No Mystery Here! Cozy British Mysteries—How They’ve Inspired Me to Write

I’ve been drawn to all things cozy mystery my entire reading life. My favorites in particular are British cozy mystery series—where I can get to know the characters (at least the surviving ones) and watch them develop and grow over the years. I consider Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Miss Marple, and Tommy & Tuppence (OK not a series per say, but we get to know them and their entourage through the years); Rhys Bowen’s Lady Georgiana and Darcy; and M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin to be close personal literary friends that I have spent endless hours with, getting into one scrape after another, having fun amidst chaos (perhaps with a few cocktails), and living in anticipation for the next adventure.

As a reader, I feel instantly at home in the cozy settings (who doesn’t love a grand, damp English country manor?), being served tea or sherry in times of crisis (with those lovely little sandwiches) and being exposed to mysterious happenings and mur-dahs (cozy style, without the graphic CSI level of detail). My mind easily melds with the characters as we travel page to page, chapter to chapter. I bond well with these cozy sleuths, and I love knowing that I can depend on them to figure things out (sometimes despite themselves).

I began my cozy mystery writing career in 2016 when I formulated the idea for my cozy endeavor, My American Almost Royal Cousin series. I have always heard it was best to write about the things you love, so that words will flow. I took inventory of all the things that made me feel inspired, thrilled, and delighted as a reader in the cozy mystery world, and transformed them to fit into my fictional world in the English countryside.

Here’s a peak of my #InspirationInventory for the favorite British cozy mystery areas that are reflected in my writings, and why I chose them:

British Locations:

An admitted Anglophile, I love all things British despite being a card-carrying member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). My fictional Cherrywood Hall aka Castlewood Manor is set in the English countryside, conveniently located close to London, quaint villages, neighboring manor houses, and even some royal palaces—danger lurking in every corner of course. My characters travel in the storyline, but most of the time all things revolve around Cherrywood Hall, sitting high on the wind ravaged cliffs by the seaside.

Quintessential British events:

I love having my characters attend formal teas, dinner galas, and sports events (I’ve had to research polo, fox/drag hunts and cricket), British style. To me, they provide the perfect settings for a little fun and elegance, and an unexpected setting for a little (or a lot) of mysterious occurrences or worse (deadly in fact). I love elaborating on the fashions my characters wear (have I mentioned I love tiaras and crowns?), as well as what they’re eating (and drinking). You will get to know some of the characters favorite styles and colors, and their favorite foods over time. Conversations that occur over tea or sherry, elegant dinner parties, and receptions provide a perfect place to pick up clues (and all the lovely local gossip of course).

Weather:

Perhaps not a typically picked area of interest, but for this southern California gal who lives in a hot, dry climate year-round (and especially with all the #heatwaves of 2018), I for one love the typical rainy, damp, cold weather that is often in the background of a cozy mystery story. To me, weather is a key component of a cozy mystery; dark rainy nights and damp foggy days provide a much more mysterious ambience to me. Give me cold, rainy weather and I’m in, wellies and all, whether the characters like it or not.

Motives and Human Nature:

Miss Marple attributes all happenings to simple human nature interactions (emphasis on the negative), and I quite agree. Be it criminal motives caused by love, jealousy/envy, revenge, tragedy, hate, insanity or just plain evil, they’re all part of the human experience. You can be rich or poor, live in a shack or palace, it doesn’t matter. In the end, we all share a common human bond, and any of these motive generating emotions can stir our actions, for good or for evil, one in the same.

Social Hierarchies:

This area may not be as politically correct as others, but I think it plays an essential role in a British cozy mystery. The interactions and everyday “commoner” lives and roles of villagers (servants, clergy, guilds, pub imbibers, inspectors, shopkeepers, journalists) versus the more privileged lives (the rich, nobility, royals) seem to be a crucial mix for a British cozy mystery. Some of the so-called class distinctions are a bit hard to understand when you’re not raised in that culture.

What I find most interesting (and involves a lot of research) are the protocols and etiquettes involved in this structured society. Being of more “common” origins myself, I can relate to the people who must work for a living a bit more than the titled/wealthy by birth sect. I’ve had to dissect the noble hierarchy, learning the titles and distinctions, including how to address someone with a title, who must bow or curtsy, and yes, we even have to worry about foods that are served in the stories (ie the queen does not like garlic). Class gives no distinction however, as to who ends up as a victim, or a murderer…

Enjoy the cozy life!

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Veronica Cline Barton earned graduate degrees in both engineering and business and has had successful careers in the software and technology industries. Her lifelong love affair with British cozy murder mysteries inspired her to embark on a literary career. The Crown for Castlewood Manor is the first book in the My American Almost Royal Cousin Series, followed by Cast, Crew, & Carnage; the Filming of Castlewood Manor and Deadly Receptions. When not traveling and spinning mystery yarns, she lives in California with her husband, Bruce, and her two cats, Daisy and Ebbie.

Blog: https://myamericanalmostroyalcousinseries.com

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DEADLY RECEPTIONS: The Debut of Castlewood Manor, Veronica Cline Barton

The stakes have never been higher for American heiress Gemma Lancaster Phillips, now firmly ensconced as both resident and employee of her ancestral estate, Cherrywood Hall. Together with her cousin Evan, 8th Marquess of Kentshire, and her boyfriend Kyle, the estate manager, Gemma wants nothing more than to pull off the royal wedding of the season while planning the premiere and U.S. tour for the period drama series, Castlewood Manor, and attending the Telly Tiara awards show.

But an ex-love threatens Gemma’s and Kyle’s relationship, while the reveal of explosive secrets has the potential to shatter Gemma’s relationship with her cousin and her future at Cherrywood Hall.

Jealousy and revenge mix with royal drama, power plays and scandal as the Tellys grow closer—with deadly results. Will Gemma, with the help of Scotland Yard, be able to put a stop to the mayhem? Or will the wedding, the tour, the Tellys—and Gemma’s life—be ruined?

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