by Marilyn Levinson aka Allison Brook, reprinted with permission
Like many novelists who have been writing for several years, I write in several genres—mysteries, romantic suspense, and kiddie lit. Recently I find myself especially drawn to writing cozies. And here are the reasons why:
I enjoy writing mysteries and prefer leaving the CSI end of it to others. I’m interested in the puzzle aspect. The human factor. Why was a person (or persons) murdered? How does my sleuth track him or her down and prove his or her guilt?
I love writing a mystery from an amateur sleuth’s perspective. Not a homicide detective armed and trained to solve murders, but a so-called average citizen with enough intelligence, drive, and curiosity to solve a mystery. Like Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, cozy sleuths observe suspects. They ask questions. They eavesdrop. They do research. They befriend the detective investigating the murder. In Death Overdue, my most recently published mystery, Carrie Singleton is the Head of Programs and Events at the Clover Ridge Library in Connecticut. Sleuths in my other mystery series are a high school English teacher, a retired CEO, and a college professor who leads a Golden Age of Mystery book club.
While I enjoy plotting, my characters are my main concern. What makes each of them tick? How do they relate to one another? Why do they behave the way they do? Some of my characters are quirky, others likable.
I love writing cozies because they’re written in series and I love writing series. With each new book, readers get a chance to learn more about my sleuth and her friends, family, love interests, and enemies as the series progresses.
I ADORE secrets. Many of my characters have secrets that impact their current behavior. Secrets can make a character look guilty when she isn’t. Keeping a secret a secret might even drive a character to murder.
Cozies are set in small towns where everyone knows everyone else. A cozy’s setting is another character of the story because it affects all the characters. Death Overdue takes place in Clover Ridge, Connecticut, a small town with centuries-old homes, restaurants, and shops built around a village green. The library where my sleuth, Carrie Singleton, works is housed in one of these large former residences.
Romance winds its way in many cozies. In Death Overdue, Carrie finds herself attracting the attention of not one, but two very different men.
Animals and cozies go hand in hand. In Death Overdue, a stray half-grown cat attaches himself to Carrie, and she ends up bringing him to work with her. Sociable Smoky Joe becomes the Library Cat.
Cozies are resolved on a happy note. The murderer is caught. Future books in the series give one’s sleuth an opportunity to forge more adventures and solve more mysteries.
Allison Brook is the pseudonym for Marilyn Levinson, who writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for kids. She lives on Long Island.