COZY AUTHORS - INTRODUCE YOURSELVES HERE!

[becke_davis]



June is here! Welcome to our 2nd Annual MONTH OF COZY(ISH) CRIME!

The full schedule of events is listed on a separate thread - I'm creating this thread for authors of puzzlers, cozies and cozy(ish) crime to stop in and introduce themselves. Hit "reply" in the lower right to post your comment. If you want to quote a comment you're responding to, look for the "quote" tab in the upper right of the comment box.

To add links to your books, click Reply and then in the upper right (next to bullets and text features), click Add Product. You can add links to books and ebooks there.

My daughter is flying in tomorrow and we'll be busy with a Mystery Party hosted by Duffy Brown on Thursday, and Friday through Sunday we'll be attending Lori Foster's Reader Author Get Together. I'll only have sporadic internet access, so I won't be able to set up "Author" tags until I return. 

In the meantime, have fun chatting with the gang here at B&N's Mystery Forum!



[beekayBK]

Belinda Lawrence and Hazel Whitby, two amateur sleuths, star in my cozy mystery series. Capable of Murder, The Embroidered Corpse, Bloody Ham and A Canterbury Crime.

Hello. I'm very pleased to have this opportunity to introduce myself and also Belinda & Hazel. If you enjoy a cozy mystery with an English or exotic background, please take a look at the book extracts on B&N and read the reviews. All books are available as paperback and Nook.

Also, I'd be happy to answer any questions about the books on my Web Site Guest Book where you can read more about Belinda's adventures and watch some book trailers.

http://beekayvic.tripod.com

Cheers and happy reading to all.

Brian Kavanagh

A Canterbury Crime 

Bloody Ham 

The Embroidered Corpse 

Capable of Murder     

[Fricka]

Thanks for introducing yourself here, Brian. I read a lot of cozy-style mysteries, as well as historical mysteries, so a combination of the two should make for good reading. Once becke comes back,  she will have a whole slew of questions for you, but I will confine myself to several  short ones here.

1. I like the cover of A Canterbury Crime. Is that supposed to be a statue of Thomas a Becket on the cover?

2. How much imput or control do you have over the book covers for your novels? If there was one you really disliked or thought was not appropriate for your book, would your editor(s) listen to you and make the necessary changes?  Do you have one particular artist with whom you ususually work?

[becke_davis]

Hi Brian! Thanks for joining us, and for being the Official First Cozy Author to come to the party!



[beekayBK]

Hello Fricka. Thanks for your response.

As for the cover for the Belinda Lawrence series, I had an input in all four. Capable of Murder and Bloody Ham, I had some old woodcut illustrations I'd found that I thought would suit. My publisher, BeWrite Books went with my suggestion. The Embroidered Corpse was my idea and the publisher had an artist create it.

A Canterbury Crime, again was an old wood cut that I'd bought some time ago and thought it suited the tale. It's not really meant to be St Thomas, but conveys the religious background. The final jigsaw design was done by BeWrite Books' Tony Szmuck. I imagine that in the future he will be designing the covers for any further books of mine, but BeWrite are very agreeable to suggestions from the author.

Thanks again, and good to hear from you,

Cheers,

 Brian

[beekayBK]

Hi Becke, many thanks for the greeting. I'm sure I will enjoy the party!

Cheers,

 Brian

[kathylcsw]

OK this is going to be a dumb question but I still have to ask it! Exactly what classifies a book as a "cozy" mystery? Does the term only apply to mysteries? If you don't ask you don't get answers!

[Leann_SweeneyLS]

Hi everyone,

My name is Leann Sweeney and I write two cozy series: Cats in Trouble Mysteries (3 books so far) and the Yellow Rose Mysteries. My third cat book made the NY Times Bestseller list and the feedback from readers has been wonderful!

Leann

The Cat, the Lady and the Liar (Cats in Trouble Series #3)  

[Leann_SweeneyLS]

I like to think of cozy mysteries (which actually refers to a tea cozy that covers that teapot to keep it warm) as "gentle" mysteries. There is little if no profanity and most violence occurs "off stage." These books usually have a small town setting with an amateur sleuth. We can thank Dame Agatha Christie as inspiration for the modern cozy.  (But our heroines or heroes are usually younger than Miss Marple or Poirot).

Leann

www.leannsweeney.com

[becke_davis]

---

kathylcsw wrote:

OK this is going to be a dumb question but I still have to ask it! Exactly what classifies a book as a "cozy" mystery? Does the term only apply to mysteries? If you don't ask you don't get answers!

---

Kathy - It's not a dumb question at all! In fact, we have a whole thread related to this topic:

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Mystery/Mystery-Genres-Noir-Cozy-quot-Literary-quot-and-more/...

And here's another one:

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Mystery/Question-about-Mystery-classifications/m-p/96144/high...

[becke_davis]

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Leann_SweeneyLS wrote:

I like to think of cozy mysteries (which actually refers to a tea cozy that covers that teapot to keep it warm) as "gentle" mysteries. There is little if no profanity and most violence occurs "off stage." These books usually have a small town setting with an amateur sleuth. We can thank Dame Agatha Christie as inspiration for the modern cozy.  (But our heroines or heroes are usually younger than Miss Marple or Poirot).

Leann

www.leannsweeney.com

---

Hi Leann - Great to see you here - don't be shy, let's give all your books a plug! Also, thanks for the concise definition of a cozy. Perfect!

The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse (Cats in Trouble Series #1) 

The Cat, the Professor and the Poison (Cats in Trouble Mystery Series #2) 

The Cat, the Lady and the Liar (Cats in Trouble Series #3) 

Pick Your Poison (Yellow Rose Series #1) 

A Wedding to Die For (Yellow Rose Series #2) 

Shoot from the Lip (Yellow Rose Series #4) 

Pushing up Bluebonnets (Yellow Rose Series #5) 

Dead Giveaway (Yellow Rose Series #3)         

[G_M_Malliet]

Hello, I'm G.M. Malliet and I'm the author of the following traditional-style British mysteries. Wicked Autumn is the first in a new series (September 2011). It features a former MI5 agent turned Anglican vicar of a small village on the South West coast of England.

The other 3 are DCI St. Just mysteries.

Wicked Autumn 

Death at the Alma Mater 

Death of a Cozy Writer 

Death and the Lit Chick    

Advance praise for WICKED AUTUMN:

"A superb novel! Filled with humor and insight, G.M. Malliet creates a fabulous setting in Nether Monkslip and a great series hero in Father Max Tudor. Rarely have I read descriptions that have left me gasping, in both their hilarity and their painful truth. A wonderful read."
~~ Louise Penny, Agatha award–winning author of the Armand Gamache mysteries

"One of the most delightful English village mysteries I’ve read since Agatha Christie stopped writing about Saint Mary Mead. G.M. Malliet’s sly allusions to both Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot will make Christie fans chuckle, but Nether Monkslip is no village that time forgot—not with its new age citizenry and a vicar who’s a dishy ex-MI5. Highly recommended."
~~ Margaret Maron, Edgar, Anthony, Agatha winner, and author of CHRISTMAS MOURNING

"A contemporary and deliciously wicked homage to Agatha Christie's village mysteries, with an equally delicious hero who is infinitely sexier than Miss Marple. Once readers meet handsome, intelligent, witty MI5 spy-turned-Anglican priest Max Tudor, they'll be searching their maps for the village of Nether Monkslip!" ~~ Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of NECESSARY AS BLOOD

"Hugely funny, exquisitely well written, Wicked Autumn is a tongue-in-cheek village mystery to be savored. G.M. Malliet's arch tone and wry humor make her a writer to be treasured."
~~ Julia Spencer-Fleming, bestselling author of ONE WAS A SOLDIER

"G. M. Malliet has brought the village cozy into the 21st century—where else could the Vicar be retired from MI5? Written with dry humor and a wickedly accurate portrait of the modern English village, WICKED AUTUMN is a refreshing and fun read for everyone who loves a really good murder."
~~ Charles Todd, NY Times Best-selling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge Series


[becke_davis]

---

G_M_Malliet wrote:

Hello, I'm G.M. Malliet and I'm the author of the following traditional-style British mysteries. Wicked Autumn is the first in a new series (September 2011). It features a former MI5 agent turned Anglican vicar of a small village on the South West coast of England.

The other 3 are DCI St. Just mysteries.

Wicked Autumn 

Death at the Alma Mater 

Death of a Cozy Writer 

Death and the Lit Chick    

Advance praise for WICKED AUTUMN:

"A superb novel! Filled with humor and insight, G.M. Malliet creates a fabulous setting in Nether Monkslip and a great series hero in Father Max Tudor. Rarely have I read descriptions that have left me gasping, in both their hilarity and their painful truth. A wonderful read."
~~ Louise Penny, Agatha award–winning author of the Armand Gamache mysteries

"One of the most delightful English village mysteries I’ve read since Agatha Christie stopped writing about Saint Mary Mead. G.M. Malliet’s sly allusions to both Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot will make Christie fans chuckle, but Nether Monkslip is no village that time forgot—not with its new age citizenry and a vicar who’s a dishy ex-MI5. Highly recommended."
~~ Margaret Maron, Edgar, Anthony, Agatha winner, and author of CHRISTMAS MOURNING

"A contemporary and deliciously wicked homage to Agatha Christie's village mysteries, with an equally delicious hero who is infinitely sexier than Miss Marple. Once readers meet handsome, intelligent, witty MI5 spy-turned-Anglican priest Max Tudor, they'll be searching their maps for the village of Nether Monkslip!" ~~ Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of NECESSARY AS BLOOD

"Hugely funny, exquisitely well written, Wicked Autumn is a tongue-in-cheek village mystery to be savored. G.M. Malliet's arch tone and wry humor make her a writer to be treasured."
~~ Julia Spencer-Fleming, bestselling author of ONE WAS A SOLDIER

"G. M. Malliet has brought the village cozy into the 21st century—where else could the Vicar be retired from MI5? Written with dry humor and a wickedly accurate portrait of the modern English village, WICKED AUTUMN is a refreshing and fun read for everyone who loves a really good murder."
~~ Charles Todd, NY Times Best-selling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge Series


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Hi G.M. - Thanks for joining our cozy party! It was great to see you at Left Coast Crime!

[dorothy_mcfalls]

Hi Becke and everyone else!

I was here last month with my release of Flowerbed of State. In case anyone miss that, I thought I should drop in and say hello during the cozy-ish month of June. (What a fun idea!)

I write the White House Gardener Mystery series. Book 1 (Flowerbed of State) came out last month. The next book in the series (The Scarlet Pepper) comes out May 2012.

Casey Calhoun, White House assistant gardener, has a knack for digging up plots that have nothing to do with flowers and everything to do with murder.

Flowerbed of State  

I also have a short mystery available on Nook.

Birds in Paradise  

Young prostitutes are disappearing from the streets of Honolulu. When street-savvy P.I., Kyra Grainger, is hired to find the latest missing girl, she straps on a pair of high heels, pulls on a skirt no wider than a headband, and delves into the back streets and shadowy world hidden behind the glitz of Hawaii. What she finds is a web of lies and deceptions that threatens to destroy the paradise she's grown to love. 

I have a conference this weekend, so I'll probably be out of touch for a while, but I look forward to talking about and celebrating my love of the cozy mystery genre this month. There's a wealth of great reads out there wearing the cozy badge. I seem to discover new "favorite" authors nearly every day.

[becke_davis]

---

dorothy_mcfalls wrote:

Hi Becke and everyone else!

I was here last month with my release of Flowerbed of State. In case anyone miss that, I thought I should drop in and say hello during the cozy-ish month of June. (What a fun idea!)

I write the White House Gardener Mystery series. Book 1 (Flowerbed of State) came out last month. The next book in the series (The Scarlet Pepper) comes out May 2012.

Casey Calhoun, White House assistant gardener, has a knack for digging up plots that have nothing to do with flowers and everything to do with murder.

Flowerbed of State  

I also have a short mystery available on Nook.

Birds in Paradise  

Young prostitutes are disappearing from the streets of Honolulu. When street-savvy P.I., Kyra Grainger, is hired to find the latest missing girl, she straps on a pair of high heels, pulls on a skirt no wider than a headband, and delves into the back streets and shadowy world hidden behind the glitz of Hawaii. What she finds is a web of lies and deceptions that threatens to destroy the paradise she's grown to love. 

I have a conference this weekend, so I'll probably be out of touch for a while, but I look forward to talking about and celebrating my love of the cozy mystery genre this month. There's a wealth of great reads out there wearing the cozy badge. I seem to discover new "favorite" authors nearly every day.

---

Hi Dorothy - Great to see you here! I'll be at a conference this weekend, too - Lori Foster's Reader Author Get Together. The only mystery author I saw on the attendance list was Mary Burton, but a bunch of romantic suspense authors will be there. Which conference are you going to?

[becke_davis]

I won't be around much the next few days, but I hope you'll all make yourselves at home while I'm away!



[harleyhoney]

Welcome Brian, GM, Leann and Charlotte.  We are honored to have you here for Cozy Month.  I must admit that cozies are my absolute favorites.  Charlotte and GM, you both are on my to be read list and I’m excited to add Brian.  Leann, I’ve read The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse and loved it.  I just bought The Cat, the Lady and the Liar thinking that it was the second in the series.  Poor me, now I’ll have to go to B&N to pick up The Cat, the Professor and the Poison and well, since you can’t buy just one….

Again, welcome and thank you for joining us.

Nancy

[TeaMoment]

Hello! I'm an aspiring Cozy Author and am in the process of crafting my first book. I'm pairing my love of tea with my love of mystery on my blog at An International Tea Moment  where folks can join me in my journey. I hope to learn from everyone here!

Thanks,

Jen 

[LauraDiSilverio]

Die Buying  

Swift Justice  

                             Hi all!

Thanks to Becke and B&N for hosting this cozy forum.  I'm Laura DiSilverio and I write the Swift Investigations mystery series featuring two mismatched women sleuths, Charlie Swift and Gigi Goldman.  The first of those, Swift Justice came out last Oct and the second, Swift Edge, comes out this December.  If you like your mysteries with a lot of humor and action, these are for you! 

And this August, I have a new series debuting:  the Mall Cop Mysteries featuring Emma-Joy "EJ" Ferris, a medically retired military cop who takes a "temporary" gig as a mall cop while she searches for a police department that will hire her despite her injured leg.  Reptiles "liberated" from the Herpetology Hut, and her Grandpa Atherton's antics (He's a retired CIA agent who likes to spy on the mall's customers and merchants) complicate EJ's hunt for a murderer who left a body in a boutique window.  Look for DIE BUYING this summer.

I look forward to chatting with everyone!

Cheers,

Laura DiSilverio

[beekayBK]

Harleyhoney, I hope you do get to meet up with young Belinda Lawrence and her worldly wise friend, Hazel Whitby. Capable of Murder is the first in the series, which has a background of antiques and objects of historical value. And the women get up to their necks in intrigue and danger!

Cheers,

 Brian