Going It Alone: From Traditional to Indie: Guest Post by Jinny Alexander

In 2020, I signed a three-book deal with a small publisher. I was ecstatic, but blinkered, and it fell apart almost as fast as it had happened. The publisher was inexperienced but hopefully also fresh and emerging. I was willing to take the chance, and be part of building something new and exciting. My first book was a standalone, literary book, but the other two were the first of my Jess O’Malley Cozy Mystery Series.

In March 2022 my first book was launched, but a lot of mistakes were made – that the publisher uploaded an early proof version to all the distributors, and the copy that hit the bookshelves was riddled with formatting errors that the publisher had PUT IN during the editing process was probably the worst of the many mistakes. It was, frankly, an embarrassing mess. I wasn’t the only author from this publishing house experiencing problems. I wiped away tears and tried to stay positive. After all, I had a second book coming that October; a cheerful, genre-perfect Cozy Mystery. I’d make it work. I would.

But roundabout the middle of summer 2022, things turned from ‘mistakes’ to ‘nasty’ with the publisher. Mistakes were still being made – not necessarily the same mistakes – some new, some old – but as well as the mistakes, the attitude turned and it went from the initially great working relationship that I'd signed up for, to a very uncomfortable mix of ghosting and bullying and gaslighting. This wasn't my paranoia (trust me, I checked) – other authors were seeing the same things, and we were collectively worried, but my second book was due out that October, so I hung in there and hoped it would get better.

We should have been getting so excited about it – the Cozy market is huge; the book was good – that’s not big-headed smugness; the book was written as part of my Open University degree, and had been well-critiqued and tested – but I could see that its journey to publication wasn't going well. The publisher had stopped communicating; the cover was far from the agreed idea; ARCs weren’t sent out; the street team was given no information. I was given no information.

The worry ramped up from ‘niggling’ to ‘huge’, but it was getting too close to my launch date to make a fuss.

The publisher had done no marketing leading to the launch, so I pulled in a couple of favours from people I know. A local acquaintance of mine is a multi-million selling crime author, with a massiveIrish and UK following, so I asked her to share the launch details of A Diet of Death to her bazillion followers. Which she promptly did.

And then, just days before the launch, it became apparent A Diet of Death wouldn't be available in Ireland, where I live, and where the series is set. When I raised this with the publisher, they (inadvertently? Is that generous?) did ‘something’ that also left the book unavailable in the UK for the week around the official launch. This also wiped out a lot of the preorders.

I'm still very, very embarrassed that I got my best-selling acquaintance to promote my book, and then so many people couldn't buy it – it literally wasn't available to buy across Ireland and the UK, and this combined with zero marketing efforts in the US from my publisher, meant the book completely crashed. I spent launch week in tears, but now certain I had to get away from what had become a very toxic environment.

I decided if I had to walk away and leave my three books behind me, that's what I would do, for my sanity and health. A couple of weeks after A Diet of Death was ‘launched’, I requested termination of my contract with the publisher. To my immense relief, and some surprise, they immediately agreed, with full reversion of all my rights.

Fast-forward to July this year. In the interim, I’d finished my Creative Writing MA, and two other standalone literary novels. I hadn’t given much thought to what to do with the Jess O’Malley series; still licking my wounds and recovering my sanity, but even as I approached a handful of agents for my new books, the tiny whisper in the back of my mind was getting more insistent: You’ve got this cozy series; are you just going to throw it away?

In July 2023, a few things simultaneously happened – not least of which was being invited to join the new Cozy Crime Collective by one of its founders. She’d read A Diet of Death back in its pre-publication review cycle and enjoyed it immensely. A lot of other little things piled up together like building blocks, and I realised the only sensible thing to do with Jess O’Malley was to self-publish the series. With the first in the series being—albeit briefly—previously published, no agent or big publisher would give it a chance.

As this knowledge took root, I did a lot of research very quickly. I asked for help where it was needed, and paid for the things I can’t do myself (a great cover designer being the most important). By committing cold hard cash to the cover, formatting help and software, my own ISBNs, etc, I was both setting a reason to make this work, and a knowledge that if I am going to self-publish, I will do it WELL.

It's been a big turnaround mentally—I’d wanted the trad-publishing dream, but as that had turned into more of a nightmare, I know now I have nothing to lose. One persistent refrain during my time with the rogue publisher was the authors whispering amongst themselves: We could do this better by ourselves. We should have just self-published.  Now I know this is true: every step towards publication last October was filled with fresh dread – “What will go wrong?” 

Now, every step brings “Look what I’ve done right”.

***

Jinny Alexander was first published in Horse and Pony Magazine at the age of ten. The route to publication was so much easier way back then. Her home for now is in rural Ireland, in a village uncannily similar to Jess O’Malley’s fictional Ballyfortnum. While Jinny spends just as much time walking the country lanes with her dogs as Jess, Jinny has yet to stumble upon a murder. Phew. The first book in her Jess O’Malley Mystery Series, A Diet of Death has just been relaunched and its first sequel, A Hover of Trout, will follow in October.

Website: https://www.jinnyalexander.com/
Books available here: https://linktr.ee/JinnyAlexander
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JinnyAlexanderAuthor
Cozy Crime Collective: https://www.facebook.com/groups/849864953391956

 

Call for Articles: Hobbies & Crafts in Mysteries - Mystery Readers Journal

Call for Articles: Mystery Readers Journal (39:2) HOBBIES & CRAFTS in MYSTERIES

 

We're looking for articles, reviews, and Author essays about Mysteries that focus on Hobbies & Crafts. 

Author Essays: 500-100 words. Treat this as if you're chatting with friends and other writers in the bar, cafe, or on zoom about your work that features hobbies and/or crafts in your mysteries. Add title and 2-3 sentence bio/tagline. 

Reviews: 50-250 words. 

Articles: 500-1000 words.

Deadline for Hobbies and Crafts Mysteries (39:2) articles, reviews, author essays:  April 10, 2023: Send to: Janet Rudolph, Editor. janet @ mysteryreaders . org

Subject line: Mystery Readers Journal/Hobbies & Crafts

***

Mystery Readers Journal: Legal Mysteries (38:4) is available: https://mysteryreaders.org/journal-index/legal-mysteries-3/

SUBSCRIBE TO MYSTERY READERS JOURNAL: 2023: African Mysteries; Hobbies & Craft Mysteries; Animals in Mysteries; Southern California.

Many back issues of Mystery Readers Journal are available as single copies in hardcopy or PDF. 

Historical Mysteries I: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Private Eyes I & Private Eyes II : Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Extreme Weather Mysteries: Available as PDF or Harcopy

Italian Mysteries:  Available as PDF or Hardcopy

Senior Sleuths: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Gardening Mysteries: Available as PDF or Hardcopy.

Call for Articles for 2023 (Volume 39): African Mysteries; Hobbies & Crafts; Animals in Mysteries; Southern California

Have titles, articles, or suggestions for these upcoming issues? Want to write an Author! Author! essay?  email: janet @ mysteryreaders . org 

BLOGS
Mystery Fanfare
Dying for Chocolate

FOODIE FRIDAYS: Art as Growth in Cozy Mysteries: Guest Post by Amber Royer

***

Amber Royer: Art as Growth in Cozy Mysteries

In my latest cozy mystery, A Shot in the 80% Dark, my chocolate-maker sleuth learns about treating chocolate as an art medium. I hadn’t really thought about what that would do to Felicity as a character or to the structure of the book. Rather, I was just focusing in on a different aspect of what can be done with chocolate. Felicity doesn’t see herself as creative or artistic. And that’s probably my fault, as her author. I had given her so much to deal with in life that I hadn’t really let her have the breathing room to sit down and reflect on her creative side.

Her artistic instincts are there, from the way she handles chocolate to the way she has decorated her business, to the labels she’s done for her chocolate bars.  She just assumes that because she doesn’t have talent for drawing or painting, she can’t do art with a capital A. But then the gallery she’s been commissioned to do a chocolate sculpture for wants to host an immersive exhibit surrounding the photographs of cacao trees that Felicity has taken in her visits to the origin of the beans she uses in the chocolate she makes. Felicity has thought about those photographs as stock for her social media – but having someone see the beauty in the images makes Felicity realize that maybe her whole social media account has been a creative outlet that has been serving her as a lifeline all along.

I’m big about writing characters with sound psychological responses, and if you look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Self-actualization is at the top. Felicity has been dealing with grief (she lost her husband prior to the first book) and has been gradually realizing that she needs to empathize more and to take more time listening to her friends if she wants to have the deep connections you that will get you steady on the rung of Love and Belonging. But over the first three books, she’s been building those connections, so now, it’s psychologically plausible for her to reach up towards that higher rung.

By moving her upwards, I let her have more positive energy in her life, which does wonders for the people around her.  It also helps keep it from feeling like the series is stagnating.  With cozies, so much of it has to stay the same in order not to confuse readers coming in at the middle of the series, or alienating readers who loved the first books. Giving Felicity’s outlook an arc, and her artistic side aspirations helps keep it interesting to write, too.Now that I’ve included Felicity’s artistic side, I feel like I need to lean into it in later books in the series.  The book-after-next is going to be titled A Study In Chocolate.  There will be a chocolate portrait involved in the plot. Painting with chocolate or on chocolate is actually more common than you might think. (I took a class a couple of years ago where I got meta and painted a cacao tree on a chocolate bar.  I’m not the best with a paintbrush, but I do like to tinker with art forms that require that kind of skill. I’m better with photography and graphic design – or words – but you don’t have to be objectively “good” at a specific form of art to have fun doing it.) 

Felicity doesn’t even have a favorite artist at this point. (There is mention in the first couple of books in the series that she appreciates the local sculptures that have been carved out of dead trees as a symbol of resiliency, and the sculptures of endangered sea turtles – one of which is practically on her business’s doorstep. But I don’t think this really counts as a favorite artist, since she connects more with the reason for the art.) I need to spend some time thinking about WHY she doesn’t have a deeply personal favorite.  After all, everyone connects to art in some way. It may be an overly popular choice, but my favorite artist is Van Gogh. I did a project on the impressionists, and I kept coming back to his Café Terrace at Night, because it was so warm and inviting.  As I learned more about the artists, I kept feeling a connection to Van Gogh more than to the others. His struggles with his art, the way he felt like an outsider in many situations, his tumultuous changes in career – these all mirrored things I had felt, but in a magnified way.  He knew what it was like to pour himself into a project only to have it crash and burn. He kept creating art in the face of that, kept trying to move forward despite the breakdown that held him back, doing painting after painting of that tree he could see out of his window, because he needed his creative outlet. I’ve been much the same with words. I find that when I don’t write, I’m more prone to anxiety and depression, because I lose both my sense of routine, and my ability to use my creative side to put order to my life and help process emotion.

Felicity is familiar with a number of painters. When she finally has to choose a favorite artist in A Study in Chocolate, I don’t think Van Gogh is going to wind up being hers too. As research for that book, my husband and I recently visited Galveston’s Art Walk Event. (The books are set on Galveston Island, with Felicity’s fictional shop on the Historic Strand.) We got to see images of local landmarks, and some of my favorite marine animals, done in different scales and styles. Given all of that, and the vibrancy of the local art scene, I’m beginning to think that Felicity’s favorite painter might turn out to be a local artist.
It will be fun to have the excuse to experience more art to find out.

***

Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse space opera series, and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She is also the author of Story Like a Journalist: a Workbook for Novelists, and has co-authored a chocolate-related cookbook with her husband. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach.

 

SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD MEMORIES: Jennifer J. Chow

Today I'm introducing a weekly feature on Mystery Fanfare: Foodie Fridays. So many authors feature food in their mysteries for so many different reasons. Some authors include recipes, some feature foodie professionals, and still others use food to further the plot. And, some authors just love to cook! I've invited mystery authors to submit an article about their 'culinary' mysteries for Foodie Fridays. First up, the amazing Jennifer J. Chow, author of the new  L.A. Night Market Mysteries series! 

Jennifer J. Chow: SPICY CUCUMBER SALAD MEMORIES

Photo credit: Kim Davis

The spicy gene must have skipped me. My dad grew up in Malaysia and loves curries and chili oil on everything. As for me, I’m constantly in search of water whenever spiciness reaches my taste buds. 

My food preference has always veered toward the sweet. Give me chocolate anytime! But when my dad moved in with us temporarily, I had to change my cooking ways. Since he was experiencing health issues, he had some dietary restrictions, and I needed to adjust my recipes. I opted to be creative by using different fresh and dried herbs. To make sure his food wasn’t too bland, I also spiced it up. Thankfully, hot sauce wasn’t on the doctor’s list of banned items. 

To provide him with extra vitamins and nutrition, I wanted to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in our meals. But what would he enjoy eating? I wracked my brain for viable options and wound up with spicy cucumber salad.

I’m from a family who doesn’t measure stuff when they cook, so it took me a few attempts before I was satisfied with the dish. My final version of cucumber salad has only a hint of hotness. (If you like things more spicy, I’d up the chili oil level to at least half a teaspoon.) 

The salad ended up being a hit with my dad. Over the course of his stay with us, I made it multiple times. I’m happy to report that his health is much improved now. He’s since moved out and is doing wonderfully and enjoying his independence. Spicy cucumber salad always brings me joy whenever I eat it because it reminds me of his recovery and the precious bonding time we had together.  

I didn’t know then that this same recipe would eventually be paired with my writing. When I pitched my latest book idea, I just wanted to lean into my food-loving ways and personal history of working at a family restaurant. 

I’m grateful I got a contract for the L.A. Night Market Mysteries. Since they’re food-themed mysteries, I decided to add recipes to the back of the book.  In Death By Bubble Tea (Book 1 in the series), the two cousins at the heart of the book run a food stall at their local night market. Yale and Celine have opposite personalities and must work together to serve food—and solve crime. The cousins sell cold drinks and cold food at their stall, so what better recipe to feature than my spicy cucumber salad?  

I’m hoping that readers who like to try out recipes in culinary cozies will gravitate to the salad. Maybe it’ll also bring them a sense of joy like it does for me—or at least some eating entertainment. Amazingly, it’s already been featured on the Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder blog as well as Criminal Element’s Cooking the Books. What an honor! 

Cucumbers are refreshing to eat in the summertime. What’s your favorite summer food?

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

·       6 Persian cucumbers (washed)

·       2 cloves garlic

·       1 tablespoon soy sauce

·       1 tablespoon black vinegar

·       1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

        1/4 teaspoon chili (I like to use Laoganma's Spicy Chili Crisp)

·       Salt to taste

Instructions

1.     Slice or use mandoline to cut cucumbers to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.

2.     Peel and mince cloves of garlic.

3.     Place cucumbers and garlic in a bowl.

4.     Add soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil, chili, and salt.

5.     Mix together and refrigerate for at least ten minutes before serving.

***

Jennifer J. Chow is the twice-nominated Lefty Award author of the Sassy Cat Mysteries. Her new series is the L.A. Night Market Mysteries; Death by Bubble Tea, which the New York Times called “the first in a fizzy new series,” hit the SoCal Indie Bestseller List. She currently serves as Vice President on the national board of Sisters in Crime, participates in Crime Writers of Color, and blogs at Chicks on the Case.

BUY LINK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673133/death-by-bubble-tea-by-jennifer-j-chow/

 

SUMMERTIME MYSTERIES: Lazy, Hazy, Criminal Days of Summer

Summertime, and the living is easy. Or is it? So many mysteries taking place during Summer are filled with murder and mayhem -- on the Beach, at the Lake, and in the City! What follows is a list of Summer Crime Fiction that exudes the heat and accompanying crime of Summertime. I've omitted most Fourth of July and Labor Day Mysteries from this list, and I'll be updating those specific lists later this Summer. As always I invite you to add any titles I've missed. Post a note in the comments. This is far from a definitive list, but it's updated since last year.

Summertime Mysteries 

Foxglove Summer by Ban Aaronovitch
The Corpse with the Garnet Face by Cathy Ace
A Cat on a Beach Blanket by Lydia Adamson
A Deadly Cliche; Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams
Moon Water Madness by Glynn Marsh Alam
A Tangled June by Neil Albert
Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander
Gone Gull by Donna Andrews
Sunset Beach; High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
Tiger's Eve by Barbara Annino
Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea by Nancy Atherton
Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon
Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker
Gold Medal Threat by Michael Balkind (Kids: 7-15)
A Midsummer Night's Killing by Trevor Barnes
Milwaukee Summers Can Be Deadly by Kathleen Anne Barrett
Hot Murder by Lorraine Bartlett
Love, Lies and Liquor by M.C. Beaton
Summertime News by Dick Belsky
Pups, Pilots and Peril by Cindy Bell

The Hiding Place by David Bell
The Summer School Mystery by Josephine Bell
Jaws by Peter Benchley
Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Murder by Fireworks by Susan Bernhardt
A Death in Summer by Benjamin Black
Another Man's Ground by Claire Booth
The Down East Murders by J.S. Borthwick
Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen

Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer
Deadly Readings by Laura Bradford
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Pot Boiler by Ali Brandon
The Cat Who Saw Stars, The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lilian Jackson Braun
Chill of Summer by Carol Brennan
Death by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge
Devils Island by Carl Brookins
Killer in Crinolines; Braking for Bodies by Duffy Brown
Tall Tail by Rita Mae Brown
Scrappy Summer by Mollie Cox Bryan
Magic and Macaroons by Bailey Cates
Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien
Twanged; Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark
Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark
Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark
Thin Air by Ann Cleeves
Dead and Berried by Peg Cochran
All You Need is Fudge, To Fudge or not to Fudge by Nancy Coco
BlackBuried Pie by Lyndsey Cole
Murder at the Mansion by Sheila Connolly
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
Death on a Summer Night by Matthew Costello
Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle
A Shoot on Martha's Vineyard by Philip Craig
The Trouble with a Hot Summer by Camilla Crespi
Never Say Pie by Carol Culver
Barkley's Treasure, Bikinis in Paradise; Beach Blanket Barbie; Camp Carter; Maui Madness; Bikinis in Paradise by Kathi Daley
The Alpine Recluse; The Alpine Zen; Clam Wake; Dune to Death by Mary Daheim
The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss by Krista Davis

Deadly Summer Nights by Vicki Delany
A Summer in the Twenties by Peter Dickinson
The Gold Coast, Plum Island by Nelson DeMille
Dead & Buried by Leighann Dobbs

Dead in the Water; Fall of a Philanderer by Carola Dunn
Kilt at the Highland Games by Kaitlyn Dunnett
Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein
Four Dog's Sake by Lia Farrell
Blackberry Burial, Dying for Strawberries; Killed on Blueberry Hill by Sharon Farrow
One Fete in the Grave by Vickie Fee
Murder Sends a Postcard; Murder Buys a T-shirt by Christy Fifield
The Angel of Knowlton Park by Kate Flora
Lord James Harrington and the Summer Mystery by Lynn Florkiewicz
Apple Turnover Murder, Blackberry Pie Murder, Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Beneath the Skin by Nicci French

Independence Slay by Shelley Freydont
A Dish Best Served Cold by Rosie Genova
Murder Makes Waves by Anne George
The Caleb Cove Mystery Series  (3 in the series) by Mahrie Reid Glab
Summertime, All the Cats are Bored by Philippe Georget
The Cats that Watched the Woods by Karen Anne Golden
A Fatal Fleece, Angora Alibi: Murder at Lambswool Farm by Sally Goldenbaum
Sunflower Street by Pamela Grandstaff
Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake; Knockdown by Sarah Graves
Sound Proof by Barbara Gregorich

Mystery on Mackinac Island by Anna W. Hale
Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton
Dead Days of Summer; Dead Man's Island by Carolyn Hart
Town in a Lobster Stew; Town in a Strawberry Swirl by B.B. Haywood
A Stitch in Crime by Betty Hechtman
Tilling the Truth by Julia Henry
The Summer of Dead Toys by Antonio Hill
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara
Death of a Cookbook Author; Death of a Lobster Lover by Lee Hollis
Cracked to Death by Cheryl Holton
Beach Bags and Burglaries by Dorothy Howell
Murder at Wrightsville Beach by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter 

Last Summer by Evan Hunter
Magic Hour by Susan Isaacs
Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James
One Feta in the Grave by Tina Kashian
A Summer for Dying by Jamie Katz

Murder Under a Full Moon by Abigail Keam
The Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly (YA)
Rainy Day Women by Kay Kendell
Murder in the Past Tense by E.E. Kennedy
Death and a Pot of Chowder by Cornelia Kidd
Banana Split by Josi S. Kilpack
Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch
Midsummer Malice by M.D. Lake
Dark Nantucket Noon by Jane Langton
The Bottoms by Joe Lansdale

A Timely Vision; A Watery Death by Joyce and Jim Lavene
You Only Witch Once by Amanda M. Lee
Death of a Bacherlorette by Laura Levine
A Tale of Two Biddies by Kylie Logan
Murder on the Ile Sordou by M.L. Longworth
August Moon, June Bug by Jess Lourey
Nun But the Brave by Alice Loweecey
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry
The Body in the Wetlands by Judi Lynn
Berried to the Hilt, Death Runs Adrift; Claws for Alarm; Murder on the Rocks by Karen MacInerny
A Demon Summer by G.M. Malliet
Grave Heritage by Blanche Day Manos
Swimming Alone by Nina Mansfield (YA)
Death in a Mood Indigo by Francine Mathews
Murder at Beechwood; Murder at the Breakers by Alyssa Maxwell
Till Death Do Us Bark by Judi McCoy
Killer Honeymoon by G.A. McKevitt
Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn
Tippy Toe Murder by Leslie Meier
Murder Most Finicky by Liz Mugavero
Bats and Bones; Peete and Repeat, The Lady of the Lake, To Cache a Killer by Karen Nortman
Murder at Kildare Mensa by Clare O'Beara
Foal Play; Murder on the Hoof by Kathryn O'Sullivan
The Body in the Lighthouse; The Body in the Birches; The Body in the Wake by Katherine Hall Page
Murder at the Seaside Hotel by Sonia Paris
Mercury's Rise by Ann Parker  

Paws in the Action; A Timely Murder by Max Parrott
The Heat of the Moon by Sandra Parshall
Mrs. Bundle's Dog Days of Summer: A Case of Artful Arson by Allison Cesario Paton
The Summer House by James Patterson
Summer of the Dragon by Elizabeth Peters
5 Dan Marlowe/Hampton Beach, NH mysteries by Jed Power
Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel by Rose Pressey
Cat of Many Tails by Ellery Queen
Still Life in Brunswick Stew by Larissa Reinhart 

Summer Garden Murder by Ann Ripley
In the Dead of the Summer; How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Gillian Roberts
Calamity@the Carwash by Sharon Rose
Mint Juleps, Mayhem, and Murder; Milkshakes, Mermaids and Murder by Sara Rosett
Boiled Over, Clammed Up by Barbara Ross
Murder in the Dining Room by Betty Rowlands
Field of Prey by John Sandford 
Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom
Hang My Head & Cry by Elena Santangelo
Miss Lizzie by Walter Satterthwait
Purl Up and Die by Maggie Sefton

Love & Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea
Vacations Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton
Bushel Full of Murder, If Onions Could Spring Leeks by Paige Shelton
Summer in the Woods by Steven K. Smith
Pick Your Poison; The Cat, The Vagabond and The Victim by Leann Sweeney
Cape Cod Mystery by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd
Deception in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope
Trouble in the Tarot by Kari Lee Townsend
Rooted in Deceit by Wendy Tyson
Board Stiff by Elaine Viets
Shadows of a Down East Summer; Thread and Gone by Lea Wait
The Great Chili Kill-Off; Killer Crab Cakes by Livia J. Washburn
A Sense of Entitlement by Anna Loan Wilsey
Trail of Secrets by Laura Wolfe (YA)
An Old Faithful Murder, Remodelled to Death; Death in a Beach Chair by Valerie Wolzien
Orchid Beach by Stuart Woods
Sins of a Shaker Summer by Deborah Woodworth
Summer Will End by Dorian Yeager
Heart of Stone by James Ziskin

Any titles you'd like to add?

"FUN": Guest post by Debra H. Goldstein

Judge Debra H. Goldstein is the author of One Taste Too Many, the first of Kensington’s new Sarah Blair cozy mystery series. She also wrote Should Have Played Poker and 2012 IPPY Award winning Maze in Blue. Her short stories, including Anthony and Agatha nominated “The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place,” have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, and Mystery Weekly. Debra is president of Sisters in Crime’s Guppy Chapter, serves on SinC’s national board, and is president of the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Find out more about Debra at www.DebraHGoldstein.com

DEBRA H. GOLDSTEIN:
“FUN”

I am a voracious reader. It’s a habit I honed to perfection when I was bored in school. My modus operandi was check out a book from the library every morning, slip it into my text books for reading during class, and return it the next morning. I read all genres, but my favorite books are mysteries and biographies because they let me completely lose myself for a few hours in another world. This has always been important because the demands of being a litigator and then a judge, a wife and mother of four, a civic volunteer, and thinking about writing, never permitted a lot of “me” time. Reading was and is my get-away-from-it-all “fun.”

When I began writing fiction seriously, I decided to write the kind of book that gave me the most pleasure –mysteries. My first book, 2012 IPPY winning Maze in Blue, an academic mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus, was a breeze. Having attended Michigan for my undergraduate degree, the book didn’t require extensive research. I wrote about the campus, students, faculty, and activities I knew.

After Maze was published, the publisher ceased operations. Stunned, I talked to agents, editors and writers. Everyone told me to write something new. The result was a traditional mystery with cozy elements, Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery. Again, the research was somewhat limited because I stole the setting from a community I often visited, the protagonist was a young corporate lawyer - exactly my first legal job, and the Mah Jongg players and other characters were composites of people I knew.

Unfortunately, shortly after Poker was published, the publisher shuttered its mystery line. This time, I knew I wanted to write a true cozy, but I had a problem. Most cozies feature individuals who are experts in a craft or are marvelous in the kitchen. I’m neither, but I am a good researcher. Using what I gleaned from my research, I wrote pages galore of a new book. When I read what I wrote, I realized I had a problem. My work in progress was boring and anything but “fun” to read.

I didn’t like it, and, if that was the case, neither would anyone else. That’s when it hit me – there are plenty of people in the world who think being in the kitchen is like being in a foreign country or whose craft efforts evoke roars of laughter. Why not be honest and include that kind of character in a book?

Once I embraced Sarah Blair, a character who isn’t perfect in the kitchen or at much else, I couldn’t stop the flow of words nor stem the “fun” of writing them. Hopefully, the “fun” I’m having writing about Sarah will be shared by One Taste Too Many’s readers.

Here’s a taste of what I consider “fun.”

For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder! 

Sarah knew starting over after her divorce would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by her twin sister’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and her twin wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!

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Bony Blithe Award for best Canadian Light Mystery 2015

The Bony Blithe Award for best Canadian Light Mystery 2015. The Bony Blithe Award was created by the Bloody Words Board to shine a spotlight on light mysteries, an area of the genre that is often overlooked. 

Cathy Ace, The Corpse with the Platinum Hair (Touchwood Editions)
Judith Alguire, Many Unpleasant Returns (Signature Editions)
E.C. Bell, Seeing the Light (Tyche Books)
Janet Bolin, Night of the Living Thread (Berkley Prime Crime)
Allan Stratton, The Resurrection of Mary Mabel McTavish (Dundurn Press)

JIM PARSONS WITH CRAIG FERGUSON: THE COZY MYSTERY

Jim Parsons talks cozy mysteries, Larry Block and P.D. James with Craig Ferguson.
 HT: Erin Mitchell