By Liz, happy to have Rob Osler on the blog today! Rob is the author of the Hayden & Friends Mysteries – and the first, Devil’s Chew Toy, was nominated for multiple awards. The second in the series, Cirque du Slay, is out now.
Cozy readers, like readers of any genre, have certain expectations when picking up a book in the genre. We all know the “cozy” qualities: amateur sleuth, light-hearted tone, and no steamy sex, F-bombs, or bloody violence. “A fun escape from the relentless negativity of the news” is how a cozy reader might describe their preference for the genre. For others, a cozy’s sidestepping of life’s heavy topics might offer a few pages of respite from the laundry or another reason to put off washing the dog. All good, all fair, all understandable.
However, many cozies—is it fair to say most?—feature a main character who is straight, white, and resides in a smaller town. The life experience of a character who fits that description, while admittedly broad, is a framework nonetheless. And that framing shapes the character’s life experience. So what happens when a cozy features a main character who is not that?
My Hayden & Friends Mysteries series features a gay amateur sleuth, Hayden McCall. As an author, I have an interest in writing authentic characters. And so, bringing my gay gumshoe onto the page requires that I invite all of him into the story. That his life experience is different from a straight person’s is undeniable. Although Hayden is a pretty happy chap, as a contemporary person living in America who identifies as LGBTQ+, his everyday life experience is materially different than that of a straight person. Hayden lives in a society where a significant percentage of the population doesn’t believe he is entitled to equal rights. Messy! So, do I leave out?
Hayden enjoys drag shows (sidenote: I’m a huge fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race). Meanwhile, people in his community are protesting drag shows for silly reasons. Do I avoid any mention of that? Hayden is also a public middle-school teacher. Residents of his city have called good and honorable teachers like him “groomers,” suggesting they’re coercing straight children to be gay. Do I have Hayden look the other way?
My question to you is this: where is the line between authenticity and cozy red flags when you have a character who doesn’t fit the classic cozy mold? Mind you, I’m not suggesting that Hayden’s grappling with troubling issues swirling around him be the book’s focus. Indeed, that would drive the story out of cozy territory in a heartbeat. But does the genre demand his real-life experience be ignored? You know my answer: no.
Ultimately, Hayden’s humanity defines him more than his sexual orientation. Like any other multidimensional character, he has ambitions, hobbies, fears, vulnerabilities, insecurities, the list goes on. My hope as an author is that Hayden’s big heart, humor, and tenacity make him lovable and that the mystery entertains readers, both gay, straight, and anything in between.
Moreover, I hope readers enjoy getting to experience, if only for some three hundred pages, the world from a different perspective. After all, isn’t that what reading fiction is all about?
So? Is there a bright light that must not be crossed when considering bringing real-world themes into the cozy genre? Is there something to the notion that the cozy rules accommodate certain life experiences more than others? Does the cozy genre have room for everyone?
Readers, what do you think? Tell us in the comments.
The Wickeds 
I certainly hope the genre has room for everyone, Rob, including Hayden and his experiences! I’m glad you’ve brought him into our lives. Best of luck with Cirque du Slay – I can’t wait to read it.
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Welcome Rob. As you know I enjoy reading about Hayden and his friends, especially his authentic self. I hope the genre has room for all.
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I love your books, Rob. And Hayden. I was told over and over that I had to change my books because they weren’t “cozy” enough, but I believe one of the reasons we all read is to learn about different people and places and ways of living and points of view, so I feel your “make-over” of this genre only makes it better.
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I totally agree-well put
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Personally, I think as long as it has the initial cozy criteria (like you mentioned – amateur sleuth, light-hearted tone, and no steamy sex, F-bombs, or bloody violence), then I’m all in. Life shouldn’t be about I’m right and you’re wrong and it can’t be. Just as there are types of cozies I’d like author’s to explore for me to read, there are also different points of few I’d love them to write through making for a more diverse reading experinece.
Having been a clown and my love of circus’, has me looking forward to the opportunity to read “Cirque du Slay”, which is now most definitely on my TBR list.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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Welcome, Rob! I hope cozies have room for everyone and I think more and more writers are stretching the boundaries.
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People who only want their own experience and world view reflected in the books they read baffle me. What is the point of reading but to go beyond your own experience? To go places you’ll never go, meet people you’ll never meet, and in this case, go inside the heads of people whose lived experience is different from your own. I do understand that readers who pick up a cozy are often looking for comfort but they aren’t looking to be bored to death with the same story and characters over and over.
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Amen, sister!
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100 percent spot on!
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Thanks for this post. I think this is a very good question and I have to say that for some cozy readers a LGBTQIA main character is a deal breaker, and that’s their loss. I had not heard of your book and now I’m looking forward to reading it. I agree with Barbara I want to read outside of my own experience. When it comes to cozies, I prefer diversity and there is a lot of space for new stories!
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Can’t think why a gay sleuth would be a deal breaker any more than a female sleuth or a male sleuth, or an Asian sleuth, or even the feline sleuths who populate several of my favorite cozies. The genre is like a good pair of yoga pants. It stretches to hold everyone. What’s most important that the conventions of the cozy genre are honored. No sex or violence on the page. Diverse sleuths make for more interesting reading.
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I think this part of your post is important: “Mind you, I’m not suggesting that Hayden’s grappling with troubling issues swirling around him be the book’s focus. Indeed, that would drive the story out of cozy territory in a heartbeat.” Yes. I think there is room for everyone, but it’s a cozy MYSTERY and the mystery should not be shouldered aside as an afterthought. Otherwise, admit you (not you specifically, the generic “you”) are writing something else – not a cozy mystery.
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I haven’t read your books (yet) but do believe in inclusive characters for the cozy genre. As a cis white woman, I enjoy books that include people of different races, religions, cultures and gender assignments. I look forward to meeting your characters!
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Wow! The truth is that I enjoy reading cozy mysteries with a lead character that I can like and understand well. If I encounter a book that advertises something different, I just don’t pick it up. I fully understand that not everyone is like me. Occasionally I have read books in which the character is from another culture. I just don’t enjoy them as much. Since I read cozies for pleasure, I want to enjoy them as much as possible. It’s fine that other readers enjoy other kinds of books. That is fine for them, and I think that we can all be friends. I hope so! There is room for all of us in this world.
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As a white, straight, and old woman, I am always delighted when the sleuth is different from me. It pleases me to no end to learn about different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. The more I learn, the more open-minded I am, and thus, enjoy more of the world around me. Looking forward to meeting Hayden.
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How true Ginny!
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Welcome to the blog Rob! I love that we have so many rich points of view in today’s “cozies”. (Could we make “feel good” genre the new term?). And your books are terrific. Congratulations on Cirque du Slay. That title still kills me.
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I think cozies do have room for everyone – that’s one of the reasons I love reading them so much. I love to read books with different types of characters – not just the standard characters. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
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