]
It all started shortly after the New Year in 2010 when I was struggling to write, well, anything. I’d fiddled with First Novel a bit, but ultimately couldn’t make a habit of writing, couldn’t find my stride. Then at work, I stumbled on leftover fruitcake someone had left in the break room. It was cellophane-wrapped, store-bought fruitcake […]