P.A. Mason joins us for this week’s The Cozy 52 interview. I loved getting to learn more about her books, what inspires her characters, and her desert-island 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!
Introducing P.A. Mason
NAME: P.A. Mason
LIST ALL YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES: Trouble Down Under series
HOW ARE YOUR COZY MYSTERIES PUBLISHED? I’ve self-published all of my work, and really enjoy the level of control I get from being an indie author.
The Q&A
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF
I’m an author based in regional Australia, and started publishing in 2020. I grew up on fantasy books, and love the paranormal cozy mystery genre. For me, it’s a place that compliments my writing style and the shift we’ve seen over time to include magic in the every day world. By day, I’m an Aboriginal social worker, so the opportunity to escape such heavy work into worlds of my own is an important part of how I take care of myself. I’m a mother of a rambunctious six-year-old girl, which means most of the writing happens while I’m in a dressing gown nursing coffee at 5 AM.
LIST THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WE WOULDN’T READ IN YOUR ‘OFFICIAL’ BIO.
- I don’t watch much television, but I do enjoy playing video games with my daughter—namely anything including the Mario brothers or LEGO worlds
- I enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles
- I love gardening. That’s not to say that I’m much good at it though!
WHEN AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE COZY MYSTERIES?
So my first published series is actually a high fantasy humorous set of witchy novellas. What I noticed was that people who were reading them were also reading paranormal cozy mysteries which is how I stumbled into the genre. As I started reading them, I fell in love with the tone and style of cozy mystery stories, and began plotting my own long before I finished writing Gretchen’s (Mis)Adventures.
WHAT SUBGENRE(S) OR THEMES OF COZY MYSTERIES DO YOU WRITE?
Most definitely paranormal, but of course I’ve got plenty of telepathic familiars in my work. And a cheeky culinary short story which introduces my girl from Arkansas to the wonders of Vegemite after she arrives in Australia.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SERIES?
After writing in a completely fictitious world, I was hesitant to set my cozy series in a country I’d never visited. I thought long and hard about that, and devised a way to have a gal from Arkansas up and move to Australia after seeing to her deceased great aunt’s affairs—and solve the mystery of her demise, of course.
I’ve had so much fun writing about Kat Crowe—green witch by craft—and introducing her to an Aussie way of life for readers to enjoy around the globe. As she finds her feet and ends up running a nursery in a small town while solving mysteries, I can’t help but wonder if I’m living a little vicariously through her. I always thought working in a nursery would be an awesome job.
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LOVE TO READ COZY MYSTERIES?
I think now more than ever, stories which allow us to escape the ‘every day’ are so important for our wellbeing. Murder aside, cozy mystery stories take us on a fun adventure which appeal to our innate need to solve puzzles and understand hidden meaning. I think mysteries are also pretty unique in that we get a complete story in every instalment over a series, but the benefit of walking alongside a beloved character for the long haul.
ASIDE FROM BEING AN AUTHOR, ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE COZY COMMUNITY IN ANY OTHER WAY?
As someone who wrangles being an author outside of a full-time job, I don’t have much spare time to invest in groups or workshops. I do design my own covers though, and some for friends, which I describe as my creative outlet for my creative outlet.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS?
Sheesh, this is always a hard one. In terms of cozy authors though, I love Annabel Chase, Sara Bourgeois, and Nova Nelson.
IF YOU WERE MAROONED ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT 3 BOOKS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?
Okay, I’m going to be an outlier here. If I’m on a deserted island I need to laugh a lot, which means I’d be taking any three of the witch Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. Mostly because I could read them a hundred times and still be smiling.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS COMING UP THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
The new thing that I’ve been working on this year is opening my store—which means I get to sell books direct on my website. It’s something I’m pretty proud of, so if people want to check it out, they can visit my website on www.pamasonauthor.com
I’ll be running a number of giveaways throughout the year to celebrate, so it’s worth visiting.
The Quickie 5
- FAVOURITE FOOD: Cheesecake of the lemon variety
- BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Coffee
- MOST PRIZED POSSESSION: My laptop—or author’s instrument if you will
- SUMMER OR WINTER? As an Aussie, I’ll have to choose winter. I don’t cope with extreme heat
- FAVOURITE VACATION SPOT? Tasmania, Australia. So much to see there, and plenty of hiking to do.
To keep up to date with P.A. Mason online, you can connect with her on:
