What IS a Cozy Mystery?, FREE eBook on Writing

Click here to listen to the recording of today's blog post, What IS a Cozy Mystery.

Welcome, Spring!
"Spring has sprung, the grass is riz.
I wonder where the flowers iz."
My mother used to say this silly poem every spring! 

Hello and welcome to the JQ Rose blog. Thank you for stopping in today.

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose

What IS a Cozy Mystery? by J.Q. Rose

When my romantic suspense novel, Dangerous Sanctuary, was first released, I received this review from Susan B. "It was a delightful cozy, with some romance, some religion, and lots of mystery. This novel has an interesting cast of characters, humorous situations, and was filled with surprises."

As I read the review, I wondered how many readers had heard of a cozy mystery. How many writers? For sure, when I began writing Dangerous Sanctuary, formerly published as Coda to Murder, I wasn't thinking "cozy mystery." I just wanted to write what I like to read. 

I like stories with 
▶ a mystery and some humor, 
▶ a strong female protagonist, 
▶ not a lot of blood and gore, 
▶ and some sweet romance. 

I had to research police procedures for my novel, Dangerous Sanctuary.

I didn't choose a main character who was in law enforcement mainly because I have no experience with police methods.  Because there was a crime committed in my story, I had to research a few procedures. Thank goodness my neighbor was a policeman and a valuable resource.

Until I received Susan's review I never even considered I had written a cozy mystery! I definitely began looking into the elements needed to fit the qualifications for a cozy mystery. Author Kassandra Lamb has lots of mysteries to choose from at amazon. She listed the following points on her Cozy Thrills Facebook page.

Criteria for a Cozy Mystery by Kassandra Lamb

1. Amateur sleuth (although may have significant other who is a P.I. or police officer)
2. Something (setting, main character's vocation, etc.) is different and interesting (think Cabot Cove/Murder She Wrote).
3. Crimes happen, usually murder, but minimal on-screen violence and no gory descriptions
4. Sex is off-screen
5. The community where the story is set is often an integral part of the story.

Click here to read the article, What Makes a Cozy Just That at The Cozy Mystery List website.

You're welcome to add another cozy element to the list by leaving a comment below.

If you enjoy reading cozies, please check out books from my author friends, Susan Bernhardt and Marsha R. West.

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Romance and Mystery Authors On Writing
Compiled by J.Q. Rose

If you are a romance or mystery writer, find helpful tips on writing, publishing and marketing from fifteen experienced talented authors, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing. 

Request a FREE e-copy at jqrose02 at gmail dot com.

National Gardening Exercise Day, June Anniversaries

Dad

Mom

 June is here-- the month of June brides. My parents 77th anniversary is today. I hope they're celebrating in Heaven.

Our daughter Sara and her hubby celebrate their anniversary on  June 10.

Our anniversary is June 14. Thank goodness it's Flag Day too. So when Gardener Ted sees the flags flying on Main Street, he knows it's anniversary time!

Gardener Ted and JQ

Hello and Welcome to the J.Q. Rose Blog

Not only is June the month of brides, it's also a month for gardens.

In fact, today, June 6 is National Gardening Exercise Day. Whether you love gardening to grow 

vegetables and/or flowers. You'll get plenty of exercise.

Gardener Ted's vegetable garden

According to the holiday insights website, "It's good for the mind, body, and soul. Gardening Exercise Day gives us an opportunity to go out and burn off calories and have fun doing it. National Gardening Exercise Day is intended to recognize the important physical health benefits of gardening."

My friend and cozy mystery author, Susan Bernhardt, captured what gardening means to her in her blog post this week. Take a peek at it here. 

          Author Susan Bernhardt

If you are thinking about trying to grow a  garden or if you already have a vegetable garden started, you may want to pick up some quick tips on gardening. Gardener Ted and I co-wrote a helpful resource for gardening. His experience in gardening and my experience in writing combined to give you helpful information. To download a sample or to purchase Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening, click the book cover below.

Seeds of Inspiration Mystery Author Susan Bernhardt, Giveaway

Welcome mystery author Susan Bernhardt to the Seeds of Inspiration Spring Event!. Susan is giving away her mystery, the Ginseng Conspiracy. I read this book this winter and it certainly kept me guessing. Lots of twists in it. If you like to figure out a mystery puzzle, you'll enjoy this read. Be sure to leave a comment to enter the drawing to win the book! Deadline for entering is Sunday at 12:01 a.m. EDT.

Susan Bernhardt is an author living in Wisconsin. Like Kay Driscoll in her cozy mystery, The Ginseng Conspiracy, Susan is a retired public health nurse who volunteers at her local free clinic. An avid reader of mysteries, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, Inc. Her other published works include "October 31st", "Midsummer", and "John and Madeline."

 Susan's town in northern Wisconsin was an inspiration for the quaint setting of her novel. She lives with her husband, William, and has two sons, Peter and David.

When not writing, Susan loves to travel, bicycle, kayak, and create culinary magic in her kitchen. She works in stained-glass, daydreams in her organic garden, stays up late reading mysteries, and eats lots of chocolate.

Visit Susan on the web at the Susan Bernhardt Website.

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A Personal Challenge by Susan Bernhardt

I have been an avid reader of mysteries from the time I was a young girl reading the Nancy Drew series. One of my favorite cozy mystery authors is M.C. Beaton. She writes the Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth series. Several years ago while reading one of her novels, I thought I could do this...I could write a cozy mystery. And that moment was my seed of Inspiration. It was a personal challenge.

I came up with the idea of writing about ginseng. Ninety-five percent of American cultivated ginseng is grown in Wisconsin where I live. Living close to a college, I decided that a professor who was researching the local ginseng crop, would discover some alarming findings in the analysis of the ginseng samples resulting in his murder.

I draw from real life experiences so I decided that the protagonist would be Kay Driscoll a newcomer to Sudbury Falls who volunteered at her local free clinic, much like I was a newcomer to an insular town in northern Wisconsin and also volunteered at the local free clinic.

When I decided to indeed write this cozy mystery, I took several writing courses over two years. I joined writing groups and wrote a manuscript that I revised five times before enlisting my son, Peter and friend, Lorenzo to be co-editors of my cozy mystery. I queried a number of agents and then decided to go directly to publishing houses. I queried MuseItUp Publishing. They accepted my manuscript, and the rest is history.

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Back of the Cover of The Ginseng Conspiracy:

On her way to attend a Halloween Ball, Kay Driscoll, a newcomer to town, witnesses the murder of a local professor. When the official coroner's report rules the cause of death to be accidental and the community accepts the judgement, Kay decides to uncover the truth for herself. Through her personal investigations, Kay exposes a complex conspiracy, woven deep within the thriving local ginseng industry, that involves some of the more prominent figures and families of Sudbury Falls.

With her new friends, the free-spirited herbalist Deirdre and the untamed modern woman Elizabeth, Kay discusses new clues over tea and pastries at Sweet Marissa's Patisserie, their crime-fighting headquarters. As Kay gets closer to the heart of the conspiracy, additional murders happen in quick succession. Before long, Kay learns that the villains are gunning for her, too. Phil, her musically talented but preoccupied husband, determined to keep her safe, withholds from her the one thing she needs most: the truth.

Buy Links for The Ginseng Conspiracy by Susan Bernhardt:

Amazon:  

Barnes andNoble:

MuseItUpPublishing:  

I had no idea ginseng was grown in Wisconsin. Did you? Do you have a crop, a product, a landmark, a famous person (besides you) in your area? Leave a comment here and tell us about it. Your comment will automatically enter you in the drawing to win Susan's cozy mystery.