Why I Keep Coming Back to Cozy Mysteries (Even After Writing Thrillers)

There comes a time in every writer’s life when they sit down with a cup of coffee (or let’s be honest, something stronger) and ask themselves: Why do I do this to myself?

I’ve written thrillers. I’ve written romance. I’ve written thrillers again because apparently, I enjoy stress. But no matter where my writing adventures take me, I always—always—come back to cozy mysteries. And you know what? They’re my most successful books, too.

So, why cozies?

Simple. Have you looked outside lately? The world is one sigh away from an absolute meltdown. I mean, it’s a lot. Every time I scroll the news, I have to resist the urge to grab my dog and escape to a remote island where WiFi doesn’t exist. But instead of moving to the middle of nowhere, I write cozy mysteries. Why? Because I need to believe that somewhere, somehow, a kinder world still exists.

A world where people bake pies instead of doom-scrolling. A world where a cup of tea and a bit of small-town gossip can actually solve a crime. A world where the murder rate is concerningly high for a charming little town, but—and this is important—it always gets solved. Every time.

I need to believe in a world where people look out for each other. Where the town’s quirky librarian, the over-caffeinated bookstore owner, and the retired detective with a passion for crossword puzzles all band together to solve a mystery. I need to believe that love and kindness are still powerful forces, that justice prevails, and that a talking Papillon dog (or at least one with suspiciously good instincts) can help crack a case wide open.

Maybe that makes me a hopeless optimist. Maybe that makes me a doofus. But I’ll tell you what—I’ll take my doofus-ness with a side of fresh-baked cookies and a charming main street where everyone knows your name. Because even though my cozy mysteries have murder, they also have something more important: heart. And in times like these, that’s the kind of world I want to live in.

So, I’ll keep writing cozies. I’ll keep believing in a world where a small-town sleuth, a mischievous dog, and a tight-knit community can outsmart any villain. And if that makes me a dreamer? Well, so be it.

At least my fictional town has excellent coffee.

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