When I wrote my first cozy I wanted to take my readers on a fun ride. I thought I was writing a lighthearted escape, a mystery puzzle for they would read to relax at the end of a busy day of carpooling or dealing with clients and customers.
What I didn’t expect were emails from readers thanking me for taking their mind off chemo treatments or a parent’s hospital stay. I was touched and sometimes got teary-eyed reading about the impact my books had on their lives.
I didn’t realize that as a cozy writer I was creating a literal escape, sometimes from a dull daily routine, but other times from dark and stressful situations.
Sometimes those stresses are in readers’ personal lives. Other times, the stress comes from society—the world is a little bit crazy right now!
Cozies give readers a puzzle to engage their brain as well as fun sidekicks and quirky relatives to laugh at. Another important element of cozies is justice. The bad guy gets his comeuppance. Justice is done—something that doesn’t always happen in real life.
Sure, there are are cats and cupcakes in cozies, but cozies are so much more. Whether it’s their personal world that’s turned upside down or society in general, cozies help readers escape to a place where they can catch up with friends, use their brain to solve a mystery, and see that culprit is caught—not a bad way to spend an evening!
This is Part III of a series about the cozy mystery. Check out The Evolution of the Term Cozy in Part I and the How to Tell if Your Book is a Cozy Checklist in Part II.
Want more info on cozy mysteries? Check out my How to Outline a Cozy Mystery course.
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