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Today’s featured author is Elle Cosimano—of Finlay Donovan fame! If you keep up with my reviews, you may know I absolutely love this series about a single mom who (in the first book) gets mistaken for a hitwoman. Hilarious, edge-of-your-seat suspense ensues.

In today’s interview, Elle and I chat about her latest adventure, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, which features the series’ beloved characters and trademark humor.

Sleuths, connect with Elle on Instagram, Facebook, and her website. Grab a copy of Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun here, plus preorder book four here, and the recently-announced (!) Veronica Ruiz short story here.

Hi Elle, thanks so much for joining! Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third—and most recent—book in your Finlay Donovan series, which stars a single mom and struggling novelist who, after being mistaken for a hitwoman, becomes entrenched in illicit activity. What inspired you to create a series centered around a flawed and relatable heroine like Finlay? What makes a mother an interesting character for a sleuth/accidental hitwoman?

The inspiration for the story came to me while I was brainstorming the plot of one of my own books during a working lunch with my critique partners, when it became apparent that the woman at the table beside us had been eavesdropping. She’d looked deeply uncomfortable as she’d left the restaurant, likely thinking we had been planning a real murder, and we’d all laughed as we’d considered some of the assumptions she must have been making about us. That lunch meeting was the seed of inspiration for the story, and it felt right to me that the character came from that same authentic place.

As a mother of two and a novelist struggling with my own career, this seemed the perfect foundation from which to create her. These two elements of Finlay’s voice very closely mirror my own, and I think that’s part of what makes these books work so well—how often do we get to read about such deeply real, relatable heroines taking center-stage in larger-than-life plots?

The Finlay Donovan series is a fan-favorite for its blend of mystery, humor, and romance. How do you strike a balance between the serious and lighthearted elements in your storytelling? Has this balance evolved or changed over the course of the series?

Comedy can be a natural balance to the more serious elements of life. It’s how many people cope with stress, using humor to break tension. Suspense is built upon steady increases in tension, so I’ve always felt these two elements naturally work in harmony. For me, the trick isn’t balancing what side of the line my feet fall on as I’m writing, it’s about maintaining a certain pacing, keeping my feet moving forward, same as I would when writing a tense thriller. 

In writing this series, I’ve learned that I bring the same toolbox to each comedic scene as I would to any dark, suspenseful one. The key is in the pacing. It’s about shaving away anything inessential to move the story forward while drawing it tightly, so we feel that snap when a comedic moment hits and that tension finally breaks. It’s about keeping the reader moving briskly through the story, so that when I do slow down to let them linger in a more serious moment, they’re ready—maybe even eager—to let that moment breathe.

One of my favorite characters in the series is Vero, Finlay’s nanny-turned-partner in crime. How did you approach crafting their partnership and the evolution of their friendship? What do you love about this pair?

I had no idea Vero was going to be such a central character in this story until I wrote her into the first scene, the moment we first meet her on the page. I had only intended to introduce her as a passing character, an obstacle my heroine would need to overcome, someone to catch her in the act of committing a crime—or at least, appearing to—but then I began writing the dialog, and these two women were electric together! Their voices clicked in this really beautiful, compelling way, and suddenly, I realized where this story was heading, that it was going to be the story of a budding friendship. I love that they are two completely different personalities, two women at different stages of their lives with completely different backstories, both deeply flawed and yet somehow more perfect together. I love that at its heart, this is a story about the power and importance of unconditional friendship.

You also write young adult novels in both fantasy and thriller genres. How does writing young adult compare to adult mysteries? Are there challenges unique to either age range, and/or aspects of either that you prefer?

I think there’s a common misconception that the process of writing adult novels and young adult novels is vastly different. For me, the process of writing these stories is exactly the same. The only thing that changes is the lens of the lived experience of the narrator. I’m still asking the same questions of my protagonist, whether they are a young adult or the mother of a young adult—who are you at the beginning of the story? Who will you be by the end of it? And how will you get there? That said, one thing I’ve always loved about writing young adult stories is the lack of genre boundaries—all YA books are typically shelved together in a single TEEN section, making genre categorization less important, giving authors more freedom to move between those lines as we bend and experiment with them. Now, as we’re beginning to see publishers embrace more genre-bending adult books too, I get to enjoy that same freedom with my grownup stories.

Lastly, what are you currently working on? When can we expect more Finlay adventures, and/or do you have anything else in the works?

The fourth book in the Finlay Donovan series, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, will release in the US on March 5, 2023, with an additional three installments scheduled beyond that! I’ll also be sharing some very exciting Finlay Donovan book news this summer, so keep an eye on my social media pages—we’ll be making an announcement very soon!

Thanks so much to Elle 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.

I am so excited to welcome fan-favorite cozy author Vivien Chien as today’s featured author. Misfortune Cookie, the latest installment in Vivien’s Noodle Shop Mystery series, is out now. In the interview below, we discuss plotting a mystery, yummy food, connecting with readers, and more.

Connect with Vivien on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and her website. Grab a copy of Misfortune Cookie here.

Hi Vivien, it’s great to have you! Misfortune Cookie is book 9 in your Noodle Shop Mystery series, starring restaurateur Lana Lee. In this installment, Lana leaves the Ho-Lee Noodle House behind, traveling from Ohio to California to attend a restaurant convention. What did you love about putting Lana’s character in a new place? After nine books in the series, how have Lana’s detective skills developed?

Hi! Thanks for having me! Misfortune Cookie was an absolute joy to write, and a very important part of my recovery after chemo and immunotherapy. The change in location was intentional long before I knew how things would play out in my personal life. But it ended up being the perfect getaway and allowed me to revisit some fond memories of my time in Irvine, California.

Some great advice I read from another cozy series author, Nancy Cohen, mentioned in her book, Writing the Cozy Mystery, was that a great way to spice up a long-standing series is to take the characters on vacation or some type of break from the usual setting. I’d kept that advice in the back of my mind, and once I reached books seven through nine, it felt like the right time to take Lana on a little trip of her own.

I think her being away from home and having to truly depend on her own instincts and skills that she picked up along the way, really showcase the fact that she’s developed from the beginning of the series. In the first book, Death by Dumpling, she is sorta fumbling around, unsure and apprehensive to get involved. Here in book 9, we see her more at the ready and pulling from her previous experiences. Lana has become more unapologetic for being who she is throughout the series and I love to see her development.

What are your favorite parts of a cozy mystery to write? What specific challenges do you face when plotting a mystery, and how do you overcome them to create an engaging and compelling mystery story?

My favorite parts of writing a cozy are the same favorite parts that I have about writing in general. At its core, it is the exploration of self and allowing yourself to play freely in creative thinking. I never know what is going to happen at any given moment, and a lot of times, the story will change drastically from what I originally thought. And that really ties into the next part of your question about the difficulties of writing. Some good advice I’ve received in the past is that you have to get out of your own way and let your characters take over. How would they act? What would they say? Overcoming that can be difficult simply because you want to dictate what “should” happen. Usually how I get over that hurdle is to realize that I’m putting too much of myself into the story. You tend to notice this when all of your writing dead-ends and something “feels” off about what you’ve typed/written. Once you have that realization you gain the ability to scale yourself back and really let the characters shine on their own. The rest takes care of itself. And coffee definitely helps ease the process.

With the series centered around Lana’s family restaurant, food plays a big role in the books. How do you incorporate the culinary elements into the stories, and do you have any personal favorite recipes that you’ve shared with readers?

It’s now become a running joke in my series that Lana can’t cook Asian food. And that helps me play off the fact that I don’t cook Chinese food in real life. In Fatal Fried Rice, you see Lana secretly take a cooking class behind her family’s back, thinking she will finally have her day and show them what a talented cook she is. But as we soon find out, her plans are foiled and personally I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because I am such a food lover, I believe the food descriptions are where I excel. It becomes a sensory experience, which I think is what every author wants for their reader. We want you to be there with us. And I can’t tell you how many people tell me (almost daily) that they had the extreme urge to order Chinese food while reading my books. And for anyone that’s wondering . . . I do it too!

You’ve built an engaged and active fan base on social media. Do you have a particular strategy when posting online? What do you love about connecting with readers online, or in person at bookstore events?

My strategy for social media is basically my life strategy. I don’t have one. LOL. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely tried. I do take some tips from things I’ve seen or heard along the way, but ultimately, I’m more inclined to just be me. Based on my own feelings of how I want to view other authors or anybody for that matter, is…I want to see authenticity. Not everything has to be a hustle or an advertisement. I’ve found that readers (myself included) love to hear about who you are as a person and what kind of stuff you’re into that doesn’t necessarily have anything at all to do with your craft.

I am, by nature, an open book—some might say to a fault—but I appreciate nothing more than being real and for others to be real with me. I talk a lot about my cancer journey, my struggles with anxiety, and my obsession with paper crafts . . . amongst a variety of other things. And what I’ve found through opening myself up to people, is that they return this in kind. We find that there is a lot more commonalities than just the books we read.

I absolutely love meeting my readers in person and online. They’re such a wonderful bunch of amazing humans and I enjoy hearing their viewpoints on my writing or how something made them feel. The greatest honor I have received is hearing from readers who had their own health struggles and took my books with them to their treatments or procedures because it helped make them feel less alone. I know that feeling because I take books with me everywhere, especially when I’m scared, and to know that I can give that to others is truly the greatest gift. (Mind you, I wish none of us had to go through things like that, but I’m glad we at least have something to comfort us through the tough times.)

Lastly, what are you currently working on? Are you planning future books in the Noodle Shop series, and/or do you have anything else in the works?

Yes! I am happy to say that I just recently signed another three-book contract with St. Martin’s Press. I’m now working on the next book, Peking Duck and Cover, which will release in 2024. I don’t have a specific date as of right now, but it should be around summer. In the meantime, my editor and I are hoping to release an e-short—an “in-between-y” book, if you will.

I’m also gearing up to start another series with an amazing Asian female lead. She’s a little bit older than Lana and the series will be less cozy and more traditional. That’s all I’ll say for now though. I’m being pretty tight lipped about that one at the moment, but there is something in the works.

Thanks so much to Vivien 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.

Today’s interviewee is Krysti Meyer, whom you may be familiar with as the host of the Get Cozy Podcast, which features cozy mystery authors and readers. As of today, Krysti is also officially a published author—her YA rom com Not If I Date You First is out now!

In the interview below, Krysti and I chat about cozy mysteries, podcasting, indie publishing, and more.

Connect with Krysti on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and her website. Subscribe to her newsletter here, and listen to the Get Cozy Podcast here. Grab a copy of Not If I Date You First here.

Hi Krysti, thanks so much for joining! Let’s start by talking about your podcast, the Get Cozy Podcast, which is filled with book recommendations and author interviews. Why are mystery authors and books so exciting to speak about? What do you love about hosting this podcast, and what have you learned while producing it?

Thank you for having me! Your Cluesletter is so much fun, and I’m honored to be a part of it. For me, mysteries—particularly cozy mysteries—are the perfect balance of light and dark, of puzzle solving and literary escapism. I love doing work for a genre that is largely dominated by women and really represents and celebrates the female experience in such a fun and unique way.

I learn something new from every single author who takes the time to participate in the podcast. They all have a unique take on the genre or the process of writing, and it’s always a joy to speak with them and learn from them.

Having covered so many cozy mystery authors and their books, I have to ask—what are your top mystery recommendations? What elements do you think make a strong cozy mystery?

My go-to cozy mystery recommendations are the Sloan Kraus Mysteries by Ellie Alexander, The Shady Hollow series by Juneau Black, and the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries by Mia P. Manansala.

I like to immerse myself in a cozy that is well-written and includes modern social themes while still being a delightful, cozy escape from the world. Cozies feel like a safe way to experience the crime genre, and there is truly nothing better than getting hooked on a long-running series that you can enjoy for years to come.

Your debut novel, the YA romance Not If I Date You First, is out now. What have you learned during the writing and publishing process? Is there any strategy in particular that you recommend to first-time indie authors, and/or anything you would do differently?

Oooh, this is such a great question! I feel like I learn something new every day as an indie author. It’s such a steep learning curve. I think the most important thing for aspiring indie authors to know going into the process is that indie publishing truly is a pay-to-play world. It can get very expensive very quickly. It’s essential to create your budget going into it, talk to other indie authors who are willing to be open about how much different parts of the process cost, and then set your priorities accordingly.

Indie publishing is so cool in that you really can make your own dreams come true yourself! I find that so empowering. But unless you have an unlimited budget, you’re likely going to have to prioritize your dreams for each book, and choose the ones that are the most meaningful for you.

I’ve always admired your social media presence and how you engage with your audience. How do you plan your marketing and other outreach? What kind of content do you like to post, and how do you engage your online community?

Oh, thank you so much! I really enjoy participating in the online book community. I’ve met so many incredible people in that space, like yourself! I love posting about the kinds of books I love to read, so cozies, rom coms, thrillers, and books that are written by my friends and local authors.

I feel like Instagram is my wheelhouse. I love using apps like Lightroom and Canva to make fun photos and graphics. I think the most important thing about any social media platform is to figure out what you enjoy creating in that space and being your authentic self. If any specific platform isn’t fun for you, then it just isn’t worth doing. I like to look at social media as a way to create a different type of art. It’s all about creative expression and meeting friends who enjoy some of the same things you do.

Lastly, what are you currently working on? Are you planning future books, exciting podcast episodes, and/or do you have anything else in the works?

I do have another book coming out in December. It’s called Never Getting Back Together. It’s a small-town, second-chance romance that will release on 12/12. I’ve had to slow down on the podcast a little bit in the past month to focus on getting through my book launch, but I have some fun episodes scheduled for August, including Rektok Ross, who wrote the YA thriller Summer Rental, Bradeigh Godfrey, whose adult thriller The Followers releases on 08/29, and C.J. Connor, whose queer cozy mystery (quozy mystery) Board to Death releases on 08/22.

Thanks so much to Krysti 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.

I’m thrilled to welcome Susanna Calkins as today’s featured author. Susanna’s historical mysteries include the Lucy Campion Mysteries, of which book seven, Death Among the Ruins, just hit shelves last week.

In our interview, Susanna and I talk all things history, research, and mystery plotting. Read on to learn more.

Connect with Susanna on Facebook, Twitter, and her website. Grab a copy of Death Among the Ruins from your favorite retailer here.

Hi Susanna, thanks so much for joining! Death Among the Ruins is book 7 in your Lucy Campion series, in which a chambermaid-turned-printer’s apprentice solves crimes in seventeenth-century London. What do you love about Lucy’s character? When you started this series in 2013, did you envision her character developing in the way it did?

Thank you so much for having me! While my first book featuring Lucy—A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate—was published in 2013, I had actually started envisioning her character about 15 years earlier. I had started writing that novel when I was still in graduate school, working on my dissertation in early modern English history. Lucy was originally a chambermaid, serving in the household of the local magistrate, which gave her a lot of ways to eavesdrop, find clues, and travel under the radar. (As a servant, she might be sent to the market and did not need anyone to chaperone her, as a woman of a higher social status would have required. So she had a lot of access and ability to search for important information).

However, when I had thought I was only writing one novel, but then I was offered a two-book contract, so I had to start thinking about how to develop her character. Circumstances changed after the plague and Great Fire of London, and Lucy no longer had a mistress to serve in the house. So she ended up becoming a printer’s apprentice, because they were short-handed following all the upheaval. Even though women could not truly enter the guild at this time, I wanted her to be someone who could continue to develop herself. She had taught herself to read and write, and I wanted her to be someone who could continue to move about the world as a bookseller, getting and sharing news with others. 

Your other historical mystery series, the Speakeasy Murders, is set in 1920s Chicago. How does writing this historical series compare with your Lucy Campion books? What do you love about each time period, and/or what about each do you find most difficult to write?

Both periods represented different types of challenges, as well as rewarding moments, when I did my research. Having completed my PhD in early modern English history, I felt very comfortable writing about 17th century London (even though I still had to look up so many details about daily life). And yet, I found that period to be less “lived” than 1920s Chicago. When I first moved to Chicago, I was really surprised by how Prohibition was still such a thing in the region . . . Every local I met seemed to have a story. (“My grandfather used to cut Al Capone’s hair,” or “My grandparents were rumrunners out of Lake Michigan.”) I can walk the neighborhoods that I write about in my books, and there is still so much from the era that is intact. It is easy to shut my eyes and imagine what it all was like, which made the research very fun for me. At the same time, I didn’t have the deep knowledge, and still don’t, of US history and Chicago specifically (even though I’ve taught American history for many years), so I’ve had to spend a lot of time reading and learning. But I can watch movies from the period, listen to music from the era, even do cocktail research—which makes everything sparkle! 

You have a PhD in history, and work at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. How do your job and academic background influence your fiction writing? Other than the obvious historical connections, are there any interesting or surprising overlaps between the two?

Even though I have a PhD in history, and still taught some history classes over the last two decades, I moved more fully into areas of social science, education, and educational research. My fiction is very much driven by questions—Why did that happen? How did it happen?—and if I don’t know the answer, then I seek to create a plausible explanation through my novels. I love being surrounded by smart, motivated people! When I worked at Northwestern University and now at RFUMS, I was able to ask colleagues about weird medical questions,  about corpses, murder, poison, and anything else. They never batted an eye, and would help me figure out plot points and clues, which was incredibly helpful. And in general, it’s super helpful to me to have other things besides my writing to focus on. During the weekends, I might switch between novel writing, to writing an academic journal article, and I think the creative and critical thinking blend very well.

What’s your approach to writing a mystery? Are you a planner, or do you let the mystery develop as you write? Are there any aspects of mystery that are particularly exciting or challenging for you?

I’ve published nine novels now, and I can honestly say that I did not approach any of them the exact same way. My first novel took me about ten years to write, and I just jumped all over the place, just writing scenes I felt like writing, without any sense of chronological development (which is wild to me now). But when I had written about 200 pages, I started thinking I needed to stop describing the impact of the main murder on the community and figure out who the murderer was. When you write a whodunnit, the author should probably know whodunnit!

After that, I usually worked out the answers to three questions: (1) Who is murdered? (2) Who murdered them and why? (3) Why should my sleuth care? After I have the answers to that question, I start thinking about interesting objects or events I’ve come across in my research, and I think about whether that would be an interesting plot point. and then after I do a combination of concept mapping and drawing out my scenes as  I go, so I can sort of figure out how things happen and what might need to happen next. This process usually, but not always, keeps me from writing myself into a corner. I call it “plopantsing” or throwing words in the air and catching them on paper.

Lastly, what are you currently working on? When can we expect more mysteries with Lucy, and/or do you have anything else in the works?

Although I love writing about Lucy, I’m taking a break for a while to work on some new projects. I have a historical mystery set in 1930s Chicago that will be a standalone, which I’m about to send to my agent to pitch. After that I’m developing another series, also set in 1930s Chicago, which I’m super excited about. It will be different from other things I’ve written, so stay tuned!  Thank you so much for having me!

Thanks so much to Susanna 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.

Today’s issue features author Emily J. Edwards! Emily’s A Girl Friday series is a nod to noir: in 1950, secretary-turned-investigator Viviana Valentine, solves crimes in New York City.

Book two, Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River, is out now. In today’s interview, I chat with Emily about 1950s misconceptions, historical research, her bookish podcast, and more.

Connect with Emily on Instagram, Twitter, and her website. Subscribe to her newsletter here. Grab a copy of Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River from your favorite retailer here.

Hi Emily, thanks for joining! Viviana Valentine Goes Up the River is book two in your Girl Friday Mystery series, which stars an intrepid secretary-turned-investigator in post-World War II New York. What inspired Viviana’s character and the noir theme for the series? Are there any mystery books or authors that influenced your writing in particular?

So much of what defines noir is the cynicism of the text—and I think I was really feeling that with all the talk of “the way things were.” Can’t we go back to the 1950s?” is an incredibly disturbing question to ask; while most people who ask it are desperate for the candy-colored illustrations of homemaker magazines or fuzzy memories of parents and grandparents, I wanted to show, in a way, how awful the 1950s were. Not only were they not even remotely as modern as people think they were (I implore people to realize Mad Men’s timeline began in 1960, not the 1950s), but the myth of promise was just that—a myth. People were still reeling from the war. Nothing was sorted out. If anything, the legacy of the American mid century should be one of absolute dysfunction.

The movies and works of the actual time period spoke to me, of course, but I was also inspired by 1970s reminisces of the genre as well—there’s a fair amount of playfulness in the books, and that was all inspired by Neil Simon’s The Cheap Detective. Because I may be cynical, but I show it through comedy, not tragedy.

With the series set in 1950, what kind of historical research did you do for the books? What challenges did you face when writing for this time period? Can you share some interesting details that you’ve learned?

Like most people, I started out with a much, much more modern idea of what 1950 meant. In my mind, 1950 was much cleaner, better organized, and shinier than what it actually was. A huge source of information for me was the Library of Congress website, where you can find extensive image libraries of American life. I pride myself on writing a great sense of place, so I needed to know how Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, and Manhattan at large looked in actual reality. And man, it was not great. There was a lot more trash on the street, buildings falling down, things felt extremely old—there was no desire to restore as there is today. This was also the time period in which Robert Moses began really going to town on the city—there was more destruction than there was construction.

The most difficult part of writing an historical novel is to remove words from your vocabulary that just simply didn’t exist back then—and this is where you’ll find my occasional anachronisms. I can and do look up stock paint colors available on every car I mention in the text, but in book two, I had a total brain fart and used the term ZIP code. Guess what? Didn’t exist until the 1960s. There were postal codes. But not ZIP codes. (I corrected the goof for the paperback.)

I’d also love to hear more about your podcast, F***bois of Literature, which discusses some of the most infuriating characters in literature. What do you love about hosting this podcast? What characters were you particularly excited to pick apart, and/or who do you want to discuss in the future?

Oh, thank you so much for bringing this up! I’ve been hosting the show since 2019 and I have never learned more about reading and books. I won’t say that I necessarily learned more about literature, as I rarely go into the types of history seminars go into, but I learned about people and my own incredible biases. It’s gotten me to confront a lot of my own judgments and feelings about things—addiction, sex, tourism. It runs the whole gamut. I was extremely lucky to have Esmé Weijun Wang on to discuss Lolita, which was challenging, and certainly, our discussion of Jane Eyre is a perennial favorite (guess what: Viviana Valentine is no little bird). There are two wildly different books I have been begging people to choose to talk about, but no dice yet: Tartuffe by Molière and The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. I’ll leave you to ponder about those choices, for sure.

The series’ setting—New York City in 1950—offers a gritty, noir backdrop to the mysteries. Why did you pick New York as the setting for these books? Is there another city, or even another historical time period, that you’d also love to write in?

I grew up right outside of the city, and literally everyone in my family for three generations was born there (me, my parents, and all of my grandparents). The great-grandparents were all Ellis Island immigrants, and one of the things that spoke to me the most about New York was that it was one of the last northern cities to desegregate (yup, it was really racist!), but even with keeping with the law-enforced white spaces that Viviana would most likely stick to, you could have all different cultures, and the conflict between them, the politics of their home countries, and confusion. Viv’s encounters eventually get less and less Caucasian, but it’s part of her naivete when the books begin that Viv is a product of her time—sometimes in the worst ways possible. 

But believe it or not, I wrote the whole thing from Los Angeles, a city where I lived for 15 years, which is equally as embedded in my brain. I’ve thought about writing another historical, but set in the 1930s in LA, when the city was just turning over from orange groves to movie studios. I don’t think LA gets enough credit for its interesting history. And there are so many amazing novels from just around that time—The Day of the Locust, one of the greatest books ever written for its incredible blend of gothic and noir, and all the Phillip Marlowe books.

Lastly, what are you currently working on? Can we expect more books with Viviana, and/or do you have anything else in the works?

I was extremely lucky that my editor read Viviana Valentine Gets Her Man and asked me for not one book, but three. The third Girl Friday Mystery, Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock, comes out almost a year to the day from the first novel, on November 7th, 2023. As of right this moment, there aren’t any more in the series, but hopefully that will change, as I absolutely have more Viv stories tucked away in my mind. Hollywood? Atlantic City? The horse races up in Saratoga? You bet! I’m currently plunking away at a modern noir/thriller set in LA, and I hope to get it to my agent by the end of the summer. Fingers crossed on that!

Thanks so much to Emily 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.

I’m thrilled to welcome bestselling mystery author Ellery Adams as today’s featured author. With no less than seven (!) mystery series to her name, Ellery knows a thing or two about murder, and her cozies often combine crime with books and cooking.

Paper Cuts, book six in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series, is out now. In the interview below, Ellery and I cover bibliotherapy, book marketing, and what’s on her horizon.

Connect with Ellery on Instagram, Facebook, and her website. Grab Paper Cuts from your favorite retailer here.

Hi Ellery, thanks so much for joining! Your Secret, Book, and Scone Society series follows a cast of strong women who, as their name implies, share secrets, read books, enjoy pastries and, of course, solve the occasional murder. Each member of the Society has her own unique background, personality, and skills. Where did you get the inspiration for this series?

It all started with a discussion I had with a friend about the healing power of books. That led to research on bibliotherapy and the idea of having a bookstore owner who was also a bibliotherapist. I knew my main character couldn’t advise other people unless she’d been through her fair share of difficulties, so I gave Nora Pennington a shameful secret and outward scars to show others that she had literally been through a trial by fire.

Your books often explore the theme of healing and finding solace through literature. How do you approach incorporating this theme into your mysteries? What do you love about mixing healing and personal growth with books?

Every reader has performed some kind of bibliotherapy at one point in their lives. We have a friend or loved one in need of a book distraction, and we find them the perfect thing to read. The ability to escape inside fiction grants us a rest from our reality. But stories do so much more than that. If we encounter a character going through a similar situation to ours, that connection makes us feel less alone.

That’s the power of books. They connect us to others, relieve our loneliness, and teach us that we are capable of surviving tough times and even growing from those experiences.

You have several mystery series under your belt, including the Book Retreat Mysteries, Supper Club Mysteries, and the Books by the Bay mysteries. Do you have a favorite series to write? Does your writing process change depending on the series?

They’re all so different. The Book Retreat Mysteries are like a writing vacation for me. I get to live in Jane Steward’s world of luxury, beauty, and literary events. I get to have afternoon tea, a falconry lesson, and wander through a mansion stuffed with books.

The Secret, Book, and Scone Society books are challenging to write, but they’re also very rewarding. The characters in this series are so real to me that I actually miss them when I’m not working on their stories. I’ve always fantasized about owning a bookstore. Through Nora, I get to live this fantasy. And this series has given me a chance to blend genres. It’s really a mix of mystery and women’s fiction, which has allowed me to explore some grittier, darker topics.

I’d love to get some insight into your marketing strategy. How do you plan your social media, mailing list, events, and other outreach? You’ve published both traditionally and independently—does your marketing strategy vary depending on whether the book is indie versus traditionally published?

I don’t do mailing lists. I gave that up ages ago. I don’t like getting emails from authors (sorry!) as my email is already too cluttered. I like to focus on Instagram and Facebook posts and interactions as well as in-person events at bookstores. BookBub is a tremendous resource for finding new readers, but librarians and booksellers—and readers sharing my books with friends and family—are the reason I made it to where I am today.

My advice to my fellow writers is not to get too overwhelmed by marketing. Put your creativity into your writing and save your remaining energy by making meaningful connections online.

Lastly, what are you currently looking forward to? Can you share any works in progress, book releases coming up, and other exciting projects?

I’m beyond excited about the release of Paper Cuts because it might be the best book I’ve ever written. I’ve been wanting to add a neurodivergent character as a way of honoring my son for a long time, and I’m eager to see how readers response to Tucker, the young boy in the novel.Murder in the Book Lover’s Loft comes out July 25, and fans of my Books By the Bay series will be delighted to learn that Jane and Edwin are vacationing in Oyster Bay. They’ll see Olivia, Captain Haviland, Michel, Dixie, and more favorite characters. The collision of my two book worlds was a joy to write.

Thanks so much to Ellery 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.

Today’s featured author is Christa Bakker, whose debut cozy mystery series, the Saint-Maurice Mysteries, kicks off with Death By Naked Ladies. Read on for my interview with Christa, in which we chat French villages, writing and publishing cozy mysteries, and more.

Connect with Christa on Instagram, Facebook, and her website. And don’t forget to subscribe to her newsletter for a free short story. Grab a copy of Death by Naked Ladies here.

Hi Christa, thanks for joining! Your debut cozy mystery series, the Saint-Maurice Mysteries, is set in a rural French village. Book one, Death by Naked Ladies, introduces a photographer sleuth whose assistant seems to prompt poison pen letters—and murder. What makes a small village in France a great setting for a cozy mystery? What inspired you to pick this location and theme?

Hi Manon! Thank you for letting me talk about my favourite subject! My stories are set in France simply because I used to live there. I spent two years living in Lyon and three years in a village about an hour outside of Lyon, in the Beaujolais countryside. That village is what I modelled Saint-Maurice on, meaning it has a similar lay-out in my head and a similar size, though I added some features like a bakery and an abandoned hotel.

The vineyards, the food, the people . . . It all screamed to be written about. So, I threw some unsavoury characters into the mix, et voilá! One woman sleuth who takes vintage style pin-up photos, one sexy assistant who refuses to just be man-candy, and a bunch of baffling murders later, the Saint-Maurice Mysteries were born.

Like many cozy mysteries, the book is a clean read, but promises a hint of romance. In your opinion, what makes romance work in a cozy mystery? What do you like or dislike about including romance in cozy mysteries?

I love a bit of kissing. In books too! It’s an easy and fun way of introducing some extra tension, but it should never distract from the mystery. If the romance starts taking over as the main theme, then the book is no longer a cozy mystery, and to me, the puzzle is the best part. I try very hard to make the killer a surprise, so it would be a shame if all the reader can think about is the romance.

As a new cozy author, is there anything you’ve learned during the writing and publishing process that has surprised you? What tips and strategies regarding writing, publishing, and marketing have you found the most helpful?

That’s a difficult question. Since this is my first cozy mystery, I don’t know yet if any of it is going to work. But I’ve had overwhelmingly positive feedback from early readers, so at least the most important part, the story, is good!

The most helpful thing I can say to writers is probably to keep going. Keep writing, keep learning, but also keep finishing. It’ll never be perfect, but it will be good enough. And I think that’s what surprised me the most, how excited people get when they read a story they like. As a reader, I already knew that, of course, but it’s really fun when people get that excited about your own story.

You’ve also written a Victorian fantasy novel, The Jet Jewel. How does writing a cozy mystery compare to fantasy? Are the two genres as separate as they seem, or did you find some similarities in writing them?

To me, they are worlds apart. Of course my style is mostly the same, but The Jet Jewel is the first story I ever finished. I learned a huge deal from writing it, both about story structure and pacing, but also about the publishing process and the fact that a book absolutely will not sell if it doesn’t fit into a specific genre and you don’t promote it.

I’m still proud of the book as an accomplishment and as a story, but if I ever write the sequel (this one ends on a downer; who needs that?), I’ll probably do a thorough rewrite. Cozy mysteries fit my voice and style much better, so that’s the genre I’m focusing on for now.

Lastly, when can we expect more books in the Saint-Maurice Mystery series? Are you working on any other projects that you’d like to share?

I’ve already written the first 3 stories in this series. Death by Naked Ladies will be out on April 28, Beaujolais Blood is coming a month later, on May 26, and on June 30, I’m publishing The Cold Case: a Vintage Murder. For now, they’re only available on Amazon, but I plan to take them to other stores in about six months. In total, there will be six books set in France, but since I’ve moved to the UK, my next series will be about a British sleuth, Mrs Yety (yes, that’s an anagram). Until then, though, I also have a free Christmas story about my French sleuth for anyone who signs up to my newsletter.

Thanks so much to Christa 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.