Kathleen Marple Kalb/Nikki Knight is the next author to join us at The Cozy 52! Two names, one very talented writer! Kathleen wears many different hats and I’m so glad she took the time to join us for this interview!
Who or What is The Cozy 52? Each week I will be sharing an interview with someone involved with Cozy Mysteries – an author, blogger, Facebook Group host, podcaster, cover designer – so that we can showcase this amazing community! I hope you’ll discover some new authors, plus learn more about what goes on behind the scenes with the people who write, publish and promote cozy mysteries!
Introducing Kathleen Marple Kalb/Nikki Knight
NAME: Kathleen Marple Kalb/Nikki Knight
LIST ALL YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES:
- As Kathleen Marple Kalb: Ella Shane Historical Cozies (published by Kensington)
- As Nikki Knight: Vermont Radio Mystery (published by Crooked Lane)
HOW ARE YOUR COZY MYSTERIES PUBLISHED? Traditional
The Q&A
(photo by Steven Kalb)
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF
I call myself an author/anchor/mom…not in that order. I work weekends, holidays, and vacation cover at 1010 WINS Radio in New York so I can be a stay-at-home mom during the week, and write whenever I have five minutes and a flat surface for a laptop.
LIST THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WE WOULDN’T READ IN YOUR ‘OFFICIAL’ BIO.
- I’m 6’1” and I can’t sink a free throw
- I have a slight but noticeable Western PA accent off the air – the number four is “Fow-er.”
- I love blue nail polish and collect all different shades.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE COZY MYSTERIES?
I’ve spent my adult life writing serious ugly crime stories at work. There was no way I was going to go near anything like that when I’m writing on my own time. And I’ve always loved light series mysteries, starting with the Elizabeth Peters and Joan Hess ones I read as a kid. I love the idea of hanging out with a group of wonderful characters, solving each book’s crime, and watching the characters evolve over the series.
WHAT SUBGENRE(S) OR THEMES OF COZY MYSTERIES DO YOU WRITE?
The Ella series is historical, Gilded Age New York, and the opera world. The Vermont series is set at a small-town radio station. Both have pets and animals who get involved in the action. Ella has Montezuma the Amazon Parrot, while Neptune the Boss Cat rules the radio station, and Charlemagne the Moose shows up occasionally, too.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SERIES?
I’ve always loved the Victorian Era, and Ella, AKA the Diva Who Duels, is a woman finding her way in a man’s world, while playing male soprano – trouser – roles onstage. She and her cousin Tommy, a “confirmed bachelor,” and former boxing champ, solve mysteries involving their opera company, their friends, and often Ella’s swain, a genuine British Duke.
The Vermont series is a lot more personal. In Live, Local, and Dead, New York DJ Jaye Jordan moves to Simpson and takes over WSV after, as she puts it, her husband survives cancer but their marriage doesn’t. Now, she’s a single mother trying to make a living with the radio station, with pushback, and worse, from angry talk-show fans…and then the talk show host ends up dead in a snowman in front of the station. My own early-career experience at a Vermont radio station is a big inspiration, and a lot of the characters draw from my colleagues. Some major family health issues also informed the story, and even led me to some of the evidence in the murder(s).
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LOVE TO READ COZY MYSTERIES?
The escape to an interesting place with loveable characters is a big part of the appeal. But so is the sensibility: something bad happened, and more bad things might happen…but it’s all going to be resolved and everyone we like is going to come through basically okay. Whether it’s a classic knitting-club story or a very diverse modern adventure, you always know you’re safe – which is a very big deal in this world.
ASIDE FROM BEING AN AUTHOR, ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE COZY COMMUNITY IN ANY OTHER WAY?
I have the great good fortune to be an admin on the Cozy Mystery Village Facebook page. The amazing Ileana Munoz-Renfroe invited me to get involved, and I’m so glad I did! It’s a lot of fun to see what other writers are up to and what’s going on in the cozy world. I’m also very active in Sisters in Crime, and I can’t recommend it enough for mystery writers at every level.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS?
Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels, Joan Hess, and Dorothy Sayers are my all-time faves and biggest influences. (I’m deliberately not naming current writers because I don’t want to leave anyone off the list!)
IF YOU WERE MAROONED ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT 3 BOOKS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?
- Sayers’ Strong Poison.
- Peters’ Die for Love.
- And Alison Weir’s The Lady in the Tower – when I’m stressed, I love to escape into some faraway historical period.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW OR UPCOMING WRITING PROJECTS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
The first Vermont Radio Mystery, Live, Local, and Dead, just came out on February 8th from Crooked Lane. The next Ella Shane, A Fatal Overture, is due March 29th from Kensington. I also write short stories, and I have a couple of other cozy mystery proposals just waiting for the right moment to pitch…
The Quickie 5
- FAVOURITE FOOD: Chocolate. Any and all.
- BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Coffee. Black when working, cream and sugar as a treat.
- MOST PRIZED POSSESSION: A ceramic sea-turtle bracelet that my son gave me.
- SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!
- FAVOURITE VACATION SPOT? Anywhere there’s water – and my family!
To keep up to date with Kathleen Marple Kalb/Nikki Knight online:
Kathleen Marple Kalb: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
Nikki Knight: FACEBOOK | TWITTER
