Seeking input for informal poll about hobby-cozies

[Kathryn Lilley]

Hi All,

I'm gathering information for a presentation about hobby-oriented cozy mysteries. I have information and some questions posted at Killer Hobbies (Friday's post):
http://killerhobbies.blogspot.com/2007/11/cozying-up-to-killer-hobb...


I would so appreciate any input/opinions/perspectives you might have about hobby-oriented cozy mysteries. What you like about them? Don't like? Experiences writing? Room for improvements? Marketing/packaging issues? You can email me offline ([e-mail]), or post here, or at Killer Hobbies, or on my Crimespace page. Whew! So many options! Thanks so much! Best, Kathryn

[I. J. Parker]

A series need not be the same thing over and over again. But you have a point in that many are.

[Kathryn Lilley]

Hi I.J.,

Yes, like any other business (and publishing is definitely a business), once people latch onto a formula that "works," they'll tend to repeat until it is exhausted in the marketplace. Best, Kathryn

[Tom Barclay]

No, of course not, I.J. - but what would a bean counter recommend? It will all depend on where the power resides with any given publisher.

[I. J. Parker]

Or on the author's priorities.

[ed goldberg]

Hi,
I think everyone who wants to read should have something that suits them. I am personally appalled by cozies. Like Raymond Chandler, I don't find murder cozy.
But, I don't have to read them. And cozy fans don't have to read hard-boiled or serial-killer books.
I am no longer under contract with Berkley Prime Crime because I couldn't write their sugar-coated mysteries. And, I'm a Shamus winner. They had no place for me in cozy-land, and I'm happy to be out of their clutches.
But, like romance novels, they have their constituency.
The amateur sleuth has a place in crime novels, but it's the frou-frou that accompanies cozies I object to.
E.

[Kathryn Lilley]

Okay, Ed, on behalf of cozy readers and writers everywhere, I guess I should say, "Ouch!!" But you're so right about everyone getting to choose their preferred genre (I prefer to think of my books as "soft-boiled" rather than cozy. For more, see my Blog about Cozy Mysteries and Sex! Violence! Chicks Gone Wild!). Best, Kathryn.

p.s., I love the photo of your dear, late cat, Noodles, and the rat. That rat looked like it had a bit of rodentary life left in it. Was Noodles having a little fun before finishing it off? My kitkat, Smokie, never gets to catch mice because he's an indoor kitty. But he loves torturing the occasional spider.

[ed goldberg]

Hi,
No offense meant, but I guess that's easy for me to say.
We just spread Noodles' ashes today. Yeah, he worked that rat for an hour, or so.
I told Berkley my books were poached. Natalee has no sense of humor.
Good to hear from you. I love the picture of you. I'm a freak for red hair.
E.

[Kathryn Lilley]

Oh, thank you, Ed! I was not offended at all--I love honest dialogue! And thanks for liking the color of my hair. I'll pass the compliment on to my colorist, who labors hard every four weeks to keep it that way, lol. And sorry again to hear about Noodles. I'm so devoted to my kitty--isn't it amazing how closely we bond with these little critters?

[Kathryn Lilley]

Oh, and that post about Chicks Gone Wild is at http://crimespace.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=537324%3ABlogPost%...

or scroll down to it on my Profile page.

[Laura Root]

I find it a bit off-putting when any fiction book includes recipes, knitting patterns etc.

[Margaret Grace]

In some ways the trend of including recipes, patterns, and the like, is a throw back to when even works of fiction had illustrations, maps, and so on. It's all a matter of taste, however.
Margaret

[Kathryn Lilley]

I think it's a matter of taste, and also of making sure the information really suits the story and doesn't overload it. In DYING TO BE THIN, I put the diet and exercise tips in a character's voice so that it enhanced the interplay and sense of characterization of the two friends, rather than sounding like I was tacking on a bunch of Weight Watchers tips.