Hello, guys and gals!  This week, let’s talk about the little things — the pleasures of a cozy.   The joy of reading about lovely places where everything is almost perfect (except for a murder or two) while lazing on a warm summer day in the shade or in a comfy chair by a blazing fireplace in the dead of winter.  Fast paced thrillers certainly have a place in our world — the “e” ticket roller coaster rides of our lives, but consider the cozy, with its people and places in rich description, which is akin to peeking and visiting into the shops and cafes along Main Street.  It’s all about settling down and getting lost in a world with the details that surround the senses and transport out hearts.

As a read follows along on the cozy novel’s journey, they can learn so much about anything and everything in these idyllic worlds, from orcharding, bookbinding, acoustics, food and beverage, architecture and fashion, just to suggest a few themes.  The stories are set in modern day or bygone eras and rich in characters that develop over time, with a little murder and mayhem to round out the picture.

Now that STRANGLED BY SILK, the first in my Poppy Cove Mystery Series has seen the light of day, I am delighted to receive the feedback and response from strangers who have now become friends and fans.  It’s lovely to know those who get the joy of the cozy as I’ve tried to present it.  They talk about being able to see the places, people and garments in their minds’ eye as they guess along the way to who done it.  For those who are willing, I feel so blessed to have them “Come on Along” to the sandy shores of Santa Lucia in its 50’s/60’s heydays.  Whether you decide that it’s God or the devil in the details, that’s what makes the story.

Toodles,

Barbara Jean