Writing the Cozy Mystery
Authors’ Perspectives on Their Craft
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About the Book
This book brings together essays written by a number of well-known writers of cozy mysteries, including Sherry Harris, Amanda Flower, Leslie Budewitz, and Edith Maxwell, among others, who provide insight into their approaches to writing. Topics covered include how they work with the form, develop characters and settings, and utilize the particular hook, skill or business that establishes the protagonist’s ability to solve crimes. In addition to discussing these traditional aspects of writing, several authors focus on how they have expanded the direction the contemporary cozy mystery has taken with the inclusion of more diverse characters and social issues.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Edited by Phyllis M. Betz
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 166
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9082-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5426-3
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vi
Introduction: Give the Cozy Its Due
Phyllis M. Betz 1
PART ONE: Writing Genre
In Defense of Cozy Mysteries
Sherry Harris 17
Why I Became a Cozy Writer—And Why I’m Happy I Did
Vicki Delany 22
From Following the Rules and Regs to Throwing Them Out the Window
Justin M. Kiska 27
Crimes of Fashion
Diane Vallere 32
Where Subgenres Overlap
Kait Carson 37
Cozy and Not-So-Cozy Novels: Defying a Sub-Genre Label
Tina deBellegarde 42
Stepping Out of the Shadow of the Queen of Crime
Mary Anna Evans 46
Fair Play in Cozies
J.A. Hennrikus 51
The Accessibility of Cozies: How Playing Fair Is How Cozies Endure
Andrea J. Johnson 56
From Rue Morgue to the Craft Cozy: The Evolution of the Traditional Mystery
Peggy Ehrhart 62
Writing Multiple Series
Edith Maxwell 70
PART TWO: Writing Theme
Crafts and the Cozy Mystery
Sybil Johnson 79
“Cookies open doors”: Food as an Investigative Tool
Maya Corrigan 84
Writing the World Around Us: Social Issues in the Cozy
Leslie Budewitz 89
Cultural Elements Elevate a Cozy Mystery
Jennifer J. Chow 96
PART THREE: Writing Setting
Mise-en-Scène
Rabbi Ilene Schneider 103
Handling Diverse Settings
Marni Graff 109
Cozy Crime in a Surveillance Society
M.E. Hilliard 115
PART FOUR: Writing Character
What Makes a Cozy Character
Amanda Flower 123
…And a Colorful Cast: Building a Diverse Cozy
Kathleen Marple Kalb (Nikki Knight) 128
I’m Okay, Really: Writing a Main Character Who Has an Addiction or a Mental Health Disorder
J.C. Kenney 132
Writing a Highly Sensitive Amateur Sleuth
Carol E. Ayer 137
Why I Wrote a Buddy Cop Series with a Lesbian and a Jew
Winnie Frolik 142
Postscript: I’ve Been Here Before
Phyllis M. Betz 147
About the Contributors 153
Index 157
