The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

James Patterson: Prolific Mystery Author Answers How He Does It

Two weeks ago I received a really interesting note from MJ, concerning James Patterson. While we know that Patterson doesn’t write Cozy Mystery books, he does write mysteries. And boy, does he write!

I don’t know if you ever watch Charlie Rose (PBS), but last night he interviewed James Patterson during the second half of the program.   I was VERY surprised (even shocked) when Patterson acknowledged how he writes so many books.  In fact, as C. Rose points out, he’s written (??) numerous books since last fall.  He writes an outline, then invites other writers to fill in the story. No book gets released unless he likes the end product. He’s sold 295 million books!
If interested, here is the link.  Scan through to 39.52 (which is the start of the Patterson interview).

(Unfortunately, that link is no longer available.)

First of all, thank you, MJ, for solving a mystery of my own! I don’t remember the exact year in which I was asked to include James Patterson on the Cozy Mystery site, but since I started his page, I have found myself updating his book lists quite frequently. Actually, sometimes I have found myself adding a new James Patterson mystery to a month’s New Release page, and stopping to make sure I’m correct, since I thought I had just added a new James Patterson release the previous month.

MJ, thank you for sending me this very interesting interview. I truly had wondered how James Patterson was able to write so many best selling mysteries. This answers that question.

P.S. I think it’s terrific that James Patterson gives credit to the other authors, rather than use “ghost writers” who never get any of the glory.

Ladies of Intrigue – Orange County – March 29, 2014

All of you lucky people who live in Orange County (yes, as in California) have a super-terrific treat heading your way! One of the board members of the Orange County Sisters in Crime sent me a letter telling me about an event that will be taking place on Saturday, March 29, that sounds pretty super-terrific-ally special.

The Orange County Sisters in Crime will be sponsoring the “Ladies of Intrigue” event in Huntington Beach, California. The event will be an all-day affair, and will feature both speakers and panelists who write mysteries.

Yes, it gets even better than that! Carolyn Hart and Rhys Bowen will be two of the authors who will be there. Yes, Carolyn Hart as in Death on Demand Mystery Series, Bailey Ruth Ghost Mystery Series, and Henrie O Mystery Series. And, yes, Rhys Bowen as in Molly Murphy Mystery Series, Her Royal Spyness Mystery Series, and Evan Evans Mystery Series. (I told you it is going to be a super-terrific treat!)

They will be covering topics that explore… well, I don’t think I can tell you as well as the letter I got said it, so I am simply going to copy and paste the rest of this information:

Fourteen Orange County and Los Angeles authors are panelists and moderators. Topics include: Tough Cookies: Strong Female Protagonists; Down a Dark Alley: How Setting Shapes Story, and Passport Required: Mystery Goes International.

The authors are Jill Amadio, Cara Black , Lisa Brackmann, Jan Burke, Carol Higgins Clark, Kim Fay, Naomi Hirahara, Tammy Kaehler, Sheila Lowe, Jeanne Matthews, Jeri Westerson, and Patricia Wynn. Moderators are Aileen Baron, Terri Nolan, and Patricia Smiley.

Location: Hotel Huntington Beach. The program is from 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and includes lunch. For more information and registration: http://www.ocsistersincrime.org.

There is only one thing that bothers me about this phenomenal line-up of mystery-related fun, and that is: Why don’t these types of events ever take place where I live? I’m guessing you are probably asking the very same thing!

Three New Cozy Mystery Series Coming in April

I have been updating the site during the last few days and while doing so, I noticed that three new Cozy Mystery series will be released by some of the site’s authors. That’s pretty good news, in my book. It seems like just last year we were all discussing how a lot of authors were being dropped by their publishers, and now there will be three new series. This seems like a bonanza!

 J.J. Cook (aka Joyce and Jim Lavene & Ellie Grant) is going to be bringing us the new Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery Series. (The first book in the series is titled Death on Eat Street.) The series will follow Zoe Chase, who has bought herself a diner in Mobile, Alabama. Unfortunately her diner needs a lot of improvements and is located in a somewhat icky part of town. In order to afford all of the diner’s renovations she buys a food truck so that she can make some money. Zoe serves southern fried food, with fried biscuit bowls being her specialty item on her menu.

Sofie Ryan (aka Sofie Kelly) will be starting a new series in April. It’s called the Second Chance Cat Mystery Series. Most of you already know that as Sofie Kelly she writes the Magical Cat Mystery Series. (The Whole Cat and Caboodle is the first book in the Second Chance Cat Mystery Series.) Sarah Grayson owns the Second Chance shop in North Harbor, Maine. It’s a second-hand shop in which Sarah sells items she has refurbished. Sarah is accompanied by Elvis, her big, black rescue/stray cat. Actually it was Elvis who adopted Sarah, and it seems like he made a very wise choice.

I have just put up a new page on the Cozy Mystery site that I will be updating as I find out about our authors’ new mystery series:

New Cozy Mystery Book Series

♦To see more Soon to be Released Mysteries, click on this link.♦

♦To return to the Cozy Mystery site, click here♦

Tace Baker, Dawn Eastman, Edith Maxwell, Cate Price, Christine Wenger, & Annie’s Quilted Mystery Series : New Authors on the Cozy Mystery Site

I have just put some new authors/pages up on the Cozy Mystery site. Let’s see, there is a new mystery series which comes to us from the people at Annie’s Crafts Company, and there are also five new Cozy Mystery authors. Well, technically there are only four authors, but one of them has a pseudonym, so the person is only one, but her “authors names” count as two.

writes the Family Fortune Mystery Series. Clyde Fortune is an ex-policewoman who returns to the family business. Clyde’s mother is a tarot card reader and her Aunt Vi is a pet psychic. They own the Crystal Haven in Michigan.

(aka Tace Baker) is an ex-farmer of an organic farm and has her Ph.D. in Linguistics. She writes the Local Foods Mystery Series which is set in Massachusetts. Cam Flaherty is her sleuth, and she is an organic farmer as well.
Tace Baker (aka Edith Maxwell) writes the Speaking of Mystery Mystery Series. The main character is Lauren Rousseau, a Quaker linguistics professor in a small New England college town.

writes the Deadly Notions Mystery Series, which takes place in a quaint town in Pennsylvania. Daisy Buchanan is the sleuth and she manages the Great Notion Sewing & Antiques Shop. As a retired teacher, Daisy can tell who is lying and who isn’t!

 has her master’s degrees in both Sociology and Probation and Parole Studies, and is the author of the Comfort Food Mystery Series. Trixie Matkowski is a recent divorcée who manages a diner in a small town in  upstate New York. 

Annie’s Crafts Company is the publisher responsible for the Annie’s Quilted Mystery Series. This series is going to be like the Annie’s Attic Mystery Series and the Creative Woman Mystery Series in that it will be a series written by several different Cozy Mystery authors. Annie’s Quilted Mystery Series takes place in Mystic Harbor, Massachusetts. This series features the women members of the Nimble Thimbles Quilting Group.

♦To return to the Cozy Mystery site, click on this link.♦

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