The Cozy 52: Q&A with author Michelle Hillen Klump

Michelle Hillen Klump is the next author to join us at The Cozy 52! I’m very excited to read Michelle’s book, A Dash of Death, which is the first book in her new cozy mystery series featuring cocktails and food (I LOVE culinary cozies!) so watch for a review soon. But for now, let’s get to know the author!

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 Michelle Hillen Klump

NAME: Michelle Hillen Klump

LIST ALL YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES: The Cocktails and Catering Mystery Series

HOW ARE YOUR COZY MYSTERIES PUBLISHED? Traditional

The Q&A

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF

I’m Michelle Hillen Klump, author of A DASH OF DEATH, the first in the Cocktails and Catering Mystery Series about a former newspaper reporter and amateur mixologist who gets mixed up in a murder investigation. The series is set in Houston, Texas, where I live with my husband and young daughter. I’m a former newspaper reporter myself, and I also dabble a little bit in making cocktail bitters and syrups, although I’m nowhere near as talented as Samantha, my main character.

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

• I played the smallest bass drum in my high school’s marching band.
• I once had the privilege of interviewing Maya Angelou, and she was as lovely as you could imagine.
• I love gardening, but have never successfully been able to grow a bell pepper.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE COZY MYSTERIES?

I have loved cozy mysteries since I was a child, reading Nancy Drew and graduating to Lillian Jackson Braun’s “The Cat Who” series. While I read all genres, I always come back to mysteries, and cozies, in particular, when I’m looking for an escape. I hope that my books can provide that escape to readers who need it.

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

I write culinary cozies, with recipes for both food and cocktails. Since my main character specializes in craft cocktails, there is a big focus on different cocktail ingredients and techniques.

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

My series features Samantha Warren, a former newspaper reporter and amateur mixologist who lives in the small Highlands community in Houston, Texas. In A DASH OF DEATH, the first book in the series, she has lost her job, her fiancé, and feels like she is at the lowest point in her life when she gets thrust into a murder investigation while serving cocktails at a historic association home tour. An association board member is killed while drinking one of her custom creations, and she is forced to investigate to save her reputation. By the end of the book, she will launch a new career, which will continue to put her in the path of murder investigations. My inspiration for the series came from the old adage to write what you know. Much like Samantha, I’m also a former newspaper reporter who happens to love craft cocktails. (Fortunately, I’ve been able to steer clear of murder investigations so far!) I’m inspired by stories I’ve read and by Houston itself, which is full of interesting neighborhoods, wonderful food and crazy crime stories.

WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LOVE TO READ COZY MYSTERIES?

Cozy mysteries are like comfort food. They are homey and satisfying and you can always count on a happy ending. Apart from that, I think another reason people love cozy mysteries is because they offer the opportunity to learn something new. So many cozy amateur sleuths have interesting careers or hobbies, from knitting to wine making to genealogy, and it is fun to learn about those careers or hobbies while solving a mystery.

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

For now, I’m only an author.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS?

I have so many favorites in the cozy world, and I don’t want to leave anyone out, so I will limit myself to the author who most inspired me to write a novel. Laura Lippman is my all-time favorite crime writer. She was a huge inspiration for me because we both started our journalism careers at the same small newspaper in Waco, Texas. She worked there several years before I did, but I discovered her after reading about her in the company newsletter. Once I read about her, I knew I had to get one of her books. When I picked it up, I loved it and have read everything she has written since then. She inspired me to dream that I could one day write a novel too.

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

The complete works of Jane Austen (Is that cheating? It is one physical book!), All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren and Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW OR UPCOMING WRITING PROJECTS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?

I’m hard at work on the second in the Cocktails and Catering Mystery series, titled Murder Served Neat, which will be coming out sometime in 2023.  

The Quickie 5

• FAVOURITE FOOD: Tacos
• BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: A nice classic cocktail, like a Sazerac
• MOST PRIZED POSSESSION: My grandmother’s hope chest
• SUMMER OR WINTER? Definitely summer!
• FAVOURITE VACATION SPOT? A big city with lots of museums and access to a beach

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To keep up to date with Michelle Hillen Klump online, you can connect on:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK