Author Interview: Nancy Basile

It’s a tale as old as time: a young woman with big dreams swaps her small town for city life, only to return years later and find—of course—a mystery. So begins Roadside Homicide, the first book in Nancy Basile’s River Sutton Country mystery series. When Robin Pearce comes back to her West Virginia hometown, the last thing she expects is a bleeding, near-death man to stumble in front of her car, causing her to put her sleuthing skills to the test and find the culprit.

In today’s Cluesletter interview, I speak with Nancy about the charm of small town cozy mysteries, indie publishing and marketing strategies, and future releases.

Connect with Nancy on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Plus, visit her website to sign up for her newsletter to nab a free copy of A Shoulder to Die On, a novelette-length prequel to her River Sutton Country series.

Grab Nancy’s books on Amazon (they’re all in Kindle Unlimited!): Roadside Homicide (Book 1); A Fatal Fumble (Book 2); The Disappearing Deliveries (Short Story).

Hi, Nancy! Thanks so much for joining me. You write the River Sutton Country series, set in a small town in West Virginia. In your opinion, what makes a great cozy mystery setting? Why do you think small towns are so popular in cozies?

I think a great cozy mystery setting is one that seems like a place the reader would want to visit. Whether it’s a country town set in the hills, like mine, or a seaside resort, or a mountain retreat. Readers want to take a vacation when they read cozy mysteries, so any setting that takes them away from a regular day-to-day setting will be a hit. And small towns work well because you can get to know the quirky characters so well. People get lost in big cities, but in small towns, you feel welcome and loved. The characters know each other, share stories, and act neighborly. That gives readers a chance to relax and laugh alone with their unique personalities.

 A Fatal Fumble, book two in your River Sutton Country series, launched earlier this year (congrats!). You also recently published a short story, “The Disappearing Deliveries,” and a prequel novelette, A Shoulder to Die On, both of which belong in the River Sutton universe. How would you compare writing a mystery as a full-length book versus a shorter work? Do you have any tips for or thoughts on writing mysteries in varying word counts?

I wish I had advice for writing a true short story, which is under 5,000 words, but I can’t seem to keep my stories that short. I guess I have too much to say. The nice thing about short stories is being able to tell a very specific story and speak to the characters’ specific character traits that deal with that plot, rather than have stories weaving in and out of each other and developing a character’s full life story. A “one and done” lets you really focus on the plot devices you need to complete just that story. A novel, as we all know, is quite an undertaking and can seem daunting. But the advantage is you can spend more time building the world, developing characters, and telling side stories. My advice would be to try both. You would be surprised how writing one length can build skills with writing the other.

As an indie author, is there anything you’ve learned during the publishing process that you’d like to share? Are there things you wished you did differently? What would you tell your past self preparing to publish your first books?

Oh, my goodness. I’ve learned so much in the past year. The first piece of advice I have is don’t do it in a bubble. And don’t fret about which group to join or which conference, online or real-life, to attend. Just pick one and go. No matter where you start, you’ll learn something. And the more you learn, the more you can plan what you need to learn next, and what you don’t need to focus on. The number one place I learned the most was the Women in Publishing Summit. It opened up the entire world of self-publishing for me, as well as a lot of writing help I needed. The next group I find most helpful is the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). Their magazine, podcast, and website are chock full of information and tips for self-published authors that have been incredibly helpful for me, in terms of writing and marketing my books.

I love asking indie authors about their marketing, and I know you are active with a mailing list and online presence. What marketing efforts have you found most effective? Do you have advice for other authors looking to boost visibility, sales, and reviews?

I know everyone says email is dead, but I have found the opposite to be true. Social media is great for increasing your exposure to people, but I think it’s hard to get people to leave Instagram or any other platform to go buy a book. The best thing you can do is get people to sign up for your email list, and the best way to do that is through BookFunnel. BookFunnel has been the best way to market my books. I’m able to team up with other authors in my genre to offer sales or free books. I can also feature authors in my newsletter in exchange for having them feature my books in theirs. It’s really the most direct way to reach people who want to know about new books and buy them right now. And the most cost effective. As a new author, I don’t have a big budget for marketing, and this is the way to get the most bang for my bucks.

Lastly, I have to ask about your upcoming books—what do you have planned? Will there be more installments in your River Sutton Country series? If yes, where do you see the story headed?

There will definitely be more River Sutton mysteries, because my wonderful readers ask for them! I would hate to let them down. The next book will see Jenn and Deb in their new bed and breakfast. And Robin and Chris will finally start dating, though their romance has a rocky start. But I’m really excited about a new haunted house cozy mystery I’m writing. It’s set in Mistwick, West Virginia, which is based on Wheeling, West Virginia, a beautiful little city on the Ohio River full of history, a central market, Victorian houses, and turn-of-the-century architecture. I just started writing the first draft and I can’t wait to share it with everyone in a few months.

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Thanks so much to Nancy for the interview. Sleuths, I hope you enjoyed it! If you aren’t already subscribed, please be sure to sign up for the Cluesletter and get author features like this alongside other mystery goodies, delivered to your inbox every other Tuesday.