The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Mystery Novel vs. Mystery BookShot

Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I am not crazy about this new “300 page” (or equivalent word count) quota that authors seem to have now. When I look at my Agatha Christie books, I can see that she didn’t have a certain word/page limit imposed on her. Don’t get me wrong, I still read 300 page Cozy Mysteries >>> but I do wonder why authors’ seem to write only 300 page Cozies. I don’t mean to imply they have a 300 page quota, because I don’t know if they do. However, if an author’s books all have 300 pages (+/-) then I start to wonder… I’m just not crazy about artificial 300 page book limits.

In my Saturday entry I mentioned that James Patterson was going to appear on the CBS News Sunday Morning show. (Although James Patterson doesn’t write Cozy Mysteries, he does write some mystery series that I know a lot of us read.) I hope some of you were able to watch that segment. I was delighted to hear James Patterson talk about his new idea for books: BookShots.

If you didn’t see the segment, you may be asking: What’s a BookShot? Well, they’re books that are 150 (+/-) pages long that cost less than $5.00. Yep, that’s right! Less than $5.00 for both the Kindle format AND the paperback editions! The BookShots official website touts these as “ALL THRILLER. NO FILLER.” (Don’t worry though >>> he’ll continue to release his regular length mysteries, too!)

(I currently have sixteen of his BookShots posted on the Soon to be Released page of my site, and I see that he will also be releasing James Patterson’s BookShot Flames which will be 150 page romance novels by other authors. He’ll also have a line of non fiction BookShots such as his September release: Clinton vs. Trump: In Their Own Words.)

With this in mind, I am posing this question: Would you like to see some of your favorite Cozy Mystery authors adopt the BookShots idea? Do you think you’d be interested in reading your Cozy Mysteries even if they were only half as long, (as well as a lot cheaper)? Obviously, if the author changed her/his books from 300 pages to 150 pages (or equivalent word count quota), there would have to be less of something such as descriptive passages or perhaps subplots. >>> Would you miss those?

P.S. These are not novella length novels. Usually you’re lucky if a novella is 90 pages long!

One New Cozy Mystery Holiday Book Coming July 2016

In addition to three new great looking mystery Series, July looks like it will start the “Cozy Holiday Book Season” >>> even if it will only be one new holiday Cozy coming out. Still it is always a welcome change to see the holidays starting in July! (You’ve heard of the expression “Christmas in July”, haven’t you?)

Allyson K. Abbott will be releasing Shots in the Dark, the fourth book in her Mack’s Bar Mystery Series, and it’s a Christmas themed Cozy Mystery. When bouncer Gary Gunderson turns up dead a week before Christmas, Mackenzie “Mack” Dalton knows she just won’t be able to enjoy the holiday properly unless she can shed some light on the unfortunate death. Unfortunately her bouncer appears to have had something of a troubled past, so it’s going to be difficult >>> even with her extra perception and the help of her regular clientele of faithful bar patrons! Abbott also writes the Mattie Winston Series under the name Annelise Ryan, starring an ex-nurse and current coroner in Wisconsin, and a number of stand alone novels under the name Beth Amos.

If you’re interested in more Christmas-themed Holiday Cozy Mystery novels (and there are many, many, many of them!) please be sure to check the Christmas section of my Cozy Mystery List.

Back in San Antonio…

wrenI wanted to write a quick note to say that I’m back home. My husband and I had a great time visiting our daughter and our old stomping grounds. We were very lucky with the weather on the days we were visiting, however, both driving out and coming home, there sure was a whole lot of rain!

When I got home I went out to see how my Geraniums were doing and was surprised to see that a pair of Benwick’s Wrens have nested in one of my hanging pots. How neat is that? I bought a Wren birdhouse for their future home, but for now the pot will have to do. I guess it’s a good thing that there is a drain hole in the bottom of the pot >>> since we have had an extraordinary amount of rain down here.

Oh, and one more thing, before I forget. James Patterson (I know he’s not a Cozy author, however, he’s a really good mystery author) will have a segment on tomorrow morning’s CBS News Sunday Morning. Since I already DVR that particular show every week, I won’t have to go set my machine, however, some of you may enjoy that segment.

Three New Cozy Mystery Series Coming July 2016

July looks like it will be another packed Cozy Mystery month >>> we’ll have three new series starting up in July by established Cozy Mystery site authors!

First up will be Julia Buckley‘s Writer’s Apprentice Mystery Series, which will debut with A Dark and Stormy Murder. Lena London has just landed her dream job as a writer’s assistant in Blue Lake, Indiana, to bestselling suspense novelist Camilla Graham. Unfortunately, as is often the case with new jobs, this one comes with a most unfortunate corpse, which has turned up on Camilla’s property. Lena will need to figure out “who dunnit” – and fast – if she wants to keep this fabulous new opportunity – and keep her employer out of jail! Julia Buckley also writes the Undercover Dish Mystery Series, starring the owner of a catering company where clients can claim to have prepared the meals themselves, and the Madeline Mann Mystery Series, starring a reporter.

Next will be Elizabeth Kane Buzelli‘s A Most Curious Murder, the first book in her new Little Library Mystery Series. This series will be our introduction to Jenny Weston, who returns to her hometown of Bear Falls, Michigan, to rebuild her life, only to find murder and intrigue waiting for her. Buzelli also writes the Emily Kincaid Mystery Series, starring a reporter in Michigan, and the Nut House Mystery Series (as Elizabeth Lee), starring a plant biologist and pecan farm employee in Texas.

Last will be Little Girl Gone by Laura Childs, written under her real name, Gerry Schmitt, as part of the new Afton Tangler Thriller Series. Though this series isn’t Cozy, I’m including it here because it is written by a familiar author who many of us enjoy. This series will star Afton Tangler, a Minnesota family liaison officer, who will need to brave the harsh Minneapolis winters if she wants to track down a missing child. Laura Childs also writes the Tea Shop Mystery Series, starring the owner of a Charleston Tea Shop, the Scrapbooking Mystery Series, and the Cackleberry Club Mystery Series, set in a cozy café with a knitting and reading area.

As always, if you’re looking for these or many more new series, they can be found on the New Cozy Mystery Book Series page, as well as the Soon to Be Released Mysteries page of my Cozy Mystery site.

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