Let's Talk with Nancy J. Cohen

My interest in mysteries evolved from reading Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, and Judy Bolton when I was young. I learned important writing lessons from each of these series. Nancy Drew had exciting adventures in each volume, but she never changed. Her world stayed essentially the same except for a new mystery in each book.

In contrast, Judy Bolton’s life progressed. She got married. She kept solving mysteries. But her life seemed more real because her relationships evolved. This engaged me more fully as a reader as I became invested in her crime-solving adventures as well as her personal development.

As for Cherry Ames, her caring nature inspired me to become a registered nurse. I went on to earn a master’s degree in nursing and worked for ten years at this career, retiring three weeks before my son was born. By this time, I had written several unpublished novels, acknowledging my driving need to write stories. I began to write full-time in between changing diapers and managing a household with my husband. Fortunately, he was supportive of my choices.

In the late 1980s, I joined Florida Romance Writers, met my first agent at a conference, and then sold my first series to Dorchester Publishing. I went on to sell to Kensington, Wild Rose Press and Five Star (Gale/Cengage). My first works were sci-fi/fantasy romances set on other worlds. But then I began weaving a mystery into each story until my agent asked why didn’t I write a straight mystery?

While seeking a series idea that hadn’t been done before, I went to get a perm. Waiting for the timer to go off, I peered at the other women staring into space and thought, “We need something gripping to read to kill time. Why not kill off one of these ladies?”

In 1999, I launched the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring hairstylist and salon owner Marla Shore. These books have won numerous awards and are still going strong with Dreidels and Dead Ends, book #19, debuting on June 23. I’ve also begun a new series with Murder Pays a Call, book #1 in the personal concierge Keri Armstrong mysteries.

In total, I’ve published over 30 titles, including A Bad Hair Day Cookbook, which earned the IAN Book of the Year Award and the FAPA President’s Book Award.

But that’s not all. Back in the day when I wrote for Kensington, cozy writers weren’t getting the respect they deserved, nor was there much on the market about how to write in this subgenre. Wishing to fill this gap and to promote the cozy genre, I wrote my Agatha Award nominated reference guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery. This title also won the FAPA President’s Book Award and the Royal Palm Literary Award.

When I’m not busy writing, I am reading, enjoying lunch with friends, visiting Disney World, sailing away on a Caribbean cruise, or playing with my grandkids.

What You Don’t Know

I was a serious student of ballet and attended Interlochen Center for the Arts for two summers. Another summer, I did the Barbizon School of Modeling in New York City. I’ve traveled widely, to the South Pacific, Orient, Europe, the British Isles, and elsewhere. But the best experience ever is being with family, and this core value sustains my fictional worlds.

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Readers, what did you learn about Nancy? Is there a parallel to your life? She’d love to read your thoughts!