The Cozy 52: Q&A with author Lesley St. James

Lesley St. James is this week’s interviewee for The Cozy 52 feature. Learn more about Lesley’s books, what inspired her to start writing, and what she once told Patrick Swayze.

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!

banner for author interview with Lesley St. James

Introducing Lesley St. James

NAME: Lesley St. James

LIST ALL YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES: The Jill Cooksey Mysteries, which include The Sweet Scent of Death, Death of a Dolly Waggler, and Cruising Toward Death.

HOW ARE YOUR COZY MYSTERIES PUBLISHED? My books are published under my own imprint, Madcap Mystery.

The Q&A

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF

Although I’m a Southern girl by birth and heritage, I grew up all over the country because we moved around when I was a child. I’ve lived in eight states and fifteen homes. Books have been my constant companions throughout my life. I’m a twenty-two-year veteran classroom teacher. When I’m not writing, I teach English. I started out in film and television, switched over to public relations, and ultimately made the move to education. I started writing my first book in the fall of 2000, and it wasn’t published until 2020 (so never give up). Reading, writing, editing, and teaching take up most of my time, but in my spare time, I love watching movies, traveling, and spending time with my family.

LIST THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WE WOULDN’T READ IN YOUR ‘OFFICIAL’ BIO.

I can tap dance.
Teenage me once told Patrick Swayze that I loved him at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and he was very gracious about it.
When I worked in PR, I once spent the Fourth of July with the cast of Baywatch.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START WRITING? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE COZY MYSTERIES?

Before I could even read, I would pretend to write and fill up reams of paper with my writing, which was just scribbles. Books were always a part of my life from the very beginning. My parents made sure I had plenty of books around me, and when I graduated to chapter books at age six, the first chapter books were mysteries, specifically Nancy Drew, Beverly Gray, and Cherry Ames. I’ve always loved the genre because I love puzzles and figuring things out, so it was just natural for me to write mysteries. I chose to write cozies because they’re so much fun, but I also have plans to write thrillers and romantic suspense.

WHAT SUBGENRE(S) OR THEMES OF COZY MYSTERIES DO YOU WRITE?

I write amateur sleuth cozy mysteries centered around a career, in this case public relations. And while my books are set primarily in New York, they can be considered Southern cozies because my heroine is a Southern fish out of water.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SERIES?

I was inspired to write my series by the years I spent living and working in New York in my twenties. I worked in film, television, and public relations, and by the end of my time in those industries, I had a lot of potential storylines to explore. So many crazy, funny things happened to me or to people I knew. I always tell people that the stranger the plot point, the greater the chance it happened in real life in one form or another.

The series begins with The Sweet Scent of Death, in which Jill Cooksey is a struggling PR account executive. She gives herself one last chance to make good in New York City. If she fails, she plans to head home to Virginia. Unfortunately, while she is trying to launch a new fragrance, an actress is murdered, and Jill’s spokesmodel is the prime suspect. To save her campaign, her career, and her life, Jill must find the killer.

Because living in New York is so expensive, Jill’s second adventure, Death of a Dolly Waggler, finds her moonlighting on the set of a children’s television show so she can pay off her credit cards. Jill soon learns that what you see on TV is far from the truth. When the murder of a puppeteer puts the future of the show in jeopardy, Jill races to figure out who is pulling the strings. If she can’t, the show will be cancelled…and someone else will die.

My heroine Jill faces the same struggles that many young people face when they come to “The Big City” to make their fortunes. There’s a lot of competition. Nothing is handed to you, and you have to work hard. If you’re lucky, you make some good friends that become a support system. And while the city is a land of opportunity, it can also be gruelling and unforgiving. A sense of humor is a must. That’s how Jill was born. She’s every woman trying to make her way in the world, but she has a sense of humor and a particularly Southern take on life. She also has a group of girlfriends who have her back.

WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LOVE TO READ COZY MYSTERIES?

There isn’t one reason for the popularity of cozy mysteries. Different readers take different things from the genre. Some love the puzzle aspect and trying to figure out the mystery. In a cozy, the possibilities are finite, so there’s a better chance of solving the mystery than in, say, a global thriller that spans centuries. Other people love the little worlds created by cozies, from small towns to PR campaigns. The setting details and the diverse personalities of the characters really suck some readers in. Some readers love the humor or the touch of romance in cozies. And still other readers love reading a story set within a hobby or location they’re passionate about. They feel they have something in common with the characters and the author. Cozy mystery is truly the genre that offers something for everyone.

ASIDE FROM BEING AN AUTHOR, ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE COZY COMMUNITY IN ANY OTHER WAY?

In addition to being an author, I’m also an editor. My company, Madcap Mystery, offers editorial services for authors. I’ve edited cozy mysteries, romance, fantasy, memoir, and screenplays.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS?

Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Pearl S. Buck, Lindsey Davis, John Donne, Diana Gabaldon, Martha Grimes, Susannah Kearsley, Laurie R. King, C.S. Lewis, Naomi Novik, Penny Reid, J.K. Rowling, William Shakespeare, Daniel Silva, Mary Stewart, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Amor Towles are just some of my favorites.

IF YOU WERE MAROONED ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT 3 BOOKS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?

A voracious reader, I would work the technicalities of this question because I’m not sure I could survive without reading material. I would bring The Lord of the Rings trilogy in one enormous volume, Kristin Lavransdatter (another trilogy) in one enormous volume, and the Bible. Those should keep me occupied for a while.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS COMING UP THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?

The third Jill Cooksey book, Cruising Toward Death, will launch in September and is available for preorder. Jill is gunning for a promotion, and to secure a vice presidency at her firm, she wants to land a big client. Seaswept Cruises is a new, state-of-the-art cruise line founded by an eccentric futurist. Jill tags along on the inaugural cruise to pitch the business but soon finds out that nothing is shipshape aboard The Lady Luck. A series of unfortunate events, including the mysterious death of an investor, spells disaster for the fledgling cruise line and its passengers. Jill must discover what’s going on before the call to abandon ship.

The fourth Jill Cooksey mystery is in the works right now.