The Cozy 52: Q&A with author Michelle Bennington * book frolic

Michelle Bennington joins us for this week’s The Cozy 52 interview. Read on to find out more about how she got started writing cozy mysteries, her favourite authors, and more about both her current and upcoming books!

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 interview with Michelle Bennington

Introducing Michelle Bennington

NAME: Michelle Bennington

LIST ALL YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES:

Small Batch Mysteries (Devil’s Kiss, Mermaid Cove, and next year the third book, Unbridled Spirits, will release)
Hazardous Hoarding series (Dumpster Dying, so far)

HOW ARE YOUR COZY MYSTERIES PUBLISHED? Traditional

The Q&A

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF

I was born and raised in Kentucky, where I still live. I was born into a blue collar family and was fortunate enough to grow up before the digital age with parents who read to me, bought me books, and encouraged my reading and education. I’m a quiet and introverted person until you get to know me. I love anything related to arts and crafts. I paint, dance, crochet, etc. and am always seeking out new things to try or to see. I also love to travel, to see places new to me and I love touring old houses/historical sights–and if there’s a ghost tour attached to it, even better!

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

I like pumpkin spice food/drinks all year.
Fall is my favorite season.
I collect coffee mugs.

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

I’ve always loved books and around the age of 13 I fell in love with Edgar Allan Poe’s writing and that was the first time I thought about being a writer myself. So I began writing. At first, it was bad poetry, mimicking Poe’s style, which, as it turns out, is a good creative writing exercise. I wanted to write cozies for two reasons: First, I love mysteries and true crime, so naturally I wanted to write mysteries. Second, honestly, I wanted to write something that my family would be proud to read. Further, there’s so much gratuitous sex, violence, and gore in our culture, I wanted something different. I just want to read and write fun / clean / entertaining stories that people of almost any age could enjoy.

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

I’m a bit of a “rogue” cozy mystery writer because my books toe the line of cozy and traditional. So far, I’ve had difficulty fitting 100% in the cozy genre, though I hope to rectify that in the future. I have a couple ideas for future series that should be more cozy. But to answer the question: My first series is the Small Batch series, set in a bourbon distillery, so I guess that would fit in the culinary realm. But for some, it could be considered a hobby. The bourbon industry in Kentucky is HUGE. I myself love going to bourbon distilleries and learning about the processes used, even though I rarely drink.

My other series, Hazardous Hoarding is another genre-bending series. I’m calling it a cozy with Southern Gothic elements. In brief, Southern Gothic is a genre that deals with mental illness, dark or disturbing settings, the darker side of life like substance abuse or death–especially in a southern culture context, and this genre can have supernatural elements. So, for instance, though there is a ghost in the story, it doesn’t fit neatly into the paranormal subgenre because the reader wonders if Walter really is a ghost or if Birdie, the protagonist, is mentally unbalanced.

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

I was inspired by the TV show Hoarders. I love that show. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, it’s a reality show that follows hoarders in their daily lives to expose what contributes to their illness and the effects the hoarding has on their lives and relationships. It’s a fascinating psychological study. While watching the show, an idea hit me: What if they moved a pile of stuff and found a dead body underneath? Then that reminded me of one of my favorite short stories, “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner. For anyone who hasn’t read that story, I don’t want to to give away the ending, but it’s a wonderful example of the Southern Gothic genre. And, at first, my story was going to end in the same way. But I thought that would be too dark for cozy mystery. But, I was enticed by the challenge and ran with it.

WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LOVE TO READ COZY MYSTERIES?

I think people get tired of the copious amounts of sex, violence, and gore in our culture. But at the same time, people enjoy the entertainment of mysteries, a puzzle to solve. So, I think people delight in just curling up with a good mystery, with characters who are funny/quirky, in settings and atmospheres that are light, airy, humorous, sweet, and positive. I think sometimes our spirits yearn for things that aren’t so dark and heavy.

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

Not at this time. I’m a new author, just came on the scene last year, so I’m still trying to find my bearings and figure out the publishing world. And, unfortunately, I still have to work full-time outside of writing, so it doesn’t leave me much time to engage the way I wish I could.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS?

Gosh, there are so many from a wide range of genres. It’s like choosing my favorite ice cream. Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Laura Childs, S.C. Gwynne, Jocelyn Green, Ellery Adams, Pablo Neruda–just to name a few.

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

Only three?! It’s weird because as much as I love to read, there aren’t very many books I love so much that I’d want to be marooned with to read over and over. So I’d have to choose The Bible, for sure. Then I guess I’d choose Pride and Prejudice and The Collected Works of Shakespeare. I know those are all “old” books, but I feel like if I’m going to be marooned, I need something that is uplifting, speaks to the human spirit, well-written, and challenges and enlightens the mind, as well as entertains. Otherwise, I’m just spending my days trying to figure out how to open coconuts and catch fish. Hm. Maybe one of my books should be a Desert Island Survival Guide?

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

I’m currently finishing up the first draft of Unbridled Spirits, which is the 3rd book in the Small Batch Series. And then in October 2023, I’ll have another book release, a historical mystery called Widow’s Blush, which is the first in the Widows & Shadows series. Once I’ve finished Unbridled Spirits, I will immediately begin book 2 in the Hoarding and the Widows series. I have some historical fiction projects on my mind that I’d like to get around to as well, but I need to wrap up the series first.