LET’S GET COZY! (and never have to say goodbye)

September 1, 2022 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

LET’S GET COZY!

(and never have to say goodbye)

By Christina Hamlett

Whenever I have neared the finish line of a new book and realized I’d be typing “The End,” there’s a certain sadness that it’s also the end of my relationship with the characters I’ve brought to life. Did they live happily ever after? Did their marriage produce impossibly cute and well-mannered children? I even wonder what my villains did after they served their sentences. Did prison reform them or did they simply find new misdeeds to pursue?

It’s not just my own books which induce mild melancholy. Who among us hasn’t finished a really compelling novel and discovered its author hasn’t written anything else?

My expectation of neverending stories was honed in childhood by the adventures of Nancy Drew—quite likely the first definition of what we now call “cozy mysteries.” Although each edition could have been a standalone, I was thrilled that they weren’t. As soon as I saved my allowance to buy the next one, I could continue my vicarious friendship with Nancy, Ned, Bess and George. Even Nancy’s dad and their longsuffering housekeeper, Hannah Gruen, assured that life in River Heights would never grow stagnant or, worse, go away altogether.

It has been my enjoyment of cozy mysteries as an adult—most notably those by authors such as Rhys Bowen, Kate Carlisle, Laura Childs, Sonia Parin—which recently prompted me to launch a new cozy mystery series of my own and set in the UK. This particular subset of the crime genre is for anyone who enjoys playing armchair detective but who doesn’t want to be so shaken by the details of grisly murders that they henceforth have to sleep with the lights on.

The rules of cozy mysteries are not only straightforward but also surprisingly pleasant. Let’s take a look.

AMATEUR SLEUTHS

The recurring protagonist in a cozy can be any age (J.B. Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote, would qualify) and have any career which suits their interests/talents (i.e., writer, librarian, cake shop owner). Although not professionally associated with a police department, amateur sleuths often share their observations regarding the case du jour with friends/acquaintances who are in law enforcement. Along with present-day, popular timeframes include late 19th century, 1920s, 1930s and the 1960s.

OFFSTAGE OFFENSES

Whatever deadly deeds are done, they happen outside the reader’s line of sight. Nor are they horrible or heinous to our sensibilities. In A Little Larceny in Lynmouth, the landlady is dispatched with a box of poisoned chocolates. In A Little Scandal in St. Andrews, a sleazy photographer is whacked on the head with a golf club. In my upcoming A Little Drama in Dunster, part of a theatre set topples over backstage. Cozy readers, however, are never witness to the crime as it’s being committed; they learn about it at the same time as the protagonist who commits to solving it.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Cozy mysteries usually unfold in small towns and villages versus major cities. While the UK easily lends itself to this motif, other popular settings include coastal communities, wine country valleys, New England townships, seasonal resorts/lodges, rural neighborhoods and islands. The rationale for this is that these settings provide a finite mix of locals and visitors and, thus, narrow down the suspects list. That these tableaus also embrace a more laid-back and insular lifestyle means that everything becomes frenetic once a crime unexpectedly occurs.

BALANCING ACT

The biggest challenge in any type of series fiction is revisiting the elements which hooked readers the first time and introducing fresh content to keep their attention. You must also never assume your readers will read the books in the same chronological order you originally published them. Spoiler alert!!! This is especially true if in Book #7 you reference an event from Book #1 and inadvertently reveal how it got resolved.

HUMOR AND ROMANCE

Since cozies represent the lighter side of mystery fiction, humor is absolutely acceptable. The main characters in cozies often have flaws, make goofy mistakes and find themselves in awkward circumstances of their own doing. It only makes them more endearing to the fans who identify with them. It’s also not common for the lead characters in today’s cozies to be in romantic relationships. (For my own series, the continuity thread is whether Jon and Rochelle’s amourousness and sexy banter will one day lead to the altar.) Another popular trend in cozies is to have middle-aged or older amateur sleuths who are widowed or divorced and starting to navigate a dating pool which makes no sense to them.

DID SOMEONE SAY FOOD?

Lastly, a number of modern cozies build their plots around food. Whether the protagonist runs a B&B, has a cooking show, is a wedding caterer, teaches culinary arts, etc., readers not only enjoy seeing what fictional characters are eating but also get excited to discover these same recipes printed at the end of the book. My own approach is slightly different. Since my fictional characters enjoy gourmet cooking and fine dining as much as my husband and I do, I always make a point to send them to restaurants which actually exist and have them order items which can be found on their websites’ own menus.

“I don’t know why I always feel so hungry when I finish one of your books,” a friend told me. Now she knows. And so do you.

*****

Former actress and director Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author whose credits to date include 46 books, 266 stage plays and squillions of articles. She is also a script consultant for stage and screen and a professional ghostwriter. www.authorhamlett.com.

A Little Scandal in St. Andrews (available as ebook and paperback):

Against the storied and majestic backdrop of Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews, Scotland, one of golfing’s most prestigious events is attracting spectators from around the world. This year it has also attracted a thief and a murderer…or are they the same person? Whatever hopes Rochelle Reid had for catching some cozy R&R on a working Highlands holiday with her boyfriend are quickly disrupted by an unscrupulous photographer, getting tasked to entertain a Saudi prince’s sheltered wife and being pursued by an Italian playboy. Then again, it’s all par for the course when one includes amateur sleuthing among her skill sets.