NOT YOUR USUAL SUSPECTS

A group blog featuring an international array of killer mystery, suspense, and romantic suspense writers. With premises and story lines different from your run-of-the-mill whodunits, we tend to write outside the box. We blog several times a week on all topics relating to romantic suspense and mystery, our writing, and our readers. We welcome all comments and often have guest bloggers. All our authors can be contacted separately, too, using their own social media links.

We find our genre delightfully, dangerously, and deliciously exciting - join us here, if you do too!

NOTE: the blog is currently dormant but please enjoy the posts we're keeping online.


Julie Moffet . Cathy Perkins . Jean Harrington . Daryl Anderson . Nico Rosso . Maureen A Miller . Sandy Parks . Lisa Q Mathews . Sharon Calvin . Lynne Connolly . Janis Patterson . Vanessa Keir . Tonya Kappes . Julie Rowe . Joni M Fisher . Leslie Langtry

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

What’s So Funny About Murder???

Definitely nothing. Nothing is funny about murder, but I enjoy humor so much I need it in my stories. Especially my cozies because I need a break from the tension. I’m not a girl who listens to sad music or watches those Lifetime/Hallmark movies eager to tear up at the emotional trauma they drag you through. Not me. I prefer to laugh. I like romance and action also. This is how I ended up penning a cozy mystery. Cozies have all my favorite elements and none of the heart wrenching moments I so deftly avoid.
Another thing I love about cozy mysteries is the fact the murder is secondary to the story. Yes, it’s the catalyst, but it’s not really about the murder. It’s about the aftermath and the unraveling of a great mystery. For example: If someone from military intelligence stepped in and solved the crime, I imagine there’d be lots of blank stares and grunting, possibly even a confession. I know, I’d rather confess than face an angry soldier. This is not funny.
But what if the person digging around looking for clues is clueless? What if they don’t know what to ask or where to look? What if the only thing on their side is their lovability and desperate curiosity? I like that story much better any day. I really like it when women surprise the soldiers of the world with their audacity and persistence in the face of danger. Huzzah! Hear me *roar*

The process can be quite funny in a good cozy and I hope I’m in the right zip code on this with my story. I enjoy getting to know the sleuth as much as learning whodunit. I put myself and my girlfriends into the book, imagining us bumbling along and learning as we go. A steep learning curve is also funny to me. I am on this curve in most situations. I’m unarguably a jump in first and find out how deep and cold the water is next kind of lady. Makes life interesting. I hope my heroine makes this interesting too. More than interesting. If you join my heroine on her first adventure as an amateur sleuth, I hope you’ll laugh out loud and maybe until your cheeks hurt. 
What's your favorite aspect of a cozy mystery?

10 comments:

Jean Harrington01@comcast.net said...

Julie Anne, We're long-lost sisters! Just read your post and you've nailed every single thing I love best about cozies. Though to fine tune that, let me add I'm especially entertained by the personality of the main character--the amateur sleuth--as she goes about in her yes, humorous and bumbling way to solve the crime. She usually arrives at the solution, slinging one-liners as she goes--before the professional lawmen do. Lot of satisfaction in that for the cozie fan.

Enjoyed your blog very much.

Rita said...

Julie This is a wonderful defination of a cozy. Thank you.

Elise Warner said...

I love and write cozies too so I loved your blog. Enjoy the characters.

Julie Anne Lindsey said...

Thank you Jean and Rita! I love the cozy heroines of the world. They make me smile :)I suspect I would never survive as one of them. LOL. But I do enjoy reading about their antics! (and now WRITING about them too):)

Anne Marie Becker said...

Your cozy sounds like such fun! :) I loved the Columbo mysteries on TV when I was growing up. Talk about a bumbling investigator (or, at least the appearance of one). I loved that whole element of "people underestimate me, and I'm going to use that to my advantage." :)

Julie Anne Lindsey said...

Anne Marie! YES! That's so empowering for me - a super competitive woman. That feeling of BOOM! Yeah. I did THAT. :) *girl power!*

Morgan said...

I love cosy mysteries as well! I'm writing one too, right now about a writer sleuth who also owns a book store ;)

As a writer, though, I find that I also read as one and there are a lot of lacking cosy mysteries and since I loved them so much, I decided to write one myself. My life goal is to be called the Queen of Cosy Mysteries one day. It will probably just be a sticker on my door, but who knows, maybe someone will agree some day.

Julie Anne Lindsey said...

Morgan! You sound so much like ME. I devoured Stephanie Plum stories and Gemma Halliday books by the pound. Then, one day, I kinda thought....I wanna do that. I want to make someone stop and laugh out loud. So, I gave it a try and here I am.

Let me tell you, I cannot wait to get an autographed copy of your book one day. Please, please sign it the Queen of Cozies because that is *perfection* !!! :)

Morgan said...

Julie! You just made my day! I've always loved mysteries (the book I'm searching an agent for is about a chess club that solves crimes, kind of Nancy Drew style but modern) so without realising it I was always writing something light and funny that had a mystery but when I realised it was an actual genre I knew that was were my pen lied.
I'm glad you feel the same way!And YES, you will get a signed copy with that title! I want a signed copy from you as well, fellow sleuthy lady!
(PS: I'm PrincessMarijke on Twitter, so I'll keep you posted on how the writing goes!)
Love, The Queen of Cosy Mysteries :P

Marcelle Dubé said...

Yep, that's exactly what I like about cozies. One more -- important -- thing is that the murder usually takes place off scene and frankly, we're not exposed to blood and gore. Much tidier.

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