I must be dreaming; otherwise Mary Kennedy wouldn’t be sitting in the Cozy Corner answering all my questions. Yet a pinch of my arms proves I’m not in lala land, but rather sitting at my computer absolutely thrilled to meet my long time Facebook buddy, bestselling author of A PREMONITION OF MURDER, Mary Kennedy. About Mary Kennedy Mary Kennedy is the national best-selling author of two mystery series for Penguin-Random House, The Dream Club Mysteries and the Talk Radio Mysteries. She has written over forty novels, including a young-adult fiction series called The Hollywood Nights. Dr. Kennedy is a psychologist in private practice on the East Coast where she lives with her husband and six neurotic cats. She has tried unsuccessfully to psychoanalyze both husband and cats but remains optimistic. Talk Radio Mystery | Dream Club Mystery WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | BLOG Kym: Hi, Mary! Welcome to the Cozy Corner! Mary: Thanks, I’m thrilled to be here and am a fan of your books! Plus I envy your background. As a detective, you will have some terrific stories to tell. Kym: Thank you! Mary, can you tell us a little bit about your Dream Club Mysteries? Mary: Yes,…

It doesn’t matter where you are, what century you live in, or what culture you embrace, you will always find a woman on a mission—to better her life, help loved ones accomplish goals, or improve her community; she is driven to make a difference. This week I have three women ready to put evil in it’s place. After all, crime cannot be solved by man alone—but maybe, a woman hell-bent on finding the truth will do. IN THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY by Jane Jensen Elizabeth Harris With its peaceful, hardworking Amish population, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a rural paradise. But former NYPD homicide detective Elizabeth Harris knows that evil lurks there—it’s just easier to hide… By solving the murders of two local girls, Elizabeth has gained some trust in the Amish community. So, she’s the first person its members turn to when a fast and fatal illness takes hold, though many believe that the sickness stems from a hexerei—a curse placed by a practitioner of old-world folk magic. Elizabeth doesn’t believe in curses, and when an entire Amish family is found dead, she begins to suspect something far more sinister… As the CDC is called in to investigate,…

Since I’m a secret readaholic who loves cloak and dagger mysteries, my choices this week shouldn’t put you at death’s door or make you scream bloody murder. They should make you want to step into the garden where time stands still for your very own suspenseful reading gala. If you haven’t caught on yet, you will when you see my top three choices of cozy reads this week. Come on! The festival’s about to begin and there are three mysteries waiting to be solved! Find the clues, and you just might solve a murder! CLOCK AND DAGGER by Julianne Holmes Clock Shop Mystery Expert clockmaker Ruth Clagan has another murder on her hands in the second Clock Shop Mystery from the author of Just Killing Time. Ruth has three days to pull off four events—including the grand reopening of Cog & Sprocket, the clock shop she inherited from her grandfather—so she doesn’t have time for Beckett Green’s nonsense. The competitive owner of a new bookstore, Green seems determined to put other businesses out of business by also carrying their specialty items. He’s trying to steal Ruth’s new watchmaker, Mark Pine, not to mention block her plans to renovate the town…

A mystery is not an easy endeavor to take on as a writer, and writing one great mystery after another, is even harder. Yet for a few exceptional writers, it’s a feat that is conquered several times a year. Lorraine Bartlett is a talented bestselling author who defines the category and graciously accept my invitation to share a little insight to her writing process with the readers of the Cozy Corner. Kym: Hi Lorraine! Welcome to the Cozy Corner! Lorraine: It’s great to be here! Kym: There aren’t many mystery authors who’ve had successful series written from both the female and male prospective as the lead character. How do you get into the mind-frame to write from two very different points of view? Which one do you prefer to write? Lorraine: I have to admit, it took quite a few drafts to be able to pull off writing from a male point of view. Once I nailed it, though, it seems like I can just slip into Jeff’s persona like putting on a pair of comfy slippers. I haven’t given much thought to how I write my various series. My characters are so vividly etched in my mind that I…

There’s nothing better than sitting on the porch reading a mystery with a summer breeze and a tall glass of iced tea. Unless of course, I’m lying on a beach with a cozy in my hands. This week I’m featuring four great novels you won’t want to miss as you enjoy the great weather, even if mother nature has you cooped up inside with a thunderstorm rolling through. A SHATTERING CRIME by Jennifer McAndrews Stained Glass Mystery #3 It’s death by Danish in the newest mystery from the national bestselling author of Death Under Glass, featuring stained-glass enthusiast and amateur sleuth Georgia Kelly. Life in Wenwood, New York, sparkles for Georgia, but for one of her neighbors, it’s about to lose its luster… Georgia’s day-to-day routine finally seems to be lining up. Stained-glass projects in the morning, clerical work for a law office in the afternoon, and waitressing in the evening. Best of all she gets to spend relaxing Sundays with her new boyfriend. But that comfortable pattern is about to be broken. First Georgia’s cat goes into heat and literally disturbs the peace. Then Georgia’s mother drops in for a visit with her new husband in tow. But everything…

And it came true! Kylie Logan is just one of the many pseudonyms used by National Bestselling Author, Casey Daniels. To the enjoyment of many, she released a brand new series in May that will wet your whistle and change your palate. I was delighted when she accepted my invitation for an interview at the Cozy Corner. Please welcome, Kylie/Casey! Kym: Hi Casey! Welcome to the Cozy Corner! Casey: Thank you! It’s always fun to be here. Kym: You’ve written under a lot of different pseudonyms, can you tell us a little bit about each one, and what defines her? Casey: There have been a lot of them (probably more than anyone suspects) so I’ll just concentrate on the two most recent. One of them is Casey Daniels. Casey writes the Pepper Martin mysteries about a woman who works at a historic cemetery and solves mysteries for the ghosts there. They are light, funny, sassy. The other name I’m writing under these days is Kylie Logan. Kylie writes more traditional mysteries (no paranormal elements) in the cozy tradition. So far, she’s written the Button Box mysteries and the Chili Cook-off mysteries (neither series is around anymore) along with two series…

The various story-lines of cozy mysteries never get old for me. Carving, cooking, knitting, sewing, surfing, travel, witches. What’s not to like? But my favorite theme has always been a story within the story. The mysteries wrapped around an author’s words and bound together in one beautiful package. The month of June promises to fulfill my late night reading binges with new who-dun-its from some of the best in the business: Elaine Viets, Lorna Barrett, and Kate Carlisle. Add them to your to-be-read file, they’re the perfect addition to every cozy mystery library. CHECKED OUTA Dead-End Job Mystery By Elaine Viets When book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright temporarily relocates to her parents’ place in Northern California, she finds that wooden barrels aren’t the only things buried in the wine caves of Sonoma…. Excited to explore the secrets of wine country, Brooklyn attends an excavation of the caves hidden deep under her parents’ commune—and the findings are explosive. A room is unearthed, and it contains a treasure trove of artwork, rare books, a chest of jewelry…and a perfectly mummified body. A closer examination of the murdered man’s possessions reveals a valuable first edition of Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of…

A USEFUL WOMAN, A Rosalind Thorne Mystery by Darcie Wilde, the title caught my attention immediately—I had to swallow the affront that stuck in my throat. The audacity to say a woman is ‘useful.” The cover image of a historical era ballroom, however, explains the slight toward the female sex—the nineteenth century did not belong to us. And the author’s name, Darcie Wilde, immediately brought a smile to my face as I thought of a famous Mr. Darcy created by Jane Austen. Could there be a connection? Yes, ma’am. Darcie Wilde, or Sarah Zettel to those of us in the cozy world, has created a brilliant new series that embraces not only a historical mystery, but the style and romance of a Jane Austen novel. I absolutely loved this book and cannot imagine a better title. I also had to interview the very useful woman who wrote this impressive new mystery. 🙂 Kym: Hi Sarah! Welcome to the Cozy Corner! Sarah: Thanks so much for inviting me! I’m really excited to be here. Kym: I love your new pseudonym, Darcie Wilde. Can you tell our readers how it came to be? Sarah: It started out as a pseudonym for some…

What’s in a name? Everything when it comes to a cozy mystery. It must be witty, eye-catching, combine a hint about the series and the individual crime all in a couple quirky words. The author must turn a phrase, or twist it or just toss it out there and see if the readers catch the pun. Of course we do—we always do. That’s why we read cozies. They snare our attention with that little wiggle at the end of the line. The one you can’t resist even if the pond is full of bigger fish with names that make your eyes pop. The cozy author has given you a taste. A tease. A temptation you can’t resist. The new April releases are just so—titles you can’t pass up. Titles that made you go, “hmmm.” So what’s on your menu for tomorrow? About REST IN PEACH by Susan Furlong In the refreshing new Georgia Peach Mystery from the author of Peaches and Scream, an upcoming debutante ball turns into the pits when a juicy murder scandalizes a small town. The annual Peach Cotillion, Cays Mill, Georgia’s biggest event, is fast approaching and Nola Mae Harper is just as excited as the…

I am of the mindset that there’s nothing better than having a ripe, juicy strawberry on top of my dessert, and I’m beginning to believe the same rule applies to cozy mysteries! CC Dragon’s promotion card caught my eye last fall at a conference in Colorado. There was something about it that was familiar—her cover styles were attractive and appealing—as it turns out, we have the same cover artist! So it makes sense, that I was drawn to her books as much as I am to strawberry topping. I looked for her at the conference, to no avail and ended up stuffing her promotion card in my bag to contact her after I returned home. I hate to say, that swag bag didn’t get emptied until the holidays, but what a great gift it turned out to be! If I’d contacted CC last fall, she would have only had two books out in her series, but as of January, she has three Strawberry Top Mysteries for you to gobble up;) Now that’s a delicious treat! Kym: Please welcome CC Dragon to Fresh Fiction’s Cozy Corner! CC: Hi! Thanks for tracking me down ? Kym: CC can you tell us a…