Finding a quiet spot to read, can be harder to find than a good book. The kids are arguing, the hubby has the TV cranked loud enough to drown them out—for him, work is texting with questions about something ridiculous, the dog wants to go out, the cat is dying for your attention and no one else will do. We’ve all suffered through the interruptions. This month has been especially difficult for me as I help pack the youngest off to college and pack up my own house to for a move across the country.
With all the interruptions, I needed a special book to help me escape the rat race because my cozy corner, was in a box. The author that delivered the joy, the twists, the intrigue and the witty characters, was the talented back to school hero, Cynthia Kuhn!
Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Cynthia!
Cynthia: Thank you for having me! Happy to be here.
Kym: Let me start off by saying you’ve created the perfect Cozy Corner with your small town bookstore in Silverton, Colorado. What inspired this great reading nook in your Starlit Bookshop Mysteries?
Cynthia: That is so kind of you to say. I was inspired by every bookstore and library I’ve ever visited…Starlit Bookshop is basically my dream store!
Kym: I think many readers would put it on their list of dream bookstores. What or who came first, the adorable Starlit Books store, or your fabulous protagonist Emma Starrs, and what drew you to that place or character as an author?
Cynthia: The idea of a bookseller who planned literary events was first. Then Emma evolved as I designed the bookstore.
Kym: It’s always hard to choose a victim to kill;) As an author you want the reader to be invested in solving the crime, but not too involved with the victim that it makes the story heartbreaking. How do you go about deciding who will die?
Cynthia: It depends on the book: sometimes the person holds a particular position that will properly put things into motion, sometimes the person highlights a particular issue/theme that the book explores, and sometimes it evolves during the development of the book. There were a few times when I was surprised during the writing too!
Kym: Was there a character who surprised or grabbed you in your first book in the series, How to Book a Murder, that made made you want to make their role larger in second book in the series, In the Event of Murder?
Cynthia: Oh my goodness—how did you know that? Yes. In How to Book a Murder, Calliope Nightfall swooped in with all her goddess energy and took over. It was fun to see what she said and did next. But I wasn’t sure how she would be received by readers—she is, shall we say, unique. But then at Malice Domestic, every reader that I talked to brought Calliope up and said how much they loved her, so I realized that Calliope needed to have a much bigger role in book two than I had been planning. She was barely in the first draft at all…but she’s definitely there now.
Kym: And she just keeps getting better! The character I always want to see expanded is the pet, and in the Starlit Bookshop Mysteries it was the cat, Anne Shirley. (You can’t help but fall in love with her!) Can you tell our readers what makes Anne so special?
Cynthia: That’s so sweet! Anne Shirley, like Calliope, has a big, quirky personality. She chose the Starrs as her family, and she is very confident about her place in the universe (as queen, of course).
Kym: Let’s be honest, mean girls exist and they grow up to be meaner women. No matter how grown up we try to be, we can be pulled into their drama and hate ourselves for doing it, just like Emma is faced with her high school rival, Tabitha’s theatrics as they plan a star-studded literary event together. The clash of personalities made Silverton, Colorado real, and your characters flawed, relatable and believable. Is there a downside to writing realistic characters in a cozy mystery versus writing them in a thriller?
Cynthia: I appreciate all of your thoughtful takes and questions! Anyone who has ever dealt with a person like Tabitha knows how complicated that can be. Emma is the one who has to hold the line whenever Tabitha attacks, and it takes great effort. But tension/conflict is necessary for plot, so such pairings add that energy as well as highlighting opposing characteristics and potentials. Regarding the thrillers, it’s interesting how cozy mysteries are indeed sometimes viewed as not being believable in contrast. But here’s a question: how realistic is it for an average joe protagonist in a thriller to be engaging with antagonists amid a volley of bullets or racing down the highway at top speed or anything super dangerous in which they magically survive?
Kym: Hahaha! Point and match to the cozy writer! There’s always a scene that grabs the reader, and sometimes the author as well. Was there a scene in In the Event of Murder that did that for you?
Cynthia: There’s a small scene with Calliope near the end where she did something unexpected (as I was writing) but it was of course exactly Calliope-like when everything was said and done. Although it’s just a tiny moment, it prompted some ideas about book 3.
Kym: Ooooh, what a tease! This is off topic, but right up your educational alley;) As a college professor of English, what advice do you have for new college students after they’ve survived their first couple weeks of freedom from mom and dad?
Cynthia: I would advise being open to new things: classes, groups, opportunities. Don’t just follow one predetermined path but allow yourself to learn about as many things as you can. Also: if you have a question, feel free to ask your professors. We are here to help.
Kym: (Ahem—are you listening college students?)
Do you have a favorite cozy corner where you like to disappear to read? Or perhaps a nook where students can hide and study on campus? ;)
Cynthia: Our campus has many nooks in various buildings. It’s a reader-friendly zone!
Kym: See, just ask your professor, they know the best places! Where can our readers find you on-line?
Cynthia: My website and other social media sites.
Kym: Thank you for joining us at the Cozy Corner!
Cynthia: Thank you so much for this lovely conversation! It’s been such a pleasure chatting with you.
Until next month, get cozy and read on!
Starlit Bookshop Mystery #2
It’s the star-studded event of the season in Silvercrest, Colorado—but some of the guests might not make it to the last dance alive in the second charming installment of the Starlit Bookshop mysteries from Agatha Award-winning author Cynthia Kuhn.
Nestled on the banks of a breathtaking Rocky Mountain river and dotted with delightful boutiques and galleries, Silvercrest, Colorado, is a book lover’s paradise. Bookseller and literary event planner Emma Starrs is looking forward to attending the annual Silvercrest Library Gala, a glamorous evening with celebrities including the legendary Whitney Willton, currently on the hit crime show Chasers, and her niece, party-planner-to-the-stars Lyra Willton. Gala Week is full of exciting activities honoring both page and screen, and library board president Tabitha Baxter is basking in the glow of her successful launch—until Lyra is found dead.
With the gala only days away, the board asks Emma for help, despite Tabitha—her longstanding nemesis—bristling over the choice. Emma agrees, even though she is already in charge of a classic mystery panel at her family’s bookstore, Starlit Books, which turns out to have its own challenges. Meanwhile, Whitney, who is aware of Emma’s sleuthing skills, begs her to find the killer. The case grows more complex with the disappearance of several priceless objects, an attack on one of the attending celebrities, and other predicaments. Emma searches for clues while handling every unexpected twist and turn leading up to the extravagant affair. But when the guests step onto the red carpet, a killer still lurks in the shadows—and murder just might become the main event.
Mystery Book Lover | Mystery Cozy [Crooked Lane Books, On Sale: August 20, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781639100705 / eISBN: 9781639100712]
Cynthia Kuhn writes the Agatha-Award-winning Lila Maclean Academic Mysteries and the Starlit Bookshop Mysteries. She lives in Colorado with her family, where she is professor of English at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and serves on the national board of Sisters in Crime.
Kym Roberts writes by day and is a pro-surfer in her dreams by night. Her humor is often raunchy, her jokes are often bad, but her hunger for a story keeps the adventures coming fast. Experience the thrill & catch the wave of passion, mystery, and suspense with her on her website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
Thank you so much for hosting In the Event of Murder today! Loved chatting with
you.
(Cynthia Kuhn 1:09pm August 26)
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