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:…

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…

Who are you going to believe, the rumor mill, a teenager who could be protecting someone, or a kid with a propensity for fibbing? Real-life mysteries can be messy. The witnesses are rarely unbiased, and everyone’s got dirt in their past—even the squeaky clean. Trust me, I’ve seen the dust bunnies hiding in their closets and under their beds! That’s also what makes people intriguing – flaws and all. A fictional mystery that can bring those elements of reality into a story puts them in the very satisfying read pile on my bookshelf. I found that to be the case with both books I’m featuring this month—two entirely different types of mysteries with the same outcome—me happy. Katie Gayle has created an interesting new series with her first Julia Bird Mystery, An English Garden Murder. I’m pretty sure we’ve all had a few misgivings about what could be underneath the soil when we start digging, I know I wondered about it when we dug a pool:). It’s even worse when your new to town and you start to wonder what the heck you got yourself into. What our former social worker and newly divorcee finds however, is a great community…

A couple times a year I get sidetracked. (My husband would say I do it more often than that, but I don’t remember asking for his input.) My reading, and writing, veer off-course to see what’s beyond the cozy forest as I explore what lies deep within the darkness—to the place where laughter and silliness don’t exist, but exceptional writing and storytelling still grasp hold and don’t let go. We all have a go-to genre, one that speaks to us the way no other does, yet just as in life, going outside the boundaries of our chosen lane allows us to experience another culture to enrich our daily lives. And I have to say, the choices I’m sharing today sweetened my reading venture – from a kiss of death to a trip through time, to the novellas of a genre king, and the threats of a haunted home, all of which brought me right back to my original trek – and a trip to Paris. I mean seriously, it’s Paris! I hope my selections inspire you to take a chance, a risk that will open your eyes to new possibilities…and then you can finish back in our cozy little corner….

Who doesn’t love maps? Sure, they can be confusing, puzzling, and downright impossible to fold, but the adventures they hold are amazing. When I saw the latest release by Peng Shephard, THE CARTOGRAPHERS, I had to check it out. It’s a little bit adventure, a little bit mystery, and a whole lot of intrigue and fun. Peng is definitely a writer you want to keep on your list of go-to of authors, so of course I had to invite her to sit down with us at the Cozy Corner and find out how her heroine, Nell Young, came to life.   Kym:  Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Peng! Peng: Thrilled to be here!   Kym: Maps, I love maps! The art of map reading has been lost on the youth of today thanks to GPS giving them directions and that’s why I loved the premise of your latest release, THE CARTOGRAPHERS. How good of a map reader/folder, are you? Peng: Pretty good, although I definitely got a lot better during the writing of this novel! I spent a lot of time looking at one map in particular, the map which the book is based on—by the time I finished writing the manuscript, I knew the…

It’s no secret, I like anthologies. They introduce me to new authors, some breaking into the industry, some I haven’t tried yet and then others I know really well and I’m dying to get a fix in between books. (I have many addictions when it comes to authors.) This month I chose an anthology close to home, Malice in Dallas checks all my boxes for a great collection of mysteries, and guess what—some will lead you to new series! Sweet! When I saw the cover pop up on my social media, I was intrigued. I contacted author Gina Nelson, aka Rebecca Adler, whom I’ve known since her very first published book, and who has been a guest interviewer at the Cozy Corner. During our messages, an idea was born. With so many great local authors, this book warranted my very first interview anthology! Joining me in this very cozy little corner are just a few of the talented writers who contributed to the book—Gina Nelson, David T. Douglas, Pam McWilliams, and Amber Royer. I hope my product does their product the justice it deserves. Check out Malice in Dallas, edited by Barb Goffman and released this month with an introduction by the talented Charlaine Harris….

There are those people in life who amaze you with how many hats they wear on any given day, and then they put another one on like it’s no big deal. Like an additional hat doesn’t put any pressure on their brain or weigh their head down and make it feel like it’s going to fall off their shoulders. On top of that, they do it with style and grace—ease—that makes you wish you could complete just one of their tasks and make it look that effortless.  Abby L. Vandiver, aka Abby Collette, is one of those people, and of course, she took on this interview while juggling two releases in November! Whew, I don’t know about you, but I find her energy exciting. (And exhausting if I think about it too much!) She’s also generous with her time and her expertise—how can you not fall in love with a talent like that! Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Abby! Abby: Thank you for inviting me. Happy to be here. I want to congratulate you on your new Ice Cream Parlor Mystery series! What made this series special for you as an author? Thank you! This series was special because it…

New series are always a delight to find. When it’s written by a tried and true mystery author, it’s like finding unexpected money in the laundry. Not a one-dollar bill or even a five, but a twenty—crisp and clean—the perfect, unexpected treasure that you want to tell everyone about, yet keep it for yourself. After all, you never know what kind of castle doors that treasure could open;) Even better when it’s the gateway to Castle Dark:) I was lucky enough to chat about those wonderous doorways and the new Dinner and a Murder Mystery series with ever-talented, Julia Buckley writing under the pseudonymVeronica Bond. Kym: Hi Veronica, thank you for joining us at the Cozy Corner on Fresh Fiction! Veronica: Thank you for inviting me!  When I read the premise of your new series, Dinner and a Murder Mystery, I was hooked. I’ve only gone to one of our local murder mystery dinner theater, but thoroughly loved the experience. How were you inspired? Did you visit a local theater in Chicago, or go on a weekend trip to an enchanting Castle Dark? I used to go to a wonderful dinner theater called the Candlelight Dinner theater (alas, now closed), but…

Ah, romance, there’s nothing better than when that sense of rightness in the world washes over you while cuddling up with a loved one. To learn about your partner’s life and the people who’ve come and gone, their secrets, successes, and failures. Add a little tension and a few heart palpitations and you know you’ve chosen a good one…at least for the few hours it takes to get to the end of their story. Yes, I’m talking about not one, but multiple summer flings with great cozy mysteries. Take advantage of the dog days, and delve into as many as you can, I know I am! If you want to hide in your closet with a little moonshine, chocolate, and a great book from the library, here are some mysteries right up your alley! *** The Moonshine Shack Murder A Southern Homebrew Mystery by Diane Kelly 7/6/2021 In this intoxicating new cozy mystery series, the future for modern-day moonshiner Hattie Hayes looks bright–until death darkens the doorstep of her Moonshine Shack. The Hayes family has made moonshine in Chattanooga since the days of Prohibition, and Hattie is happy to continue the tradition, serving up fun, fruity flavors in mason jars…

One of the best things about cozy mysteries is the introduction to a hobby the author is either passionate about or just picked up because they always wanted to try it. Throughout the mystery, the reader can either enjoy something they love, or learn a few fascinating tricks of a trade they can appreciate. Cozy readers after all, are intelligent and open to new and exciting new artistic outlets, that’s what makes us unique in the reading world—author can sell us their books and a new hobby. Fair warning dear readers, Allie Pleiter is one of those gifted artist/authors who will allow you to escape into her world, and make you want to empty the aisles at your local craft store of every knitting supply possible! But isn’t that what makes reading a great new cozy mystery all that more special? Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Allie! Allie: Thank you so much! I’m delighted to be here. Kym: You’ve recently expanded your amazing career as a romance author, non-fiction author, speaker and career coach to a mystery author. What made you broaden your personal writing into a new genre? Allie: The chance to do a knitting-themed mystery was just too good to pass…