In February 1987, I was thriving. I was performing in local Seattle clubs to promote my new album and researching a historical fiction novel based on the life of Joan of Arc. I was in love. But then I got a headache that wouldn’t go away. Throbbing pain made me nauseous. Over the course of a week, my vision morphed from tones of sepia brown to black nothingness, and I became blind in one eye. There were blood tests, spinal taps, and visits with doctors tapping my joints with rubber mallets. How many fingers do you see? And then the final, fateful test with an ophthalmologist who didn’t mince words. See those white spots? I squinted with my good eye at the black and white Seurat image of my brain. You definitely have Multiple Sclerosis. I took a sobbing breath, already knowing my world would never be the same. The headache morphed and moved throughout my body, a wolf chewing my arm, a knife stabbing my back. But, eventually, I discovered a hidden secret. Extreme pain left me with the most significant, most liberating gift the universe could ever give –the realization that I had nothing left to lose. I…

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….

by Debbie Wiley Books have been part of my life for as long as I remember. Even before I could fully read on my own, I remember my grandmother reading to me and listening to books on record albums, following along with the words in the accompanying book. Everyone knows the last two years have been tough, but for this reader, it’s been worsened by a reading slump. Instead of turning to books for comfort, I’ve watched a lot of mindless television, much to the chagrin of my husband. Fortunately, a few recent reads have really jumped out at me and tugged me into the storylines, snapping that reading slump into tiny pieces! One of the tricks often cited to break a reading slump is to reread old favorites. My twist on this is to read authors I’ve loved over the years. CURSE OF SALEM by Kay Hooper perfectly fit the bill! Not only have I loved Kay Hooper’s books dating back to the 1980s when she wrote category romances, but I’ve also faithfully followed her Bishop Special Crimes Unit series, devouring them as soon as I could get my hands on each new installment. CURSE OF SALEM returns to the town…

The wood panel explodes above my head, and I drop to the ground and lie pressed against the wet stone steps, sucking in oxygen, my heart pounding, my arteries pumped with adrenaline. I want to scramble to my feet and make a run for it, but I force myself to stay motionless. Here, I’m hidden by the yew trees and shrubs in my front yard. Standing, I’m an easy target. My face is a few inches from my copy of The Washington Post in its plastic wrapper to protect it from the rain. Another giveaway I hadn’t yet returned home from police headquarters. I must do something about that problem in the future. Assuming I have a future. I’d parked my car in front of my house rather than in my garage, where it would normally be tucked away. It’s a 1964, fire-engine-red Corvette convertible. That might as well be a billboard advertisement: This is where Marko Zorn lives. Come and get me. I’m an idiot. This is a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes, most built in the 1920s, with large yards and wide front porches where people once sat and drank iced tea on warm days. It’s a typical…

Bree’s gaze snapped around the room and fell on some framed snapshots on a side table. Most of the photos focused on a little blonde girl. Bree’s heart kicked against her ribs. She’d known homicide would be challenging. Instead of the occasional dead body, death would be her focus on a daily basis. She’d come to terms with her new reality, but kids . . . For most cops, it was the child victims who broke them. “Lena is your daughter?” Romano asked. “Yeah.” Kelly jumped to her feet, her eyes wild. “You gotta find her.” Bree studied the photos.“How old is she?” “Five.” Kelly covered her mouth with one hand. She wrapped the other around her own waist. “Is there anyone James could have left Lena with?” Romano’s voice remained calm, but the tone had shifted. There was a layer of urgency under the quiet words. “Maybe his father. That’s who he lives with.” Kelly shoved a hand through her limp hair. She pulled out a phone and jabbed the screen. She turned on the speakerphone and held the cell in front of her mouth. A man answered in an angry voice. “Why are you calling me?” Kelly ignored…

Jen: THE ATTIC ON QUEEN STREET is the seventh and final book in the Tradd Street series. How did you arrive at the premise? Karen: The best part of a series is that it’s basically one long book with multiple plot lines that get resolved throughout the series.  Since I knew THE ATTIC ON QUEEN STREET would be the last, I knew that for the first time that loose ends weren’t a possibility.  Every single unanswered question, mystery, plot, character arc had to come to a complete resolution.  And, of course, the conclusion of the major cliffhanger at the end of the previous book, THE CHRISTMAS SPIRITS ON TRADD STREET.  This gave me the main guide I needed for this book’s premise.  The second, but equally important guide, was the spin-off series that will follow the Tradd Street Series.  Nola Trenholm will be the main protagonist, as will a new character, Beau Ryan, who is introduced in The Attic on Queen Street.  Beau is from New Orleans which is where the new series will be set, and there is a lot of mystery surrounding him and his family.  This is why at the end of the book, Nola is headed…

Danielle: Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Karen! We are so excited to have you here. It’s a bittersweet day, because the last book in the Tradd Street series, THE ATTIC ON QUEEN STREET, has finally arrived. What has writing this series meant to you? How do you think you’ve changed during the course of writing about Tradd Street?   Karen:   The idea for the series began in 2005—sixteen years ago!  A lot can happen in sixteen years.  My children, then 13 and 11, have gone through high school, college, and grad school (lots of graduations!) and are now launched into adulthood with one wedding on the horizon.  We acquired two dogs, and lost one, remodeled our kitchen, bathrooms, and pretty much everything else, and bought a beach house.  We survived a pandemic and I inherited the care of my elderly parents.  All this while writing all seven books in the series plus nineteen other books and a chapter in an anthology.  I’m not sure I slept very much! I had never written a series before, and when the idea first hit me, I knew immediately it had to be set in a Southern city filled with lots of history, gorgeous architecture and, of course,…

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…

OBJECT LESSONS was inspired by an eccentric Chicago heiress named Frances Glessner Lee. In the 1940’s, Lee designed 18 miniature models of crime scenes to train police investigators. Built to the scale of one inch to one foot, and complete with tiny victims, Lee’s dioramas are enigmas begging to be solved. Here are Lily Sparks’ favorites: 1: Three-Room Dwelling: Robert and Kate Judson, and their baby Linda Mae, are shot to death in their tidy little house. Their phone is off the hook, the table’s set for breakfast, the murder weapon—a rifle—is on the kitchen floor, and both doors are locked from inside. 2: Attic: Miss Jessie Comptom, a spinster, hangs from a rafter in her attic. Old letters and other relics of her past are scattered beneath her. One shoe dangles from her foot; its mate is on the stairs. 3: Dark Bathroom: Maggie Wilson lies face-up in a bathtub in a rooming house. Fully clothed, she appears to have fallen in backward. She had two male visitors that night, and there’s a liquor bottle on the floor. 4: Kitchen: Mrs. Robin Barnes lies on her kitchen floor. The stove’s gas jets are open, and her face has a rosy…

Missing persons stories appear in the news all too frequently, capturing the attention of the nation with a multitude of questions. Where did the person go? Is the person safe? What happened and why? Whether it’s the manhunt for Brian Laundrie amid the swirling questions of his fiancée’s death or the past well-publicized kidnappings of Patty Hearst and Elizabeth Smart, or the still-unsolved disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, cases involving missing persons have seemingly always captured the attention of the nation as we anxiously await and hope for positive news. Lately, my local news has dealt with the tragic endings for Gabby Petito and Mia Marcano, both young women who lost their lives all too soon. Readers are often drawn to the theme of missing persons, as evidenced by the abundance of books with a missing person as the core theme. GONE GIRL was recently one of the bestselling books of the decade, featuring the missing person theme. Let’s delve into a few other books featuring this same theme. LAST SEEN ALONE by Laura Griffin starts out with an abandoned car and a pool of blood. The car, registered to Vanessa Adams, offers little clues and Vanessa isn’t anywhere to be…