The thing that sets the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mysteries apart from others in the genre is the father-daughter sleuthing team. Alex, still just a teen, is impetuous and always charging ahead. Her dad, Rick, is more methodical and works cooperatively with the police due to his crime-reporter background. There’s a lot of family dynamics in these books and there’s always a positive message.

My hairstylist sleuth has a caring nature that compels her to help people. Guilt over past mistakes also propels her to solve crimes and seek justice. She does her sleuthing in between coloring and cutting her clients’ hair. The salon background is a fun setting that almost everyone has experienced.

Most cozies have a protagonist who is an excellent baker, chef, or craftsperson. When it comes to eating, Sarah Blair makes reservations or does take-out. Her good china is paper plates. And she absolutely hates crafts. She is the typical woman that readers can identify with which is what makes the series unique and appealing.

I believe the assurance of justice served and the return to a settled world is the major appeal to cozy readers. Also, the comfort of a known formula – no violence, no intimacy, no foul language on the page is essential to committed readers. Cozy readers are devoted and voracious. This is a wonderful environment for both publishers and authors!

My cozy mysteries feature positive, independent women who run their own businesses. They don’t need a love interest to be fulfilled, but they won’t say no to having a man in their lives, either. And all of them understand the importance of friends and community, having no immediate family nearby for support. I think these go-getter “everywoman” characters appeal to readers of all ages and lifestyles. 

By the time I landed on cozies as my genre, there were so many crafty ones that I sought a fresh approach. So, I wrote a series about an accountant who vented her divorce frustrations on the golf course. That set me on the path of being a non-traditional cozy writer. Since then, I’ve written about psychic sleuths with limitations, a catering sleuth, reporter sleuths, and finally a fish-out-of-water Christmas shop sleuth. People who like one series often enjoy them all.

When I was asked to write the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, I read dozens of books in the sub-genre of crafting mysteries. In each one, the sleuth was either a shop owner, a member of a crafting group, or a full-time crafter. Each series centered on one specific craft. Because I didn’t want to compete with well-established authors and their series, I made Anastasia the crafts editor at a women’s magazine and feature a different craft in each book.