So, now that I’ve thrown that out into the universe, I feel like a huge liar (hello imposter syndrome). But I did put ink on paper (pixels on screen?) today, and you can’t argue with that. Or so I will keep reminding myself.
Anyway, why a cozy mystery? What about children’s books? First of all, I devour cozy mysteries. I’ve read over 25 so far this year. I find a series I like and I read every single one as soon as I can get my hands on it. So, I obviously enjoy them.
Second, I think kid lit and cozies kind of go hand in hand. That might sound a bit crazy, but hear me out…
Before kids, I could read just about anything. Thriller, murder mystery, dead dog, kidnapped child – it may have been dramatic and emotional, but just about everything but horror was fair game. We actually made fun of my sister in law because one day when watching a movie, she had to run to the other room and check on her sleeping daughter when a very emotional scene involving a small child played. I wasn’t there, but supposedly she ran out of the room saying “my Evy, my Evy!”
Fast forward to earlier this year. I’m reading Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (spoilers ahead!!). I am enjoying the book, fully invested in the main characters when, half way through the book, we’re introduced to one of the main character’s small children (dual timeline story). One is a four year old (I have a four year old) named Leo (I have a Leo). Long story short, I’m committed to finishing this book, Leo is dying, they are trying to escape Leningrad during the war, they get so close…and Leo dies. I sobbed. At bedtime for the next week, I snuggled my boys so hard they would complain “not so much snuggles mom”. My SamNicoLeo, my SamNicoLeo!! No more making fun of my sister in law.
All of this to say, I can’t read any old book anymore. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m thinking there are a lot of moms (and probably dads, but most of the readers in my life are women, so I just default to “mom”) out there who don’t like to read books where kids are hurt.
And that is where the cozy mystery steps in. I LOVE me a murder mystery. However, too much (especially kid related) gory detail and I get put off. But cozies are just that, cozy. There is no gory detail, the murder happens “off the page”. It is a rule that kids and animals are never harmed. And in a lot of instances, whoever is murdered wasn’t well liked anyway. So, of course this is where I’ve found myself over the last few years. And I feel like many people who are buying kids books (who probably have kids of their own) are probably in a similar situation as I am. So maybe a jump from kid lit to cozies isn’t so crazy.
And, since I love to write, I’m going to try my hand at writing what I love to read. The whole idea is daunting, but I’m really excited about this. I’ve been saying I’m going to write a cozy since some time in 2020, but it’s always been only talk. However, in the last month or so I have really gotten serious about it and actually have a couple of chapters written. So hopefully 2026 is my year!
Fun fact: September 15 was National Cozy Mystery Day. It is celebrated annually on Agatha Christie’s birthday, as she is considered the “mother of cozy mysteries”.