Rose Kerr, author of Death of an Antiquarian, a Mia Reid, Archaeologist mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to share with us why she writes cozy mysteries.

Welcome, Rose. I’ll turn the floor over to you –

When I tell people I’m an author, they automatically assume I write romance. I’m not sure why, maybe I look like a romance author? There’s nothing wrong with writing romance, there are quite a few I enjoy, but right now I’m enjoying writing mystery and murder. Never say never…

Anyway, I explain that I write cozy mysteries. And a lot of the time I get a puzzled look from the person I’m talking to.

Depending on the age of the person, I’ll either tell them “It’s like Murder, She Wrote” or “grown up Nancy Drew”.  Most of the time you can see the light bulb moment happen.

I like reading and writing cozy mysteries for a lot of reasons. Let me know if my reasons are the same as yours.

First are the characters. Cozy mysteries generally have a cast of characters that follow through the series. There’s your main character. Usually, but not always, a woman. Her best friend, and this can be either male or female. Followed by the police detective or law enforcement of some kind. And possibly a love interest as well. The main character may have a slew of other people who are part of her “gang” or “posse”. These can be co-workers, friends, family, or even frenemies.

Most of the characters are likeable, but there can be a few that are quirky. Those quirky characteristics make the characters stand out and bring a kick to the story.

In my Mia Reid, Archaeologist, Series, Mia is the main character and Luke Forbes is the law enforcement and love interest for Mia. There’s also Mia’s Gran, Marie Tremblay, who’s been a big influence in Mia’s life. Alex Bennett is Mia’s best friend and she’s been a steadying influence throughout their friendship.

Animals in cozies. Often authors will include dogs, cats, goats, parrots, fish, and pigs in the series. Animals help make our characters more human. Most readers look forward to animals in their books. In Death of An Antiquarian, I’ve introduced Cleo. She’s Gran’s Maine Coon cat and is quite regal. Mia isn’t able to take care of a pet and I felt that the coziness of a pet was missing. Mia’s at Gran’s often, so she gets to interact with Cleo.

In Death of An Antiquarian, I’ve included some new characters. Some from the Lakeview Museum and some associated with Timeless Treasures.

Second is the setting. Most cozies take place in small towns. Why small towns? Because everyone knows everyone. I’ve lived in small towns and can attest to that. If there isn’t a new story floating around town, just wait half a day and there will be! A small town setting is easily contained. The reader gets to know everyone in the town through the series.

Most settings have a coffee shop, bookstore, library, town hall, restaurants. Those locations often play a role in the mystery.

Death of An Antiquarian is set in Lakeview City, Ontario. It’s a large city with smaller neighborhoods throughout. The location where this story is set is between the Lakeview City Museum where Mia works and Timeless Treasures, Mr. Fraser’s antique store. I’ve given the setting a cozier feel by keeping it central to a few locations.

Then there’s the mystery. The puzzle to be solved. Often there’s a murder. But any violence takes place off the page. So there’s no gore or blood to deal with. Readers want to know who did it and why they did it. It’s not enough to know the who, we all want the reason behind it.

And finally, cozy mysteries provide readers with an escape from the real world while they’re reading them. You can fall into the story and try to solve it as you read. Most books are written with red herrings and clues dropped along the way for readers to follow. I love it when I can figure out who did it before the end of the book. Sometimes, figuring out the why takes until the end.

As a writer, I enjoy working out the plot, developing the characters, and building the setting. Check out my other blog post on this tour for my writing process!

Thanks for reading this far.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Rose, and good luck with Death of an Antiquarian, the latest book in the Mia Reid, Archaeologist mystery series. Readers can learn more about Rose Kerr by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Pinterest and Instagram pages.

The book is available online at the following online retailers:

 Amazon  Barnes and Noble    Kobo    Bookshop.org

About Rose Kerr: Retired in Southern Ontario with her husband, Rose spends her days crafting mysteries featuring strong, smart women who use their resourcefulness to solve crimes. When she’s not writing, she enjoys discovering the hidden gems of the region and indulging her lifelong curiosity.