Most fiction authors are creative by nature. They have other outlets and mediums they escape to while not plinking away on their keyboard. To be creative in three different entertainment arenas, however, isn’t all that common. To juggle all three careers at once is even less common. That’s why today’s author is so special. Not only does Holly Stars have a fresh and creative mystery series, the Misty Divine Mysteries are thought provoking and funny. When I found Holly’s latest mystery, I had to interview her.
Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Holly! As a comedian, author, and playwright what is your favorite medium to create within?
Holly: It’s so hard to pick a favorite! What I love about all three is creating and telling the stories. With comedy I like the immediate audience reaction – hearing the laughs and seeing what connects in the moment. With books, it’s the space and luxury of having 80,000 words to get into the details. And the best thing about theatre for me is the collaboration – working with other artists and learning from their training and expertise to create something that feels alive. Three very different processes, different but overlapping audiences, each with their own joys!
Kym: You are truly talented to balance all threee! What do you find as your go-to mode of creation when an idea pops in your head? Do you write a joke, write a book with all the hilarious scenes, do you block a stage performance, or do you do all three together?
Holly: I’m a really visual thinker so it depends on the idea. Sometimes I’ll have an idea and know that it’s only got legs for a fun Instagram video, and other times I’ll know there’s more to explore, whether that’s through a ten-minute stand-up set or a larger piece of writing. When the ideas come, I pop them into my notes app and when I have time I’ll sit down and look at the list to see what excites me the most that day.
Kym: You open MISSING IN SOHO with a message to readers about tackling real issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community around the world, and you don’t pull any punches throughout the story. Keeping it real, have you received any hate for creating such an important character for today’s readers?
Holly: I’ve been fortunate not to have had much at all around the Misty Divine Mysteries, but most queer creatives I know receive a bit of it from time to time, some more than others (we’re sadly seeing it more and more at the moment). I don’t let it bother me – if a faceless stranger on the internet wants to waste their life away on hate and negativity, that’s sad for them and I hope one day they can enjoy the exciting diversity the world has to offer. Wouldn’t it be incredibly boring if we were all the same?! Meanwhile, I rise above with pride in who I am and keep going no matter what.
Kym: Strength through the adversities brought on by society’s hate is extremely daunting for so many, I appreciate what it takes to wake up and face it every day. Your Opening scene in MISSING IN SOHO is fabulous! Mind’s eye picture perfect! Some might say a bit gory, but it’s Soho—artistic expression and bright colors work! Did you receive any push-back from your editor for it being a bit much for a cozy mystery, or does your publisher embrace your over-the-top style? (Which is awesome for readers in the mystery genre!)
Holly: There wasn’t any pushback on that actually and readers seem to have loved it! I think the dramarama of it all, the way the opening is couched in conversation about Misty’s gorgeous Goldie-Hawn inspired suit, means there’s balance that keeps the cozy-ish vibes.
Kym: I love the way you’ve written Misty and Joe as if Misty is a character in a play and Joe is the actor off stage. That’s kind of how I pictured them while reading the book. When you write, do you picture them as two separate identities?
Holly: Yes and no. Even for drag performers with very separate stage personas, I think their references and life experiences are present in the performance. How a performer decides their acts, their costumes, their makeup, is so personal and unique. Throughout the series, even when Joe’s in drag, we hear their thoughts and doubts as Misty bulldozes through London, empowered by her fabulousness. I have such fun writing them and exploring how becoming Misty gives Joe confidence to solve the crimes, and how Joe’s life inspires their on-stage presence.
Kym: Where do you get the inspiration for your murders?
Holly: Gosh, I think very carefully about that because I don’t want to write crimes that are traumatic to read. Most of the crimes take place off the page. I also like to add a camp flourish that makes them kind of fun and ridiculous. In MURDER IN THE DRESSING ROOM, Lady Lady is poisoned with a chocolate while wearing a stolen dress… there’s grief in the story, but I hope the campery means it doesn’t feel too real or sinister. In MISSING IN SOHO there’s a terrible villainous character who is cartoonish in appearance. I try to keep it a small step out of reality.
Kym: I fell in love with Auntie Susan. (How could I not?) If I were to sit down with her, what piece of advice would she give me about meeting Misty Divine?
Holly: She is my absolute favorite to write and has turned into a bit of a fan fave which is amazing to see!! So much fun, and many disgusting insults. She’s the one character where I allow myself to go to town and say things I’d never say myself! If you were going to meet Misty, Auntie Susan might tell you something revolting like, “Kym, hold your nose my love. There’s a stench around that one like a dirty diaper on a hot summer’s day.” She’s vile with a heart of gold, and I’m totally here for it!
Kym: LOL, perfect quote for Auntie Susan. There’s always one (or a hundred) authors who has influenced a writer’s journey. For you, I need to ask what author, what comedian, and/or what playwright influenced you and how?
Holly: So many! For the comedy, I’m inspired by dark and silly humor with outlandish characters like the British sitcoms, The League of Gentlemen and Absolutely Fabulous. For the mysteries I love the classics: you can’t go wrong with an Agatha Christie or a Sherlock Holmes!
Kym: Describe your favorite cozy corner where you escape to read and/or write. Bring us into your comfy little world as if you were describing it as Misty Divine would. For added bonus, can you give us Joe’s ideal cozy corner?
Holly: I do most of my reading and writing with my Yorkshire Terrier, Rex, on my lap. There’s often a couple of slices of jam on toast involved and bucketloads of coffee. Joe’s favorite cozy corner is certainly Misty’s dressing room at Lady’s Bar – the pink-carpeted boudoir with rails of sparkling costumes and a tacky pink flamingo clock on the wall. If it was a real place, it would likely be my favorite too!
Kym: Misty’s dressing room would be soooo fun! What are you working on now?
Holly: I just finished writing the third Misty Divine Mystery, which is ever so exciting and will be out in 2027! I cannot wait for readers to see what she gets up to next… I’m also working on a new play and some cabaret and stand-up shows so there’s never a dull day!
Kym: Where can our readers find you on social media?
Holly: Instagram is where I’m most active and I also have a substack where I share my latest news and reviews. All my links are on my website.
Kym: Thank you for joining us in our Cozy Corner!
Holly: Thank you for having me! I’ve had the coziest time chatting with you and I’m so pleased you enjoyed Misty’s latest mystery!!
Until next month, cozy up with a great mystery!
MISSING IN SOHO by Holly Stars
A missing photographer. A megalomaniacal millionaire. A drag queen hellbent on saving her club. The latest glittering mystery from the author of Murder in the Dressing Room…
Misty Divine is bold, beautiful and back in action. She’s barely settled into her new role as the glamorous hostess of Lady’s Bar when a private detective arrives out of the blue. He’s been stabbed. With what might be his final breath he whispers a cryptic message. “You’re in danger, Misty… you must find Jeremy.”
As Misty dives wig first into the investigation, she gets up close and personal with a number of shady characters, including a notorious televangelist, a group of mysterious financiers, and a bunch of drunken bachelorettes at a drag brunch. And when it becomes clear that Misty’s beloved Lady’s Bar is under threat, she’ll have to seek help in the unlikeliest of allies to solve the case, save the bar, and find Jeremy before he disappears for good.
Can Misty find Jeremy and save Lady’s Bar? And what, or who, might she lose in the process? Her club, her career, her relationship… everything’s at stake. No-one is safe and there’s a young photographer Missing in Soho.
Thriller Crime | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [ Berkley, On Sale: June 2, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593816738 / eISBN: 9780593816745 ]
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About Holly Stars
Holly Stars is a drag stand-up comedian and writer. She is the writer of the smash-hit drag murder mystery, Death Drop, a play that has had three runs on the West End and a UK and Ireland tour. Holly has two seasons of her own television series, Holly Stars: Inspirational, produced by Froot TV and Tuckshop. She is also the producer and cohost of murder-mystery book review podcast, Read to Death, and is currently completing an accredited qualification in professional investigation, which will make her the world’s first drag queen private detective.
Misty Divine
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
About Kym Roberts
Kym Roberts writes by day and is a pro-surfer in her dreams by night. Her humor is often raunchy, her jokes are often bad, but her hunger for a story keeps the adventures coming fast. Experience the thrill & catch the wave of passion, mystery and suspense with her on her website, on Facebook, and her favorite social media site, Instagram.
Her fourth Scandalous Sisters, THE WICKED BARONESS under the pseudonym Helene Matheson is available now for pre-order. Watch for her new Bow Street Mysteries coming soon.
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