The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Wait ‘Til Spring Begins…

Spring Fever. Spring Break. Spring Forward. Spring Bouquet. Spring Cleaning. Spring-in -your-step. Spring Flowers. Spring Semester. Well, you get the picture…

I actually just went over to my calendar to see when Spring will begin, so that I could wish you all great Spring times. Lo and behold, I missed it! Spring actually began last week, and I was totally oblivious to that fact. You would think that after changing/reprogramming several clocks in the house, it would have occurred to me! Perhaps that would explain why I have been in a springtime type of mood. (No, that doesn’t include Spring Cleaning!)

I prepared our Hummingbird feeder at the very beginning of March since we were having such spring-like weather. I knew it was too early, but with it being so warm, I thought perhaps the Hummingbirds hadn’t gotten the same memo they do about when to fly to San Antonio. I wanted to be sure that everything was ready for the little fellows. I knew they had traveled quite a distance to get here.

Of course, nature being what it is, the little birds didn’t appear until they were actually supposed to appear, regardless of our unusually warm weather for this time of year. The only thing that happened with our Hummingbird feeder is that it got very yucky, since the nectar was stagnate for so long. (That’s right, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.”!)

This past Thursday, I bought two red hanging geraniums to catch the attention of the Hummingbirds and then I cleaned and re-fueled the Hummingbird feeder. I don’t know why I chose Thursday, it just felt like the right day to (again) get ready for the Hummingbirds. Within hours, our first Hummingbird arrived.

As I said, I just checked my calendar to see when Spring will arrive this year. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Spring sprang last Thursday. It appears like that little, tiny Hummingbird knew a whole lot more than I did!

Hope you ALL have wonderful Spring times!

Two New Holiday Cozy Mysteries Being Released in April

OK, OK, most of you know that I depend on my holiday mysteries to help get me in the seasonal mood. Living down here in San Antonio, where the weather is pretty much somewhat cold (only occasionally), warm, hot, humid, and hotter >>> I sometimes forget that it’s fall or winter. So I am pleased whenever I see a holiday mystery being released. And in April, I am glad to see that there are two of them.

The first seasonal mystery is the third in Connie Archer ‘s Soup Lover’s Mystery Series. It’s called  A Roux of Revenge and is set during the harvest festival in Snowflake, Vermont. Oh my gosh! Autumn in Vermont! How much better (and colder!) can you hope for? It takes place during the most beautiful time of the year, the time when the leaves are putting on their colorful shows. Different hues of browns, yellows, and reds. Put the Campbell soup away. It’s time to spend some time in By the Spoonful – a place where all soup lovers can converge.

Now that we have finished with the Harvest Festival, it’s time for Halloween. Liz Mugavero will be releasing her second mystery in her Pawsitively Organic Mystery Series. It’s called A Biscuit, a Casket and it’s a Halloween theme mystery. While our sleuth, Kristan “Stan” Connor, is making organic cat and dog treats, Halloween is descending on this little town in Connecticut. The organic dairy will be hosting a costume party for the dogs in town and also hosting a Halloween haunted maze. Unfortunately the maze turns out to be a whole lot scarier than expected!

These two holiday Cozy Mystery books will be joining the rest of the Halloween and Harvest Celebration page:
Halloween Mystery Book List

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!

MENU