Cozy vs. Crazy

As the author of the Tarot Cat Mysteries, the Georgia B&B Mysteries, and the Black Cat Bookshop Mysteries, I definitely qualify as a cozy mystery author. We’re talking sleuthing cats, earnest female amateur detectives, quirky independent shops:  the cozy mystery trifecta!  But popular as the subgenre is, you long-time readers know that cozy mysteries don’t always get the respect they should. Naysayers—often found among the ranks of the hardboiled mystery and thriller authors—claim that we wrap crime in pretty scrapbooking paper, that we trivialize murder.

I say that the “nays” have it wrong.

Cozies focus on characters and community. The murder may take place offstage—and sometimes, with an offbeat weapon—but the cozy mystery victim is rarely dismissed as simply another corpse. We show the human side of violent death, and how the victim’s passing affects the characters around them. That’s something often glossed over by hardboiled writers (I like to call them the “crazy” authors) whose fictional victims tend to be nameless faceless characters who no one mourns.

That said, we cozy authors do have a sense of humor about our work.  Because of that, I’d like to present my personal top ten list of reasons why I think it’s better to be a cozy mystery author than a crazy one. So here you go!

10) Cat hair is an expected addition to your professional wardrobe.

9)   Your readers mail you cute stuffed animals in little gift bags, not bloody body parts wrapped in butcher paper.

8)   Your Google searches don’t automatically trigger visits from the FBI/CIA/NSA.

7)   You can actually smile in your author photo.

6)   Your readers make suggestions about your next book in the series.

5)   Your book covers have cats on them…even if the actual mysteries don’t.

4)   You get to include recipes and craft tips in your books if you want to.

3)   You can wear cat ears at writers’ conferences, and no one thinks you’re weird.

2)   Readers sometimes cry when YOUR characters get murdered.

And the Number One reason it’s better to be a cozy writer than a crazy writer…

1)   Your spouse doesn’t constantly have people whispering to them that if they ever go missing, everyone will be sure to give the police YOUR name.

Which is your favorite of my top ten reasons…or do you have one of your own to add to my list? Comment below for a chance to win an eBook of my short story collection, WHO’S BEHIND THE DOOR?

 Want to learn more about our author Diane A.S. Stuckart? Visit her WEBSITE.

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