A Warm Mug of Cozy: Volume 2 is coming! If you enjoyed last year’s opus, this one shouldn’t disappoint!
On the menu, nine gripping stories from eight phenomenal writers:
Whispers in Bars – Ian Tucker
The Norman Conquest – Anne Elliot
The Takedown – Julie A. Sellers
A Hard Pill to Swallow – RG Clark
A Terrible Murder – Sam Morris
No Good Deed – Lisa M. Lane
The Body in the Bog – Andre DeCuir
New Job – Denise Johnson
The Old Book – Ian Tucker
Yes, you read it right. We have four returning contributors: Ian Tucker, Julie A. Sellers, Sam Morris, and Denise Johnson. How great is that?
What’s Next?
We are currently working on the editing and formatting of the volume. This should keep us busy for several weeks.
While it’s too early to announce a release date yet, we are confident that we will be able to complete the book cover soon. We will show it to you as soon as we are done.
In the meantime, be sure to leave a comment below to congratulate our featured contributors. They truly deserve it!
Welcome to our mini-series on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology, which celebrates the writers whose stories are featured in our inaugural volume.
Today, Caitlin McColl is telling us what inspired her story “Trinity Falls.”
What inspired my story? A few things:
I wrote some mystery stories in the past but they were more straight up detective stories. I’d never written a cozy mystery and thought it would be interesting to try to write a story using the ‘rules’ of the cozy – especially the idea of it taking place in a small town.
Lately I’ve been on a crime/thriller binge after discovering a few new mystery/crime writers, so that helped with some inspiration. There’s also a few cozy mystery TV series that I love: Agatha Raisin, Murdoch Mysteries, Queens of Mystery…. and maybe even Nancy Drew (yes, I admit, I watched a few seasons of the teen mystery drama!).
But I love the main character in my story because…well, she’s actually a main character in some of my Steampunk fiction! But of course, my anthology story isn’t steampunk, so she’s not exactly the same character – but what she does as a job in my Steampunk stories was a perfect fit for a cozy mystery!
So, it was mostly my main character that inspired my story. That, and for some reason, despite having been there only once many years ago, I pictured the town my story takes place in being something like a small town on the East Coast of North America – which is strange, seeing how I live on the West Coast! But the west coast didn’t seem to have the same vibe as the east coast for a mystery.
Caitlin McColl has written many short stories since childhood, mainly fantasy—with dragons, wizards, and other fantastical monsters. Her areas of interest are fantasy and steampunk fiction, but once in a while she also delves into genres like crime. Which makes sense because she watches a lot of crime dramas and reads lots of crime thrillers. She lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and dog. She currently writes stories and articles on Medium.com.
Welcome to our mini-series on A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology, which celebrates the writers whose stories are featured in our inaugural volume.
Today, Natalie Klein is telling us what inspired her story “Murder on Main Street, A Derry Downs Mystery”
The thrill of the chase, suspenseful plot twists, and the satisfaction of solving the crime – nothing gets my heart racing quite like a good old-fashioned whodunit.
So, when the opportunity arose to immerse myself in a cozy murder mystery, I couldn’t resist throwing my hat in the ring. The prospect of sleuthing alongside captivating characters and unravelling an intricate web of clues had me hooked from the get-go.
Amidst Sydney’s hustle and bustle, I often yearn for the quaint charm of a small country town. Where strong friendships are formed over cups of steaming tea and life’s simple pleasures are savoured. This is where the seeds of my cozy murder mystery were born.
‘Welcome to Derry Downs, a little slice of country paradise where sewing needles are the weapons of choice and juicy gossip flows like the finest wine. Alice and Bobbie are the town’s dynamic duo, running the beloved Sewing Bee and keeping the community afloat with their boundless energy and friendly smiles. But when tragedy strikes and brings chaos to this once-peaceful town, it’s Alice’s determination to solve the crime that will have you cheering her on with every stitch. Will she track down the culprit, or will her pursuit put her in harm’s way?’
So, grab your magnifying glass, hone your detective skills, and get ready to embark on a thrilling journey with Alice to uncover the shooter in my cozy murder mystery.
Natalie Klein from Sydney Australia, crafts captivating stories for readers of all ages. She also works as a website copywriter, crafting clear, concise, and persuasive copy for small businesses.
When she’s not busy writing, she can usually be found listening to true crime podcasts, sewing, and exploring all things related to the history of England.
