I’ve known bestselling author Callie Hutton for several years, but with the internet age, we actually just met face to face a few years back. She’s a wonderful writer, a fabulous person and an inspiration to anyone who’s wanting to mix things up a bit in their lives. She’s proof that you can take your career in a different direction and continue to produce a great product. Everyone could use a bit of inspiration from people like Callie right now! Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Callie! Callie: Thank you for having me, Kym. I’m excited to be here. You’re a bestselling historical romance writer, what made you decide to switch genres into historical cozy mysteries? Several of my historical romances had mysteries in them. I enjoy adding that to a romance. Then I wrote one that was true to the cozy mystery genre as well as romance that was part of one of my self published Victorian series. I sent it to my agent and she immediately asked me to give her a proposal for a cozy mystery series. I did that and Crooked Lane contracted the series.  What did you find to be the hardest part about switching to…

Like every reader, there are some books that come along that I must read, and in turn, I must interview the author. The Keeper by debut author Jessica Moor was one of those books. Since my career in law enforcement began too many years ago for me to share, I’ve felt passionately about changing the way society views domestic violence and violence against women. I transferred into the Special Victims Unit on the police department to work for a specific sergeant, but when I got there, staying there to make a difference became my personal passion. When I was promoted, I spent time in patrol but went right back to the unit that had become my calling. Today, I still feel passionately about the subject, I am disheartened when we take steps backwards, and heartened when we smash that glass ceiling as The Keeper sets out to do. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner on Fresh Fiction, Jessica! Jessica: Thank you! I’m feeling distinctly cozy already! Congratulations on the release of your debut novel! In just a few sentences, tell us what THE KEEPER is about.  THE KEEPER is set in and around a shelter for women fleeing domestic…

There’s something about a crime-fighting duo that draws me in. Batman and Robin, Holmes and Watson, Scully and Mulder—they just make the story that much richer as a team. The same can be said about a couple of witty authors who put their heads together to write a fabulous mystery. Double the criminal masterminds at work! I’ve interviewed Lorraine Bartlett here on Fresh Fiction, and now I have the honor of interviewing her new partner in crime, Gayle Leeson! What a rocking duo these two make! *** Kym:  Welcome to the Cozy Corner Gayle! Gayle:  Hi, Kym! Thank you for having me! You’ve started writing A Victoria Square Mystery series with Lorraine Bartlett, how did that come to be? Lorraine was swamped with her existing series and needed some help meeting deadlines. She liked my writing style and thought our voices would mesh well together, and now here we are.   I love when two authors collaborate for a great book and I’m always amazed at how many different methods authors use to write as a team. In this series, however, it’s even more complicated since you came in on book five of the series. Can you tell us how you and Lorraine wrote Yule…

Kym: I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming back one of my favorite mystery writers. Darcie Wilde has written under several names and several genres, but her Rosalind Thorne Mysteries are as delightful as they are intriguing. Welcome back to the Cozy Corner, Darcie! Darcie: So nice to be back with you and your readers! I was thrilled to see your Rosalind Thorne Mysteries continue! Congratulations on your continued success with this lovely series. Has the experience of changing publishing houses effected Rosalind’s direction for the future?  Actually, there’s been very little change in direction.  Since I changed publishers, I am once again working with the series’s original editor, the fabulous Wendy McCurdy.  Wendy was the one who had the idea to create a mystery series for Rosalind rather than just a straight set of romances. Go Wendy! In your latest Rosalind Thorne Mystery, And Dangerous to Know, you open each chapter with a small clip of written correspondences that tell a large part of the story all by themselves. Did you write the clips first, last, or did they develop with each chapter? I keep a running list of possibilities as I research, and I’m generally researching and rewriting…

It’s that time of year when I must pick the best mysteries I’ve had the pleasure of featuring on the Cozy Corner throughout the year. I’m not going to lie, it’s my favorite, and least favorite part of this blog. I obviously can’t choose them all, yet every one was featured because it spoke to me in a special way. This year brought us some wonderful who-dun-it to enjoy; favorite series of the past, along with a bunch of new mysteries full of diversity that kept our days and nights busy with memorable characters. There were also so many novels I couldn’t feature due to scheduling and space constraints—so how did I choose from such a large pool of incredible mysteries which released this year?  With high spirits, and a glass of wine to toast each and every author;) *** Singapore Sapphire was featured on Cozy Corner blog titled New and Tried and True in September, 2019. A.M. Stuart has a winning start to this series! SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE by A.M. Stuart Early twentieth-century Singapore is a place where a person can disappear, and Harriet Gordon hopes to make a new life for herself there, leaving her tragic memories behind her–but murder gets in the…

Kym: Welcome back to the Cozy Corner, Lynn! Lynn: It’s so nice to chat with you again. 🙂  With three working series, you are one busy woman! What keeps you on track the most? I do a lot of planning. A. Lot. I use Asana to track the projects – like writing a book. Or planning my release. It sets up dates to check in as well as gives me check list inside each project to backward plan the process. I have a google/phone calendar (as well as a day job online calendar) and I’m good at blocking out big things. Like deadlines.  And releases.  The other thing is I’m not afraid to re-plan/re-organize if things go sideways. (Like a few months ago when a novella took me twice as long to write as it was planned for. New series, I needed more time but I hadn’t planned for it. The good news is I had some free writing time that I could move somethings around.  Since book 4 in the Tourist Trap Mysteries, you’ve done two novellas in-between each full-length book. That alone is an incredible pace without sticking your other two series into the mix, and you’re the…

A murder is brewing. It’s not merry angels gathering to sing carols on this silent deadly night. It’s Laura Bradford, Emily Brightwell, Vickie Delany, Kate Kingsbury and Anne Perry weaving mysterious murders into magical reads for the holiday season. In cozy mysteries, there’s a delicate balance between the dark reality of death and a festive holiday celebration, but these women do it magnificently. From London to New York, and the English countryside to the Pennsylvania plains this season’s best are entertaining delights to be read any time of year.  The relatability of their characters draws me in every time, and this season is no exception. Regardless of the era, readers can walk the halls, shop the shops and adore the decorations in the hotel lobby as they become ensconced in the investigation of a perfect cat and mouse race to the end. Join me in a little merriment, murder and mayhem wrapped up in a cozy package for the holidays. A KILLER CAROL by Laura Bradford Amish Mystery #7 Heavenly, PA has been transformed into a Christmas wonderland, and Claire is delighted to celebrate the season. . . but a fiendish killer has other plans in this all-new installment in the…

No matter the season, there’s alway a perfect hat, especially if it’s designed Sandra Bretting’s Missy DuBois. This super sleuth knows how to solve a mystery in style and her latest caper definitely takes a bite out of crime down South in Louisiana. This is Ms. Bretting’s fifth mystery in the series and it’s one of my favorites. (Although I’m not a fan of alligators–yikes!) ALL HATS ON DECK by Sandra Bretting A Missy DuBois Mystery #5 No Southern wedding is complete without a special veil designed by Louisiana hat maker Missy DuBois. But it’s hats off to Missy DuBois when she tries to save her town from a bayou killer . . .    When Ruby Oubre asks Missy to advise her grandson on a business idea, the successful owner of Crowning Glory is happy to oblige. After a quick jaunt down the river, Missy meets with eighteen-year-old Hollis about the viability of opening an alligator farm for tourists. But it isn’t an alligator Missy finds floating at the mossy bottom of the Atchafalaya River. It’s Ruby, and her death wasn’t caused by accidental drowning. It seems everyone from local tour boat operators to the chief of police and…

I think every reader has run across a series or two (or three or four) they didn’t want to end, with heroines they wanted to go to battle with, and heroes they couldn’t help but love. That was the way I felt about the Lola Cruz Mysteries. Lola was feisty and fun, and the series gave readers one caper after another. But then it ended, and tears were shed. How could I say goodbye to these wonderful characters? The good news? Not all good things must come to an end! Books one through three were re-released earlier this year, and when that happened, I immediately pre-ordered book four–what a treat to finally get What Lola Wants in my library! And what better way to celebrate than to interview the creator, Melissa Bourbon;) Kym: Welcome back to the Cozy Corner! For fans of Lola Cruz and Camacho and Associates, thank you for bringing back this awesome Latina PI! Did you have the fourth book in the series plotted out in your mind during the last couple of years she’s been on hiatus? Melissa: I’m so excited Lola’s back, too! I actually had plotted part of What Lola Wants a few years ago,…

Can it get any hotter? Yes, it can! Luckily, I’m talking about mysteries on my bookshelf and not the temperatures outside. (I refuse to listen to the weather reports at this point.) The books I’ve chosen this month are heating up the charts and bringing a biting blast to enflame your imagination. July started out rather nicely with temps below normal, and a novel release of a curious cat prowling around in Booking a Crook! Laurie Cass’s ninth Bookmobile Cat Mystery will have you dreaming of creating your own snow angels (preferably not the ones that accompany dead bodies) and wondering if it can actually get cold enough outside to make your teeth chatter as Minnie Hamilton struggles to keep her bookmobile on the streets of Chilson, Michigan. The name of the midwestern town alone should help you feel the chill in the air, but if you’re still looking for goosebumps, imagine looking at the people you’ve known your entire life as murder suspects. The shocking twist at the end is guaranteed to freeze the blood in your veins! BOOKING THE CROOK by Laurie Cass Bookmobile Cat #7 It’s all paws on deck as a librarian and her rescue cat…