New Book on the Block

It's here!

Killer Listing, second in the Darby Farr Mystery Series, is shipping a little ahead of its "due" date, but hey, who's counting? It is a thrill to hold a new book in one's hands, and even better to sit down, open it up, and start to read it --- and discover that you are hooked. Even though you composed every word, know the scary bad guys, and went over it page after page, so many times...

My official launch party will be April 8th at the Owl and Turtle Bookstore in Camden, Maine. My first mystery outsold The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo there, so small wonder this little shop is a top fave! All are welcome, and I'd love to see you there.

Even though this book is still "en route" to most of my readers, it has already pulled its weight as far as I'm concerned. Just like my protagonist, Darby Farr, I sell real estate, and right now I'm in the middle of a particularly tricky sale of a spectacular oceanfront home set to close at the end of the month. In a strange turn of events, Killer Listing is helping to seal the deal.

That's a story for another time, and I promise you I'll tell it. But for now, join me in welcoming the second in my series. Dreams do come true, and I'm thankful every day to be living mine.

Cheers!

Writing the Not-So-Cozy

Mayhem, murder, and million dollar properties...throw in a red-hot Realtor dodging danger (and closing deals) on Maine's craggy coast, and you have my first murder mystery, set to launch on April 1st. It's suspenseful -- and scary. But is it a cozy? I ddin't think so, until I read my review in Publishers Weekly.

The good folks at that worthy publication liked A House to Die For (thank you, writing Gods!) and called it "an appealing cozy." Huh? That description surprised me -- I thought I had cooked up a soft-boiled suspense novel. Had I really written a bona-fide cozy? Or penned something in between? Or maybe a merger of the two? And did it really matter?

Traditionally, cozy mysteries feature amateur sleuths, usually in small towns or villages, as well as recurring, generally likeable, characters. Violence occurs offstage, and profanity and explicit sex are taboo. Cozies emphasize strong plots and puzzle solving, and are seen as fun, engaging, reads that often revolve around a theme.

For me, a novice mystery writer, the term "cozy" conjured up a specific image: fluffy slippers, knitted afghans, and steaming cups of cocoa by a fire. To my way of thinking, a cozy did not make you squirm in your comfy position on the couch.

Gentle reader, I was selling this subgenre short. Romance -- suspense-- crime -- noir -- humor -- all can be modifiers for the complex cozy. And mine? I hope you'll read it and share your opinion. In the meantime, thanks for welcoming me to Midnight Ink and Inkspot.