Finding a quiet spot to read, can be harder to find than a good book. The kids are arguing, the hubby has the TV cranked loud enough to drown them out—for him, work is texting with questions about something ridiculous, the dog wants to go out, the cat is dying for your attention and no one else will do. We’ve all suffered through the interruptions. This month has been especially difficult for me as I help pack the youngest off to college and pack up my own house to for a move across the country. With all the interruptions, I needed a special book to help me escape the rat race because my cozy corner, was in a box. The author that delivered the joy, the twists, the intrigue and the witty characters, was the talented back to school hero, Cynthia Kuhn!   Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Cynthia! Cynthia: Thank you for having me! Happy to be here.   Kym: Let me start off by saying you’ve created the perfect Cozy Corner with your small town bookstore in Silverton, Colorado. What inspired this great reading nook in your Starlit Bookshop Mysteries? Cynthia: That is so kind of you…

Kym: Hi Catherine, welcome to the Cozy Corner!   Kym Roberts: The opening line to a novel is so important, especially when it’s for a new series. Authors frequently struggle to welcome readers into their world with a scene that grabs them by the collar. You, however, went for the clerical collar with, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I want to commit a homicide.” It was the perfect intro to your debut in The Vacation Mysteries, EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES. Did the chapter come to you before that line, or did the line formulate the chapter? Catherine Mack: The line came to me first. The book always opened on some version of that line. That’s usually how it works for me—I think of the character, and they come alive to me with an opening line.   Kym: How did you come up with the title because I honestly think some of us have experienced that sense of doom when we pack our suitcases? Catherine: Haha. I was in Italy with my husband, and I was riffing on Agatha Christie books and Miss Marple and why anyone would invite her on vacation when every time…

I first met today’s feature author when she walked into my office as a brand-new recruit in her crisp Kansas City blue police uniform asking for the names of suspects, we wanted apprehended. To say that is rare, is an understatement. Most young officers run a daily computer check for new warrants in their beat, but C.J. wanted detailed information on the perps and went to the investigative units to get it. She didn’t stop there. She tracked down the offenders, no matter where they were—in or out of her beat, in an adjacent jurisdiction and if she couldn’t work with another agency, she gave any and all leads to the detectives. She helped victims get the justice they deserved. She continued doing this throughout her time as a patrol officer, getting to know the detectives and sergeants while honing her skills in various types of investigative techniques. Needless to say, she was on my radar for a position as a detective in my unit as soon as she passed the selection process three years later. She is the passionate, dedicated investigator you want working in a the all-consuming, emotionally draining profession of detective in the Special Victim’s Unit. I…

Baby, it’s getting cold outside—but I think Diane Kelly’s victim in her new release is a bit colder than the rest of us. (Actually in Texas colder means 90 degrees today—I guess that’s colder than our smoldering summer of 2023!) For the rest of the country, fall is getting chilly and winter is just around the corner—what better way to welcome the cooler temps and shorter days than with the latest release of a talented mystery author. I met Diane when she lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area but she moved on to the greener and colder mountain tops of North Carolina. When a writer moves, a new story line starts, and luckily for us, the oldie but goodies are still continuing—you can take the writer out of Texas, but you can’t take the Texas stories out of the writer;)   Kym Roberts: Hi Diane, welcome back to the Cozy Corner! October 26th marks the release of your third Mountain Lodge Mystery, SNOW PLACE FOR MURDER featuring amateur sleuth Misty Murphy, the owner of the Mountaintop lodge in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. Your town, with its paradoxical name, is absolutely adorable like many of the real small mountain towns located in…

One of my favorite things about cozy mysteries are the possibilities of bonus content, like how to knit a one-of-a-kind scarf or arrange the flowers from my garden into beautiful summer centerpiece, or maybe carve that Christmas ornament for your first grandchild. (I could teach you;) If those skills are more than you want to tackle and you just want to keep those experiences on your bookshelf, I know the perfect craft for you to indulge in—Scottish scones! Who better to teach us then the Scottish Scone sisters creator, Lucy Burdette. After traveling to Scotland five years ago with a fellow writer, I decided to go back with my family in tow, but this time, we visited other parts of the UK as well. I’ve tried scones at that addictive American coffee house and just shrugged. (It’s their Frappuccino that keeps me going back, not their baked goods.) It was a different story, however, when we went to the U.K. And having tried Lucy’s recipe, I can guarantee it will bring you much closer to the real thing than any coffee shop’s pastries in the states! So of course, when the Scottish Scone sisters came stateside to visit food critic…

We Need More Olivia Blacke Books!  Cozy mystery author Olivia Blacke sits down and discusses writing, books, music, fairs, sisters, coffee, tea, hockey, and cows at the Cozy Corner.  I love coming across a podcast featuring an author I haven’t read. I love it even more when that author is funny, interesting and a genuinely nice person. That’s what I discovered one afternoon, and when I read her book, I loved today’s author even more. But the true test came when I reached out to Olivia Blacke and found out she is the exactly the kind of author you want to meet at a book signing. She’s down to earth, relatable, and thoroughly entertaining. Just read on and find out!   Kym: Hi Olivia! Congrats on July 25th release of your second Record Shop Mystery, A FATAL GROOVE. Can you tell our readers a bit about your three sisters, Juni, Tansy and Maggie who run this fantastic record shop with a coffee shop in its midst called Sip &Spin Records which is located in the outskirts of Austin, Texas. What makes these three work so great together and do you have siblings you’ve worked with before?  Olivia: Juni, the main…

Sometimes finding the right book to read while lounging under an umbrella on miles of white sand can be a chore, or at least the hardest decision to make while taking a break with a little bit of sun and waves. Search no more! I have the perfect list to choose from, or select them all—it’s your choice—I mean it is your vacation from everyone and their brother telling you what to do. Especially those pesky rug-rats throwing sand at each other and trying to tell you their sibling should be the one in trouble. It’s dad’s turn to be a child (it’s not like that’s is a strange concept for him) and entertain the kiddos while you just breathe in the salty air and read. If they get bored, he can pull out all those goodies you packed while you relax and escape into a fabulous mystery world. Take a look at the treats I have for you, you’ll wish you could devour them as fast as the kids!   Legally Burned Paranormal Justice for All (Book 2) By Jane Biteme 5/7/23 AFTER NAILING THE BIGGEST CASE OF HER CAREER, SLOAN REYNOLDS. SHOULD RE SIPPING SOME WELL-DESERVED SMOKED BOURBON…

It’s such a joy to find an author and follow them through multiple series, especially an author whose writing grabs you and sucks you into the story. For me, Melissa Bourbon’s novels latched onto my hand as I held the book (I may have latched onto Melissa’s at a book signing) and drug me straight into the mystery. Lola was the first of many series to snag my love of a great caper. To this day, I still pull out my Lola Cruz Mysteries to reread! But Lola was just the beginning of my girl crushes. Melissa has written so many great series, and they just keep coming from this talented, bestselling author. I had the pleasure of hearing about the Magical Dressmaking Mysteries before they went into print! Her Bread Shop Mysteries are killer whodunit recipes—the list goes on and I had the pleasure of asking Melissa about her latest release from her fabulous Book Magic Mysteries, Murder and an Irish Curse. Hold on tight, you’re about to get pulled into a great story!   Kym: Welcome back the Cozy Corner, Melissa! Melissa: Thank you! It is always fun to visit Fresh Fiction and the Cozy Corner!   Kym:…

For me, the spice of life is good food and trying new things. The author I’m interviewing today brings both of those experiences to the table—and it’s a table loaded with good recipes and fantastic writing. Yum! Like many mystery readers, Lucy Burdette caught my eye with her hit Key West Food Critic Mystery series. Her character’s growth is fully developed and insightful, not to mention she’s got a drop-dead gorgeous setting and recipes! (Did I already say yum?) To top that off, she’s willing to step off the ledge and go for something new—dark even and utterly fantastic. As a book critic, I know what I like, and I love her new endeavor into the thriller category. Take a chance, enjoy another great Key West Food Critic cozy mystery with A DISH TO DIE FOR– and then go for not an edge of your seat suspense, but a narrow escape from the edge of the dock spine chiller in her UNSAFE HAVEN crime thriller. It’s a leap you will love!   Kym: Hi Lucy, welcome to the Cozy Corner! Lucy: Thanks so much for the invitation!   Kym: You have two books releasing within a couple weeks of each…

It’s no secret that I love detective mysteries, but what I really like to read are mysteries from different areas of the world. It’s amazing how different police procedures, organizations and investigations can be, both fictional and real life. Fiona Barton has created one of my favorite female detective persona’s in her Elise King Mystery series. Her writing captures the true struggles female detective face both on and off the job. The job is everything—until it’s not. I hope you enjoy this fascinating series and getting to sit down with Fiona Barton as much as I did.   Kym Roberts:  Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Fiona! Your background in journalism has required you look into some dark events and crimes. How were you able to separate your everyday life from the brutality of some of those assignments? Fiona Barton: It was hard at times – I remember covering the mass shooting of primary school children in Dunblane, Scotland and then returning home to my young family, who were upset about a sick pet. Two different realities but you have to deal with both with empathy. The danger is becoming numb to the terrible events in the news – as a…