When it comes to learning tips from authors, most articles out there only cover the “big-time” authors such as John Steinbeck, Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and so on.
Rarely do we see articles cover things to learn form cozy mystery authors, even though there is so much to learn form so many of them.
Cozy mystery authors are (often) incredibly prolific and great at storytelling. They have stories that weave through multiple books and rich characters that can feel like someone you have known for years.
In this article, we will take a look at some cozy mystery authors, cover some of their work, and then look at what other writers can learn from their books, writing style, or careers.
This guide to cozy mystery authors covers:
What Is A Cozy Mystery?
Cozy mysteries are books that are a “subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur off stage”.
If you like a good mystery book or true crime, but cannot stomach the gore, violence, or sex that comes with so many of the stories, this might be the perfect genre for you.
Often, they will have characters that are fascinating but are not chasing people down with guns through alleys. Instead, they are often “softer” crime books where a detective or someone in a related field is solving crimes with their mind and snooping powers instead of through force.
The authors often take readers through the story to solve with the main character. They do well since most of us love a good “who done it” kind of story to solve.
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Cozy Mystery Authors
Let’s take a look at a variety of cozy mystery authors, tell you their most famous work, and think about the most important things you can learn from their career.
It should be mentioned that the greatest of all the cozy authors, Agatha Christie, is not mentioned only due to most of us already having read her work or already being aware of her career.
#1 – Cate Conte
Cate Conte is the author of the Cat Cafe Mysteries, the Full Moon Mysteries, and the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries. That gives you a wide variety of mysteries to dive into form Cate if you enjoy her writing and style.
Cate is a pseudonym for the author’s real name, but that is something that a lot of authors do to create a boundary between their work and their lives (or for another reason).
She has been writing for a long time and wrote her first book while she was in University. One of the top lessons from her career is that you need to make time to write when you can and combine your passions when you can in your stories.
As an avid animal lover, it makes sense that a lot of her books also involve animals. If you have something you are passionate about in your life, there is a way to bring it into your books.
#2 – Alexia Gordon
One of the most well-known series by Alexia Gordon is her Gethsemane Brown Series.
Alexia also went to medical school, which is an interesting angle to bring to her books, since she can provide insight that other authors cannot in their books. (Her books are not overly medical, it just provides fascinating insight when it comes to adding mystery!)
Not only are the books a fun read, but her overall career is inspiring for authors to see that you do not have to be one-dimensional and can pursue many options while also continuing to publish.
#3 – Nancy Atherton
Nancy Atherton is most well-known for her Aunt Dimity Mysteries. She is an extremely prolific author with 25 books so far in the series.
There is a lot to learn not only in regards to persistence but also when it comes to including a lot of elements into a single story. The Aunt Dimity stories are fun because they reach outside the usual genre because there is no typical murder in these books to be solved.
Instead, there are still elements of mystery but there is a deeper relationship and story with the characters. Do not be scared to reach outside of the typical tropes in your chosen genre.
#4 – Maddie Day
Maddie Day is the author of the Country Store Mysteries which are based in an area she used to live in.
In that series alone are 12 different books, with other mystery series being created at the same time, giving readers a ton of choices to choose from when it comes to her stories.
Authors can learn from her consistent writing abilities along with looking into her award-winning short stories.
#5 – Vivien Chien
Vivien Chien is the author of the Noodle Shop Mystery series.
She started writing her first novel at 16 and has continued to love writing and continue to do so.
Her cozy mystery series is unique in the face that it is based inside of a family’s Chinese restaurant in Cleveland.
It is a unique angle on the usual “mystery in the UK / Ireland / seaside village” trope that is throughout so many of these types of cozy mystery books.
#6 – Kellye Garrett
Kellye Garrett is the author of the Detective by Day mystery series, which has won a ton of awards and was even announced as a Best Summer Read on the TODAY show.
She worked in Hollywood for 8 years where she worked on the CBS drama, Cold Case. Not only that, but she has a B.S. in magazine writing and an MFA in screenwriting. That is a lot of experience in various forms of writing, which no doubt play a role in her books.
One of the top takeaways from her work is to try out other forms of writing on your path as an author. You never know what avenue you might end up pursuing, but learning various ways to write can always help your success.
#7 – Richard Osman
Richard Osman has a successful career as a television presenter, producer, director, and novelist. For his books, he is known for his Thursday Murder Club series.
As with some of the other authors above, there is a lot to be said for being involved with creative projects throughout your entire career and how that can help your books become even better.
If you work hard to build a successful career, publishers will often be fighting for your books when you publish one (something not a lot of authors can say).
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