Category: cozy mystery

Let There Be Light by Karen Shughart

~ kshughart47 ~ 2 Comments

My husband and I live in a charming maritime village on the south shore of Lake Ontario in New York, the prototype for Lighthouse Cove, the village where my Edmund DeCleryk cozies are set. This time of year in our village activities surrounding the holidays abound, and there truly is something to do for people of all ages: festivals; tree lightings; parades; caroling; shopping and dining opportunities, and a judged competition for the best outside holiday decorations.

 I especially like writing about the seasons in my books. In my third, Murder at Freedom Hill, the crime occurs just before Thanksgiving with the investigation continuing through the entire holiday season. I enjoy describing how the folks living in Lighthouse Cove celebrate, with light-filled activities that juxtapose the dark, horrific murder that has occurred.

Ed, a retired Navy SEAL and former police chief, now works as a criminal consultant who is hired by the current police chief to solve the crime. His wife, Annie, head of the local historical society and museum, curates exhibits, organizes special events, and because of the historical backstories that frame each crime, often becomes involved in the investigation.

One of these special events occurs early in December, when the days are short and darkness prevails. A Festival of Lights, held on the grounds of the museum, provides diverse groups with an opportunity to showcase the ways in which light plays an important role in their cultures during this time of year:

Photo courtesy of Lyle Shughart

“The Holiday Festival of Lights was held in the park next to the museum the following Saturday evening and started at dusk. Tall stadium field lights provided illumination, and the museum staff and volunteers had strung multi-colored holiday lights on bushes and around tree trunks. Several portable fire pits had been placed at strategic spots near park benches to provide warmth.

The Neighborhood Association maintained a booth that offered free hot chocolate and cookies. Other booths, with representatives from local Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu congregations, offered information about their holiday customs including the significance of light, and samples of traditional holiday food.

Santa ambled through the crowd passing out wrapped red and white candy. A group from near Tug Hill brought live reindeer, tame enough to pet. Children hopped on the back of a fire truck, a huge wreath on its hood, for a ride around the block, speakers blaring seasonal winter songs.

A large evergreen tree located in the middle of the park was festooned with multi-colored lights; a Chanukah menorah, Kwanzaa kinara, and clay diyas—oil lamps representing the Hindu holiday of Diwali—flanked the tree on large tables on either side.

Towards the end of the evening, the high school student chorus handed out sheets for a sing-along and led the community in a diverse selection of melodies representing all the groups at the festival.”

A definition of the symbolism of light from the National Gallery of the UK states: “Across cultures, light is an ancient symbol of understanding and intellectual thought: it is the opposite of ignorance, or darkness. Almost universally, the dark is …frightening and sinister, associated with things we cannot understand. Light is said to conquer darkness and to bring order out of chaos.”

We all need a little light in our lives this time of year, so, let there be light!

Guest Blogger ~ Zaida Alfaro

~ patyjag ~ 1 Comment

Many years ago, I became an avid reader of cozy mysteries.  The story lines were intriguing, engaging, and funny at the same time.  I was so inspired by the authors’ novels, that I then decided to take my musical experiences, and put it on paper.  Because I write what I know, I would say that 80% of the plot and characters are drawn from real life experiences, except for the murders!  Luckily, I have never been involved in a crime investigation.  I was born and raised in Miami, and like the novel’s main character Vy, I am a singer/songwriter, Grammy considered, independent artist, and I was the lead singer for a cover band in Miami.  When I wrote my first book, The Last Note: A Miami Murder Mystery, the drummer of my band was a homicide detective, so when it came to the murders and the how to, he was the one I would go to with a list of questions.  For my sequel, In the Key of Dead: A Miami Music Mystery, I am fortunate enough to be friends with a retired homicide detective that helped me with the murders this time around.  I had to do extensive research on the weight of an electric guitar, and how fatal the swing of the guitar had to be in order to deem a person unconscious.   Vy’s phobias, the dream sequences, and the quirkiness of the other characters, are all based on facts as well.  No friend of mine is safe.  I do get their permission for use of characters, and I ask what they want their character to be named.  Surprisingly enough, many of my new supporting characters, wanted to use their birth-given name.  After getting their okay to continue, the same question was asked by each one of them, “Are you going to kill me off?”  I would always respond with, “Don’t make me upset, and I will consider keeping your character alive.”  Overall, the love I have for Miami, the Cuban culture, my family, and music, are drawn from my life, my experiences, and who I am surrounded by.

While reading my books, I hope readers will laugh, fall in love with a character, relate to a character, but most importantly, I want the reader to escape from the real world for a few hours.  Having readers say they enjoyed reading my book and commenting that they could not figure out the identity of the murderer is rewarding.  But the most rewarding feeling is knowing that I was able to make my dream of becoming an author a reality.

IN THE KEY OF DEAD: A Miami Music Mystery

Killer songs and a killer voice land Vy in yet another melodic murder mystery. Interlude Records has signed Vy to a long-anticipated record deal after years of rejections, but she never thought that murder would be part of the deal. Now, Vy finds herself, yet again, at the center of a murder investigation that may change the course of her music career.

It seems that someone doesn’t want Vy to record her album, and is doing everything to sabotage the release date, including murdering a key member of the production team. So Vy and her sister, Alexia, are back at it again—detecting in their own way. This time they’re using their quick-witted banter, and super sleuthing skills to ensure that Vy’s record makes it to the Billboard Top 100 list before the murderer makes it to the Miami Beach Police Department’s most wanted list.

They say the music industry is cutthroat, but Vy has never taken that statement literally. Could this be the strum of Vy’s guitar playing her last note IN THE KEY OF DEAD?

https://www.amazon.com/Key-Dead-Miami-Music-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CDHHNMBP

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Miami Music Mystery series’ main backdrop, the amazing city of Miami, Florida, is beloved and well-known to me.  I was born and raised in Miami, and like the novel’s main character Vy, I am a singer/songwriter, Grammy considered, independent artist.  All things relating to music or literature are my passion. 

Many years ago, I became an avid reader of cozy mysteries.  The story lines were intriguing, engaging, and funny at the same time.  I was so inspired by the authors, that I then decided to take my musical experiences, and put it on paper.  I published my first novel, The Last Note, a Miami Music Mystery.  Now, I have brought my characters back to life, in the sequel, In the Key of Dead, a Miami Music Mystery.  The phobia’s, the dream sequences, and the quirkiness of the characters, are all based on facts.  I hope that I was able to, once again, show the readers of my novels, the love I have for Miami, the Cuban culture, my family, and music.

You can visit the following websites for find out more about my books and music:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Zaida-Alfaro/author/B079TD61KP

FaceBook:  www.facebook.com/zaidaauthor

Instagram: www.instagram.com/zaidamusic

Twitter: www.twitter.com/zaidamusic

Website: www.zaidamusic.com

Setting the Scene by Karen Shughart

~ kshughart47 ~ 6 Comments

All the books in my Edmund DeCleryk cozy mystery series are set in Lighthouse Cove, NY, a fictional village on the south shore of Lake Ontario, with the crimes occurring in the present but are related to something that happened in the past. In book one, Murder in the Museum, a map dated 1785 discovered in the historical society museum – led by sleuth Ed’s wife, Annie – and a journal dated 1845 found at an archaeological dig in Toronto, Canada, provide clues to why the victim was killed.

In book two, Murder in the Cemetery, a relic at the cemetery where casualties of the War of 1812 are buried; long-lost letters written by the wife of a patriot transported to England as a prisoner of war during that time;  a missing artifact at an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England; and a diary discovered at an abandoned farmhouse help Ed and Annie solve the case.

In book three, Murder at Freedom Hill, the crime is thought to be related to the victim’s ancestry, his forebears lived in a settlement where free people of color lived harmoniously with abolitionists who helped transport escaping slaves to Canada across the lake before the Civil War. Another heinous deed, related to that settlement, is revealed during the investigation of the murder.

But what the books also have in common is that I weave into the plot the seasonal setting.  After book one, instead of just one prologue I decided to write two, the first with the historical backstory and the second describing the season.

I continue descriptions of the weather throughout each book, it helps to construct the mood. For example, Murder at Freedom Hill begins in November, before Thanksgiving. In one of the early chapters, Ed discovers that the village mayor has been murdered. A beloved member of the community, the mayor also served on Annie’s board of directors and the two had become close friends. After conferring with Detective Brad Washington at the crime scene, Ed gets into his SUV and drives to the museum to tell Annie about his death. Lots of sunshine and a clear sky start the day, but then the weather changes:

“The brilliant sky at sunrise had made way for clouds the color of brushed pewter that hovered over the roiling silver lake. The day looked like an antique photograph: sepia; gunmetal grey; milky white and black; faded like withered grass. The direction of the wind had changed, picking up speed from the northwest, with fallen leaves swirling around the museum parking lot as Ed pulled into a spot. The temperature had plummeted- winter silently creeping in like a cat about to pounce upon its prey.”

What I enjoy about writing cozy mysteries is the ability to expand description if it fits into the plot, and the weather can either give readers a sense of doom and gloom or provide an interesting juxtaposition to an odious deed.

Karen Shughart’s cozy mysteries are published by Cozy Cat Press. She’s currently working on book four of the series, Murder at Chimney Bluffs.

Guest Blogger ~ Ana Diamond

~ patyjag ~ 3 Comments

The Body Conscious series was born out of dark humor, in the same vein of light-hearted humorous cozy mysteries. I thought having a murder occur in a funeral home where everyone working there was already used to being among the dead added a quirky element to the mystery.

That being said, even though the story is entirely based in a funeral home, I’ve never worked in or even visited a funeral home. I do work in the medical field, which does help with understanding medical terms and how things are generally run in a medical facility. It probably also contributed to my interest in writing on the subject in the first place.

My main character, Lily Reynolds is a smart, feisty mortician running a family business who ends up falling for the detective on the murder case. In order to figure out how she would feel about working in a funeral home and the tasks she would be doing on daily basis I searched the internet for articles written for people who are curious about the process of embalming and the tools used in the process. I would find interviews of morticians explaining why they enjoy their jobs. I was struck by how compassionate people felt about this profession and the care taken for their clients. I tried to take the morbid association out of the profession and make it seem more accessible to the average person.

For example, in Chapter Two, Detective James Rivers goes to the funeral to ask Lily some questions about the case. Lily is in the middle of a workday and asks if she can work while they talk.  She tells him,

“That’s fine, but I need to finish Mrs. Sherry’s makeup. Can I work while you talk?”

He hesitated for a moment.

The true test of how he really felt about her job, she decided.

In this scene James represents how the most people would react to Lily’s job and I wanted to use it as an opportunity to educate and humanize the role for readers. Through scenes when he’s watching her work she sets the tone for how she treats each client. For example, he says,  

“I’ve never seen anyone put makeup on a body.”

“Mrs. Sherry’s family told me she wore a lot of blush, and my job is to have her look as she did when she was around them. I think that it’s important to the family to have their last moments with their loved one feel like it did when she was alive.”

James’s eyes searched her face as if she’d said the most fascinating thing he’d ever heard.

For some reason, I typically write about topics that might make me somewhat uncomfortable—I write about cults in the second book, Body Snatched. I’m thinking maybe it’s a form of therapy? I’ll let you decide. Body Conscious and Body Snatched are available now at all major retailers from The Wild Rose Press.

Body Conscious

Mortician, Lily Reynolds is used to seeing bodies, but not the type murdered in her own funeral home. As Detective James Rivers zeroes in on her as the town’s number one suspect she must rise above the accusations and rumors to solve the case herself while keeping her attraction to the troubled detective at bay. 

James has a past. The last time he let someone into his life she wound up dead. Vowing never to let that happen again he has sworn off dating for good. Until he meets Lily. In his gut he knows she’s not the murderer but pressure to solve the case puts him on the wrong trail while he struggles to keep Lily off the case.  

Can she solve the case on her own or will their scandalous romance get in the way of proving her innocence?

Buy link:

https://books2read.com/anadiamondauthor

When Ana Diamond isn’t writing about tough gals finding love in unexpected places, she’s at work by day in the medical field. She writes romantic cozy mystery novels with feisty strong women and alluring men who can’t resist them. Her books are fast paced, entertaining and heartfelt all at once.

Ana is a 2020 Tara Contest Finalist for Body Conscious and 2015 Melody of Love contest finalist. She lives in New York with her husband, two children and two needy but wildly entertaining kitty cats.

Social media:

https://twitter.com/AuthorDiamond

https://www.instagram.com/anadiamondauthor/

https://www.tiktok.com/@anadiamondauthor

https://www.anadiamondauthor.com/

October by Karen Shughart

~ kshughart47 ~ 2 Comments

October is without a doubt my favorite month, filled with a bounty of richness and color that I embrace before the landscape turns into subtle shades of brown and beige. Here in the northern part of New York state, on the shores of Lake Ontario, there are breathtakingly beautiful days this time of year: cloudless cerulean skies; a Caribbean green lake with meandering white caps, perfumed like the ocean without the brine; a piercing lemon-colored sun that warms the coolness in the air, and crisp nights with a carpet of stars winking and blinking in an ink-stained sky.

By now many leaves have turned bright with shades of yellow, gold, deep rust and red, but until our first frost, the lawns will remain green.  The sea grasses in our backyard, almost as tall as our house, have feathery, burgundy tassels and, when the wind blows in from the northwest, sound like the gentle ebb and flow of waves on the water. Stately pine trees, red-berried evergreens and hollies provide contrast, reminding us that life continues, even in winter.

Burnap’s Farm Market – Sodus, NY

The farmstands, with domes of potted mums for sale in a riot of colors, will remain open for the rest of this month and into the holiday season. Berries, peaches and plums, lettuces, cucumbers, and zucchini, have been replaced with other fruits and vegetables that can be stored for longer periods of time and will warm our bellies on cold nights: local apples of every variety; hearty winter squashes; purple-green kale; cabbages; potatoes, and multi-hued varieties cauliflower.

In October I replace the summer cushions and pillows on the wicker furniture on our front porch with ones more representative of the season. Halloween is big here, so some of the pillows are patterned with pale green, orange, and white pumpkins with deep green and purple leaves and vines. Instead of sitting on our deck for our late afternoon happy hour, my husband and I move to the porch, drinking wine and welcoming friends who stroll by and then stop for a drink and to chat.

November is just around the corner, and there will be plenty to celebrate then, too, but for now I’ll rejoice in this beautiful month of October.

Karen Shughart is the author of the Edmund DeCleryk cozy mystery series, published by Cozy Cat Press. Her third book, Murder at Freedom Hill, recently was awarded first place in the mystery category and third place in fiction in the International Firebird Book Award competition. She is currently working on book four, Murder at Chimney Bluffs.