M.K. Dean joins us for this week’s The Cozy 52 interview. Read on to find out more about her books, how she got started writing cozy mysteries, and why writing a culinary cozy would be funny for her.
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 M.K. Dean
NAME: M.K. Dean
LIST ALL YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES:
- An Embarrassment of Itches, The Dog Days of Murder, A Corpse in the Condo (The Ginny Reese Mysteries)
HOW ARE YOUR COZY MYSTERIES PUBLISHED? self-published
The Q&A
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF
I’ve always been a storyteller, even as a small child I created and illustrated my own books. I started out writing romances under different pen names, publishing with small presses, but after having two publishing organizations fail to pay their authors royalties, I decided to self-publish. I’ve always loved mysteries, but figured I wasn’t smart enough to pull one off! On a whim, I wrote An Embarrassment of Itches. The reception was so positive, I began thinking mysteries were what I should have been writing all along. I love the genre—an intrepid female sleuth, a cast of quirky characters, small towns, furry sidekicks, and a hint of romance? MY CATNIP.
LIST THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WE WOULDN’T READ IN YOUR ‘OFFICIAL’ BIO.
- I love taking photographs. I do pretty well with your basic point-and-shoot camera, but I’d love to take a real course, and learn how to use all the features.
- I can’t drink coffee or tea unless it’s herbal. I must be careful how much chocolate I consume because I’m sensitive to caffeine. *sad face*
- I used to be a TERRIBLE cook. I mean, really, really bad. But during the pandemic, I began experimenting with recipes, and the advent of things like the Instant Pot and air fryers have allowed me to go from horrible to decent. I’ll never have my own cooking show, but at least my meals are edible now!
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START WRITING? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE COZY MYSTERIES?
As I said before, I’ve always been a storyteller. I used to make up stories about my favorite books and TV shows before I realized fanfiction was a thing. I always wanted to be a writer, but honestly, before the advent of self-publishing, the odds of finding an agent and getting published with one of the big houses was next-to-none. I gave up on my dream and pursued more attainable career options. But I kept making up stories in my head. One day I began writing them down instead and posting them on fan sites like AO3. Enough people encouraged me to try my hand at original fiction, I began writing romances—but even my romances always had a mystery component to them. One of my friends pointed this out to me, and I thought, “well, why not try writing a cozy?”
WHAT SUBGENRE(S) OR THEMES OF COZY MYSTERIES DO YOU WRITE?
It would be funny if I wrote culinary mysteries since I’m such a rotten cook. Maybe I will someday, and my main character will be a terrible cook but addicted to baking shows so everyone thinks she’s an expert… I write pet related mysteries because I’ve worked in the animal industry one way or another for years—and because I love them. I included animals in all my romances, too.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SERIES?
I say the Ginny Reese Mysteries are Diagnosis Murder meets All Creatures Great and Small. I like the idea of a house-call veterinarian as a protagonist, as she would be in a position to go places and possibly see things that other people might not be able to do. Plus, her schedule would be a little more flexible than someone who worked FT in a clinic. (I always wondered how the doctors in Diagnosis Murder had time to solve crimes!) Plus, it had the added advantage of not being your typical cozy mystery sleuth.
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LOVE TO READ COZY MYSTERIES?
I think there are a lot of similarities between cozy mysteries and romances. Readers of both genres enter into a contract with the author knowing to expect a certain kind of story with a certain kind of ending. In the case of romance, it’s the happily ever after (or happily for now). In the case of mysteries, it’s knowing the good guys will win in the end, and justice will be served. Cozies provide a gentler kind of thrill for the mystery reader, more about solving the puzzle and enjoying the characters than the story that will keep you up at night biting your nails.
ASIDE FROM BEING AN AUTHOR, ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE COZY COMMUNITY IN ANY OTHER WAY?
Hah hah hah, no. I greatly admire the people who can do this, but writing is a second FT job for me. It’s all I can do to write, meet up with my crit group, and keep up with social media and marketing.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS?
I cut my teeth on the greats of the Golden Age of Mystery: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Josephine Tey and so on. I still enjoy dipping into stories from that era—I’m reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd right now. But I also love the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters, just about everything written by Ilona Andrews, the In Death series by J.D. Robb, and the Murderbot books by Martha Wells.
IF YOU WERE MAROONED ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT 3 BOOKS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?
Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers: this book managed to create the tension and the feel of a cozy without ever actually having a murder. It also shaped my impressions of what a healthy adult relationship looks like. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters: the irrepressible Peabody and the irascible Emerson are a crime solving match made in heaven! Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews: I adore the Hidden Legacy books by the Andrews writing team. Fantastic world-building, terrific characters, gripping plot—but what brings me back to this story again and again is my love for the Baylor family. I want to be an honorary member.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS COMING UP THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
I’m currently working (albeit slowly) on the 4th Ginny Reese book, titled A Nose for Death. When a storm takes down part of a building on Ginny’s farm, her dog Remington discovers the remains of a body—and the identity of the victim raises a lot of ghosts in the town of Greenbrier.
The Quickie 5
- FAVOURITE FOOD: cheese
- BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Hint water: blueberry flavor
- MOST PRIZED POSSESSION: my pets
- FAVOURITE SEASON? Hands down, autumn. I even write a love letter to this season in the beginning of A Nose for Death.
- FAVOURITE VACATION SPOT? Give me a mountain cabin, hiking trails, and a lake view any day.
To keep up to date with M.K. Dean online, you can connect with her on:
M.K. DEAN LINKS | NEWSLETTER | WEBSITE
Wonderful Cozy 52. I like the idea of Diagnosis Murder meets All Creatures Great and Small. Good luck with the 4th Ginny Reese book, M.K.!
Thank you! I’ve always thought medicine was a bit like crime-solving, so it seemed like a perfect match. Book 4 is creeping along but I hope to have it done by the end of the year!