Cozy Writers on Writing the Cozy Mystery

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Edith/Maddie, back from two weeks of vacation and writing from north of Boston.

I’m delighted to share the news that a new collection of essays is out that addresses how to write the cozy mystery! Retired university professor Phyllis Betz edited Writing the Cozy Mystery: Authors’ Perspectives on Their Craft

Sherry, Julie, and I have essays in the book, along with plenty of other authors, including a number of FOWs (Friends of the Wickeds). Even if you don’t write mysteries, you’re going to want to read this for an inside look at how we write. Sherry starts off the collection with “In Defense of Cozy Mysteries.” Julie’s is titled “Fair Play in Cozies,” and mine is (no surprise) “Writing Multiple Series.”

And if you happen to be a Sisters in Crime member, you can find a discount code on the SINC National web site. However you get there, we hope you’ll find your way to a copy of the book and then tell everyone you know about it. My fellow Wickeds in the collection helped me put together several queries for our esteemed editor.

We’re delighted to have Phyllis here today to answer a few of our questions!

What did you learn about cozies while putting this book together?

I learned how flexible the genre is. I’ve always believed that any genre fiction works best when writers know and use the conventions well. But, like any good writer, they know how to manipulate them (in a good sense) to allow new characters, situations, and topics to appear in the pages of the novel.

What surprised you regarding the essays?

How conscientious all of the contributors are about creating the best story they can; how aware you are about the role the reader plays in the creation and development of the narrative; and the depth of knowledge you have about the history of the genre. Although, I really wasn’t surprised; I’d say the essays confirmed what I assumed about careful and committed writers.

What inspired you to study cozies?

I have read mysteries for, it seems, forever. My parents both read them as well as my sisters. I read Christie, of course, Patricia Wentworth, Mignon Eberhart, Charlotte Armstrong, Nero Wolf and many more. Most of these were not labeled as cozy then, but they fit the criteria. So, I enjoyed them before looking at them as an academic. I consider myself a cultural critic and am fascinated by how literature—popular and literary—reflects and comments on society. I also believe that popular works often more accurately reflect the world and people’s interests and concerns than canonical authors. This has been the focus of my work on genre fiction. When I taught literature, I made sure to include one or two lesser-known writers in my syllabus. Shameless plug here—the postscript in the anthology lays out my ideas in greater detail than I can put here.

Are there others studying the cozy?

All of the contributors to the Reading the Cozy Mystery: Critical Essays on an Underappreciated Subgenre anthology, which came out in 2021, were some of the first academic critics to give the cozy serious examination and analysis. I recently received an email from a student who wrote her senior honor’s thesis on the cozy, using the first anthology in her discussion. I am not aware of more current academic work on the cozy, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people working on the cozy.

After this year’s Malice, I am trying to put together another panel on cozy mysteries because I discovered there is still much to investigate. (Who knows, if the panel comes to fruition, there may be another critical anthology.)

Do you read cozy mysteries for pleasure/what other genres do you read?

Mysteries are my primary fun reading—whatever the genre. I thoroughly enjoy cozies. In fact, I’ve converted my youngest sister to them. Historical crime, both fiction and non-fiction, forensic detective fiction, but not too gory. I’ve read hard-boiled, but it’s not my first choice. I am also addicted to the Investigation Discovery Channel and Ovations murder mystery mornings, which are typically cozy—Shakespeare and Hathaway, Death in Paradise, The Dr. Blake Mysteries.

How did you decide to organize the anthology?

When I sent out the call for contributors, I had a list of the most common approaches, characters, setting, the form, etc. I left the topic up to each writer. Once the essays came in, I basically considered the focus of each essay and put them into categories. Interestingly, the largest number dealt with the genre, why an author chose it, how they used the conventions in their work. I put that category first because it seemed appropriate as it set up a framework for the other categories. The sections on characters and settings provided specific illustrates of these major components of the form. I suppose I could have separated out the essays that treated theme, but at the time, I didn’t think of it. But, since the theme is so much a part of the genre’s formulation, keeping these essays together made sense.

Thank you for joining us today, Phyllis! Now, please tell our readers about yourself.

For 32 years I taught at La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA. My background is in American literature, with a focus on late 19th century women writers. I have been a reader of mysteries for many years and began studying them from an academic lens with lesbian detective fiction. This led to focusing on genre literature, particularly the mystery. Since then, the mystery has been my main area of interest. I retired from teaching three years ago and now have more time to devote to reading and analyzing mysteries.

Readers: What draws you to the cozy mystery? Do you mix your reading with other genres or stick to one? You can also ask Phyllis, Sherry, Julie, or me a question. And don’t forget to pick up your copy of Writing the Cozy Mystery: Authors’ Perspectives on Their Craft.

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Published by Edith Maxwell

Agatha Award -winning author Edith Maxwell writes the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page) and short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Dot and Amelia Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries series, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries (all from Kensington Publishing). She lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and cat Martin, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

26 Thoughts

  1. Welcome Phyllis! I read cozies because they are fun and light reads, despite the murder. I do read suspense and thrillers as well.

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    1. That’s exactly why I read cozies as well as a few mysteries and a thriller now and then,

      Nancy

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  2. Welcome, Phyllis! So wonderful to see this! Do you see the beginnings of a split in the genre between traditional characters and situations and more modern, diverse casts…or do you think the cozy category is wide enough for all? Full disclosure: I’m very proud to have an essay in the book too!

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    1. I think the cozy is a flexible enough genre that allows for a full range of diverse characters and situation. Think of the many writers of color writing cozies now. The expansion of LGBTQ writers and characters is expanding. In both cases the situations these characters appear in fits this diversity.

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  5. Hi, Phyllis! I want to thank you so much for all of your amazing work putting this project together. It’s such an honor to be a part of it. Cheers!

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  6. I read this book this week (yay for the SinC discount!) and enjoyed the in-depth, thoughtful essays. Congratulations, Phyllis, on this fun book!

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  7. While I read all kinds of mysteries and other genres, I like cozies best because they are fun. I especially appreciate the relationships and sense of community that is critical to a good cozy in my opinion. This makes it easy to get invested in following a series.

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    1. That’s one of the most important aspects of the cozy indeed. The idea of a group of people working to solve a problem. Tends to be looked down on by some, but that attitude goes back to the 19th century and male editors. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “damned mob of scribbling women.”

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  8. Congratulations, Edith, Sherry, and Julie on your contributions. And thank you, Phyllis, for your serious study of a genre that is more complex than most people realize.

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  9. What a lovely interview, Phyllis and Edith! I’m delighted to have contributed an essay — “Writing the World Around Us: Social Issues in the Cozy — that I hope helps demonstrate the flexibility of the subgenre, and the potential for some depth while staying true to the cozy world view. I’m still reading the essays, and learning from every one! Thanks for being here today.

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  10. My number one choice for reading is the cozy mystery. In a nutshell, they are fun books. The characters are regular people who are a relatable bunch. They are written with humor and tend to stay away from lots of gore and scary stuff. They are the grown-up version of Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and Trixie Beldon (ok, I confess, I still have all mine from when I was a kid). My town library, closed for seven years due to a mold issue, will be re-opening this fall. I can’t wait to get back to work and will be encouraging our new director to purchase lots and lots of cozies!

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  16. I’m finding more non-cozies creeping into my reading choices, but I pretty much stick to mysteries.

    This sounds like a wonderful collection. Congrats, everyone!

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  18. Friends, I know Phyllis has seen your comments and has been trying to respond with no luck. Glitch in the matrix, but I’m sure Edith will help her solve the problem!

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  19. I do want everyone whose commented that you have made me not only happy, but give me reasons to continue working on the cozy. As I said in the interview, there is still a great deal of untouched approaches that need to be explored. Thank you all for your contributions and support

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  20. Wonderful post! I’m drawn to cozies because the protagonists are ordinary people put in extraordinary situations where they need to rise to the occasion. As the reader plays along with the action, the genre gives the reader hope that we too can do the same if put under similar pressures.

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    1. I think the best popular works allow people to see themselves in the pages or on the screen. Representation is so important for those who have left out.

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