We are all writing mysteries, so there is a bit of an ominous note in our novels. But nevertheless, our characters have fun. Wickeds, how do your characters have fun in your different series?
Liz: I love this question Julie! We don’t think about having fun enough, in my opinion. In my Cat Cafe series, Maddie James is a closet singer – she’s got a talent for sure, and it manifests itself in her constant quest for the right musician boyfriend. When she starts dating Lucas, the dog groomer/musician, she gets an opportunity to show off her talents for the first time at one of his shows and she has a blast. She’s probably going to need to start having regular singing gigs to balance out the murders in town 🙂
Edith: Late 1880s Quaker midwife Rose Carroll has fun with her pal, Bertie Winslow. In one book, Bertie lends Rose a pair of bloomers and convinces her to ride their horses (astride, not sidesaddle) to Salisbury Beach for the day. Other times they take a picnic to the lake, or eat a meal together. In the Cozy Capers Book Group series, Mac has a great time with her little niece, Cokey, who can brighten up any scene. And Robbie Jordan has fun riding her bike with her friend Lou and doing hard crossword puzzles!
Sherry: Sarah, as you all probably know, has fun going to garage sales and running them. She’s so lucky to have a job that she thinks is fun! In The Gun Also Rises she’s really excited to be pricing a collection of mystery books for a wealthy widow. She always complains about going to karaoke with Stella Wild but to tell you the truth I think she secretly enjoys singing. Sarah also likes to spend time with her friend Carol at Paint and Wine or as Sarah calls it Paint and Whine. Overall, she has a pretty positive outlook on life even with all the adversity Sarah has faced.
Barb: In Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody, Jane’s good friend Phyllis has decided Jane should vet her internet dates and has created a combined dating profile. About it, Jane thinks, “In combination, she had to admit she and Phyllis were quite the catch. Phyllis had listed their interests: gardening and travel (Jane’s), along with gourmet cooking and golf (Phyllis’s) and, of course, bridge (both). She’d left off a few hobbies, such as watching trashy daytime television (Phyllis’s) and butting into other people’s lives (now apparently Jane’s).”
Julie: Liz, I agree with you. Fun is underrated! In my Theater Cop series, Sully Sullivan has fun hanging out at the Beef & Ale and testing out the latest fries concoctions her friend Gene has come up with. Sully is still a bit of a workaholic, so she needs to work on fun. Of course, she works in theater so fun is built in a bit. In the Garden Squad series, Lilly, Tamara, Ernie and Delia have fun doing the guerrilla gardening projects they decide to tackle. This answer makes me think I need to add more fun for them!
Readers: What do you do for fun? What do you think of fun in your mysteries?
What? My characters are supposed to have fun? They all seem to be too busy working and solving murders. Does romance count as fun? Maybe it’s time to give someone a new kitten.
LOL. Romance should count as fun, but we like to throw rocks in that path as well, don’t we?
A kitten would definitely give a character some fun, and a few needed laughs in the middle of solving a mystery.
I like the cozy mysteries I read to have fun; otherwise, it would be too grim, and much easier to put the book down and not pick it up again.
Love to travel to places we have never been before. Fun to me is to take photographs trying to capture what my eye sees of all God’s beauty.
I think the fun in cozies is what makes the cozy. Without it, you would just have another stark reality murder. It’s the fun characters that endure us to a series and their quirky habits or attitudes that make us want to travel with them along the road to finding the whodunit. 🙂
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I love to travel as well. My photographs never do justice to a pla e, but they help me remember.
And I agree, there is an inherent fun in the genre that sets it apsrt.
For myself, I like to read these days. I like going to a show or the symphony (although The Hubby isn’t fond of the latter so I don’t do it often). And we like going to the movies.
Jim Duncan would be found outdoors, usually fishing. Left to her own devices, Sally might opt for a day at the spa, but a day on the boat with Jim and his dog is fun, too.
Fishing and boating are great fun, and a wonderful setting for your books. Regarding going to s show or a symphony, they’re on my list as well!
I have loads of interests and I try to enjoy them all – way too many to go into here.
I want my mystery protagonists and their acquaintances to have fun. As Kay says, without some fun, it ain’t a cozy! Laughter, some silliness, some just letting go is so important to life. I want the cozies to provide a little of that.
A great point and one I am going to think more about as I write.
Ah, fun – I run, scuba dive, and swim.
I love when my mystery characters have fun, it makes them well rounded people I can relate to. All sleuthing and no fun makes protagonists dull folks!
I’ve always wanted to try scuba diving. I agree, all sleuthing makes protagonists dull folks. (she says, furiously adding fun scenes to her outline)
Fun: Reading, ultimate Frisbee, mud runs. Hanging out with friends. Traveling.
And if what a character does in a book is something I consider fun, you’d better believe I am going to read that book.
Glad for all our sakes that you consider reading fun! I’m writing a 10K in my current WIP, but maybe I need to do a mud run next. Hhhmmm
Yes, I do think you need to add a mud run. 🙂
What a great question. Our characters spend so much time solving murders that it leaves little time for fun. Luckily for my protagonist, Louisiana’s a fun-loving state and there’s always some kind of celebration going on in Pelican. And any time she spends with her grand-mere is a good time!
Setting does add to the fun possibilities, doesn’t it? NOLA is a great place for fun, that’s for sure!
Reading, lunch with friends, doing jigsaw puzzles, gardening, and making greeting cards. I love reading what the cozy sleuths are doing.
What a perfect list!