As a reader, often, I’ll go for cozy mysteries rather than thrillers. There is, however, the occasional psychological thriller that lures me in – like Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. What is it about psychological thrillers that attract you as a writer? I think for me a really good thriller has it all: a satisfying mystery with clues, a few shocks and twists, and my taste is to have them cast with rich characters, too, often with a love story threaded in.   Your book, WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME involves a relationship between a mother and son. What made you choose that as a central relationship for your story? Does that kind of bond just naturally ratchet up the tension? I think so – I think as most parents will do anything for their children, it immediately ups the stakes, but I think also teenagers keep secrets from their parents in a way spouses mostly don’t or can’t, which widens the mystery, too.   I love suspense novels in which the main character finds that she doesn’t really know somebody who is close to her as well as she thinks she does. Is there a little bit of…

What inspires you to write mysteries, as opposed to any other type of novel? When I was young, I had grandiose ideas of writing The Great American Novel, only I hadn’t written much at that point, and I hadn’t gone through much formal training (no MFA here!). So I thought, quite naively, let me try writing a mystery novel first. Those are easy. Right. Not so much, as it turned out. My first attempt took over three years, and will never be seen, nor should it. But I learned much in the doing of it, especially as to what I needed to know in order to write. The second mystery novel involved much more research, took three and a half years to finish — and sold. I’ve stayed with mysteries primarily because I enjoy being in a world where problems can actually be solved. I’ve also written one werewolf book, and a non-genre novel that we are sending around.   Your Sparks & Bainbridge series is set in the 1940s. Why this time period? The actual marriage bureau started in 1939, but I thought the post-war period was fascinating for all of the changes that were happening in London, and…

Your book BOOKED ON A FEELING has two of my favorite romance tropes – “hidden crush” and “friends-to-lovers”. Did you use them in this story because they’re favorites of yours too? What are some of your other favorite tropes? Least favorite? I don’t usually care for “enemies-to-lovers” only because some authors have things get to toxic before things get better. Yes! I seem to keep coming back to these tropes. I love the pining involved with a hidden crush trope, and the history and closeness between the characters in a friends-to-lovers trope. Reading and writing these tropes definitely make my toes curl. I love writing forced proximity and fake relationship tropes as well. The push and pull of the will-they-won’t-they dance is so yummy. I may on occasion steeple my fingers and laugh my evil laugh when writing those tropes. I actually love reading enemies-to-lovers romance, but I can’t write it. I feel so bad making my characters be mean to each other. It makes me nervous to even think about it.   Your female protagonist, Lizzie, is described as an “Overachiever”. Is she high-strung and anxious? Or more so just the type of person commits totally when she makes…

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…

Although I’m normally a cozy mystery fan, I love the themes of isolation and dark secrets. Plus, the remote island thing is giving me definite Agatha Christie vibes, mixed with classic virus horror films. What are you most hoping to convey with your book THE DISINVITED GUEST? Agatha Christie was definitely an inspiration, specifically her And Then There Were None, of course.  I wanted to convey the heightened tension of finding yourself in an isolated setting that may seem idyllic but then becomes threatening when you can’t leave, and bad things start happening.  The idea of a group of people who have come together to shelter during a pandemic and then discover that the greater threat comes from within seemed to me the perfect creepy turn.  I also just want to say that I love cozies, too, and one of the things I like best about them is the way an entire world gets built to contain the characters.  My world just happens to trend toward the darker.   Because this story seems like a psychological suspense novel, can you say if there are answers and resolution at the end, or if things are left more open ended? I think…

Jennifer Vido: What inspired your debut novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT BEN AND JUNE? Alex Kiester: My most organic writing happens when I explore my fears, and at the time I began my novel, my biggest fear was the ambivalence of entering into parenthood. In most capacities, I know what I want from my life, yet I’ve never known whether or not I want kids. And as this is one of the biggest decisions anyone can make ambivalence about it can be terrifying. Over the years, I’ve dealt with this fear like any writer would—by pawning it off onto my unsuspecting fictional characters. The book originated as one simple scene between a husband and wife who have just discovered the woman is pregnant and are deciding whether or not to have the baby. While these characters later became my protagonists, Ben and June, they started as nothing more than the two conflicting sides of my brain. Eventually, I decided they were going to have the baby, and the rest of the book snowballed from there.   Jen: How would you describe Ben and June’s relationship? Alex: At the start of the novel, Ben and June’s relationship is broken. For many months…

What inspired you to write this THE DEADLY SHALLOWS? Since it includes a mass shooting, was that in part inspired by real life events? I didn’t base The Deadly Shallows on a specific tragedy, but the mass shootings our country has endured over the last two decades certainly inspired the horrific event Noah and Brooke face. Watching the emotional aftermath of the tragedy ripple through their lives and the lives of those present was really difficult to write. Researching was heart breaking but seeing how Noah and Brooke not just survive but, in a way, overcome its effects on them was inspiring.   How would you describe CGIS Agent Noah Rowley to readers? Noah is the head special agent of CGIS Wilmington. He takes his leadership role gravely, knowing a mistake on his part can lead to tragedy for his team. Couple that intensity with his devotion for his family, friends, and the woman he falls hard for, and you see the heart of Noah Rowley.   How would you describe the dynamic between Noah and Coast Guard flight medic Brooke Kesler? Do you tell the story using alternating perspectives? I do write alternating perspectives. I find it helps me…

MISS ALDRIDGE REGRETS is set in 1936. What made you choose that time period? Originally, I was thinking of setting this book just after WWII, but I changed my mind because I love the glamour of the 1930s so much. I love the music of that era, which felt important since Lena is a jazz singer. Of course, I also really enjoy reading stories set in that period, Amor Towles’ RULES OF CIVILITY, for example. When I started writing the novel, back in 2019, I was also interested in how world politics back then could be compared to what’s been happening more recently.   I like mysteries set on ships or other settings in which the characters are kind of stuck in one place. What made you choose a ship for your setting – specifically the Queen Mary? MISS ALDRIDGE REGRETS started off as a short story about a jazz singer who witnesses a murder and then has to leave London. At the end of that story, she is on her way to board a ship to New York, but everyone who read it was more interested in what was going to happen to her on the ship than what…

Although I often read psychological suspense or thrillers, I love films like that. What drew you to writing that type of story? Is it challenging keeping the tension up throughout an entire book? I believe that one of the challenges of being a writer is finding the best possible form for each story you want to tell, and it was clear to me from the moment I conceived What Jonah Knew that it could only be a psychological thriller. Maintaining tension throughout is essential, but it’s also crucial to provide enough backstory and character development to enrich the story with depth and meaning. In writing the book, I found keeping the tension up while exploring the minds of the characters was a balancing act. If a novel is too plot heavy, it reads like a treatment for a screenplay. If it’s too character driven at the expense of plot, it can become plodding. Finding the balance between the two was key.   In your newest book, WHAT JONAH KNEW, there is a disappearance that is a huge part of the plot. From the book description, I’m reminded of the classic film Don’t Look Now starring Donald Sutherland. It was a…

What inspired you to write HARMONY OF FIRE? Brian: I should have a simple answer, but I do not. In part, I created Harmony of Fire out of my love of artists and musicians and the struggles they go through to be who they are. I also have a great passion for music and love the way it bonds us and connects us to our past. Music is magic, and I wanted to write about it.   Since this is listed as the “Alice & Owen” series, I assume these two characters are the focus of each book in the series. What made you decide to go that route versus having each book focus on a new set of characters? Brian: Yes, Alice and Owen are the two main characters. I didn’t know I would write them as a series until I wrote the last word. When that moment happened, and I knew in my soul who these characters were, it became crystal clear that Alice and Owen needed to stay in the spotlight because they had so much more to give. As a reader, I believe their story, and stories to come, will help give us strength as they…