Tag Archives: cozy mystery

My Cozy Mystery Plans for 2023 by @_NancyRadke

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I started writing the first chapter of my cozy mystery story, number 3 in the series, about the sheriff and Jenna and her dog named Lucky. Here’s an excerpt from the first page, when Sheriff Craig is on patrol. Lucky has come along for the ride. It is snowing heavily and getting dark out.

Jenna’s dog, Lucky, had appropriated the passenger seat of his Range Rover, the vehicle he used most often for his patrol duties. The black Lab was staring through the windshield as if considering the fact that the white sedan in front of them had both brake lights out. A dangerous problem that increased with the snow and the darkness.

Any Lucky Dog Cozy Mystery Series

Cozy Mystery

This series is set in eastern Washington in the Palouse Hills, which are an extension of the low mountains called the Blue Mountains. The first two books had the dead bodies found in the mountains:  Any Lucky Dog Can Follow a Trail of Blood and Any Lucky Dog Can Find a Missing Child.

I used to write more than one book at a time. Although, I don’t know if I’ll get back to that or not as I had congestive heart failure in 2020 and it really slowed me down, both mentally and physically. I wrote three books last year, but it was a struggle, so I plan to only write two this year. If I can do more than that, I will. This will be the last of my Lucky Dog series.

There are a couple of other series that I’d like to add to. I’d like to do at least one more of the Golden Legacy series (since they almost write themselves) and a couple more of the Brothers’ series that I write with my son. The Brothers of Spirit includes Keeping Tatum Safe, which is on pre-order now (ending on Feb.10th). This is about Evan, another of Hugo’s brothers, who has joined the Secret Service.

Keeping Tatum Safe

Once Upon a (Cozy) Mystery

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I grew up with mysteries. So did my children and my parents. For my mother, they were radio shows. In my day, it was the black and white TV show Perry Mason that brought our family together. For my youngest daughter, it was the NCIS series. Now, TV mysteries are whatever’s the latest movie on Netflix or Hulu, I guess.

Build your own favorite Cozy Mystery Box Set Project!

Fast forward to the next millennium and I’m actually writing mystery stories! I love it. Not only can I leave out the gory and scary parts if I want to, but I can also make my hero or heroine someone besides a cop.
I’m not the only one who likes Cozy Mysteries featuring Amateur Detectives. Five of us got together and blended our favorite themes and locales to come up with a new collection for our readers. MURDER IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY: DIEHARD DAMES AMATEUR DETECTIVE SERIES BOOK 2 has authors from around the English-speaking world (although our Canadian author, Susanne Matthews, is fluent in French).

Kids, neighbors, old ladies, and a black bear cub: who can help solve the murder?


I lived in Alaska for a long time, so I based my story there. The locals fascination with flowers and rush to get them up and blooming in the short growing season is part of my story. The dandelion on the cover? It’s there for a reason. The goofy guy all wound up about a loaf of bread? Yeah, he’s part of the murder mystery, too. NEVER A DULL MURDER features the gang from previous Arlie Undercover stories. Come along and see what happens when Arlie has more helpers than he wants.

Who’s the sharpest Girl Friday around? Stella James!


From the upper Midwest of the USA, Denise Devine brings one of the sharpest Girl Fridays ever to the aid of her Private Detective stepbrother in SHOT IN THE DARK. Meet Stella James. She’s burdened with the task of rescuing her tall, dark, and classically handsome stepbrother. The guy’s ego is bigger than his brain and it soon gets him a free vacation at the county jail when one of his female clients ends up murdered – in his bed. Can she save him from relocating to the slammer on a permanent basis?

Can teenagers solve the mystery before someone else is hurt?


Come to Maine with Canadian Susanne Matthews as your guide. PROVE IT! When high school senior Liam ignores the threats to stop running, he’s left for dead by a hit and run driver. When his friend investigates, he goes missing. Now it’s up to Hannah to find the missing boy and whoever is responsible for his disappearance before they strike again.

Dogs and Dames to the rescue!


The Pacific Northwest is home to Nancy Radke, the author of the Trahern Western Pioneer stories. She’s left the Nineteenth Century behind and updated her story with a Twenty-first Century sheriff who meets up with a sharp but lovable local lady. Sometimes help solving a mystery comes with curves and other times with four paws. Will the new sheriff be smart enough to accept the lady and her dog’s assistance in searching for the farmer’s eight-year-old son?

Try out a Regency-Romance-Time Travel Cozy Mystery from our English author, Katy Walters!


Last but not least, we reached across the pond to bring Katy Walters into our box set. A bit of romance, a twist of time travel, a whole lot of women’s lib, plus the murder of the talented chief librarian make for an interesting scenario in A DUKE’S BINDING LOVE.

Get comfortable with an Authors’ Billboard Box Set: All Free to read with Kindle Unlimited.


Feel free to bounce around the set. If you’re more of a Regency Romance fan, start with the last book first. Looking for something a little silly? Start with my book (Louie’s a lovable hoot!). Available to read for free with Kindle Unlimited or only #99cents.

Chill Out in the Garden!

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April 11, 2022, Willamette Valley, Oregon (my yard)

In the northern hemisphere, it’s springtime! Or, depending on where you are, summer! Here in Oregon, USA, we’ve had a very long winter. We had snow on April 11 and only last week, there was frost on the windshield in the morning. It looks like I won’t be getting any cherries, plums, or peaches this year. The apples and pears bloomed late, so we may be okay there.

Gardening is great exercise!

What does the warm weather mean to you? To me, it’s gardening season. That also means I need to get in shape. Here’s a chart that should make you happy about spending time weeding and trimming. Need a butt lift? Move loads of soil or compost around!
Before you commit to your garden project, be sure to have your gear. Plenty of water to drink, a hat, sunscreen, gloves, and of course, a camera to take before and after pictures. Stretch all those muscles first, too. I have a five-gallon bucket with a swivel seat on it that holds my tools. Very nice to have portable accommodations. I never have been a fan of the kneeling pads but my chair/toolbox combo with a handle is great.


MOST IMPORTANT: Audio gear! For me, it’s my Echo frames. Not only do they hold the lenses that help me see, these also have little speakers above the ears and a mic somewhere in front. Since they’re linked with my smartphone, phone calls come through, too. Gloved hands are dexterous enough to tap the right temple, and it’s answered. Need tunes? I tell Alexa, “Shuffle music by Led Zeppelin” or Leonard Bernstein, depending on my mood. I wear scrubs so the phone’s nearby in a big pocket.

Tunes are good, but my go-to request while working and always while driving is, “Alexa, read my book.” Whatever book I’ve been reading on my Kindle device, continues. It DOES NOT have to be an AUDIBLE book, either. Alexa’s voice is pretty cool and way better than the first generation of book readers.

Any story that is ‘Text-to-Speech: Enabled’ on Amazon will work on your Echo. You can do so much more work when you’re listening, waiting for an exciting scene to finish. Even when I’m spent and finally go inside, the story follows me. No Echo frames? Any Kindle or Echo device will keep up with your place in the story. Just ask, “Alexa, read my book.” Smart stuff is awesome!

MURDER IS TO DIE FOR: Diehard Dames Amateur Detective Series

Looking for a long read to listen to for the road or a special project, check out MURDER IS TO DIE FOR. This cozy mystery set won’t make you blush (it’s not spicy) but will keep you intrigued.

Brighten Up Your Life!

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If life seems dull, do something about it! You don’t need a lot of money, either. If you have a fabric stash and a sewing machine and/or serger, there’s zero cost.
Make throw pillow covers! If you have a theme you like, you can use that. I made vibrant Day of the Dead pillow covers for pillows my daughter already had. It looked like she had redecorated the whole living room after she put them on her couch.
Here’s how I put these all together:

Press fabric, measure, cut, make a narrow hem on the two back/reverse pieces, arrange the top and back sections, sew around the whole outside, and take a breath. I always make a diagonal cut across the points of the corners, close to my stitches. That reduces the bulk of fabric when the project is turned right side out. Press, urging the rounded corners of the pillows into sharp angles. Don’t skip ironing! This is what makes homemade look professional.

If you have lots of spare blankets or throws, you can fold them, estimate the size pillow it would make, and make covers/containers for them. The spare room can be decorated with pretty, functional storage units.

What an inexpensive way to decorate for the seasons and holidays! Swap out colors or themes of the covers, bringing Christmas or the seasons with a quick twenty-minute project. If you have too many blankets or throws, bundle them up and make a cover for them, too. Remember to share your pillowcase creations with the gang, too.

Looking for a new read? Check out these deals. MURDER IS TO DIE FOR, a #CozyMystery collection is #99cents. DEAR SANTA: A CHRISTMAS WISH is on sale until April 19th for only 99cents or read for free with Kindle Unlimited. HEROES FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE is $2.99 but ALL of the money earned for this set goes to Ukrainian Refugee Relief.