R.A. Hutchins is this week’s interviewee for The Cozy 52. I first discovered Hutchins’ in a Facebook group we’re both in because her book covers kept catching my eyes – they are some of the prettiest cozy mystery covers I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen A LOT of covers). So, I’m excited to get to know her better!
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 R.A. Hutchins
NAME: R.A. Hutchins
LIST ALL YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES:
- The Baker’s Rise Mysteries (Books 1-5 out by end of April, books 6-8 coming this year);
- The Lillymouth Mysteries (New series, coming later this year)
HOW ARE YOUR COZY MYSTERIES PUBLISHED? Self-Published
The Q&A
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF
Hello! I live in northeast England, the closest city to me is Newcastle upon Tyne which is famous for having seven bridges! My home is near to the border for the county of Northumberland, where my Baker’s Rise Mysteries series is set. This is the last English county before Scotland. I live with my husband and three children, who are 17, 15 and 10, and our dog, Boudicca. My son was 9 when we got her as a puppy and we had promised he could name the new family member – as he was learning about Roman Britain at the time, she was named after the famous Queen of the Britons!
My favourite hobbies, other than reading and writing, are pottering in the garden and visiting our beautiful coastline. We are ten minutes in the car from several beautiful beaches, and I feel so blessed to have them on my doorstep – the coast is my happy place!
LIST THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WE WOULDN’T READ IN YOUR ‘OFFICIAL’ BIO.
- I studied International Relations with French and German at St. Andrews University in Scotland, and lived in Scotland for nine years.
- I met my husband at high school and we went up to university together. We got married while we were still students!
- I am really terrible in the kitchen – both cooking and baking – my husband does all the cooking here!
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE COZY MYSTERIES?
Cozy mysteries have always been a comfort read for me. They evoke memories of my childhood watching black and white Miss Marple films with my grandmother, and Poirot with my parents. Yes, I love Agatha Christie’s mysteries! When I was a new mother, the books of M.C. Beaton were easy to read between other tasks, and I found comfort in the familiar characters and settings as the series continued. It is this familiarity, this comfort factor that I’ve tried to achieve with my Baker’s Rise Mysteries series. I love the gentle humour that often accompanies books in this genre, and the promise that you are cushioned from the harsher realities of life that you see in thrillers. So, I’m writing what I love and it brings me joy! (Especially thinking up punny titles!)
WHAT SUBGENRE(S) OR THEMES OF COZY MYSTERIES DO YOU WRITE?
As you can probably tell from the title, the Baker’s Rise books have a culinary theme! The first book in the series is called, Here Today, Scone Tomorrow.
Flora owns a tearoom, which she then develops to also house a bookshop and tiny library. Like me, she is not a natural baker!
Pets are also a huge theme, and Flora inherits a rather feisty feathered friend with no filter!
My new series, The Lillymouth Mysteries, which comes out later this year, also features a very talkative bird!
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SERIES?
My Baker’s Rise series is inspired by the beautiful county of Northumberland which I love to visit on day trips with my family. Although the village of Baker’s Rise itself is fictional, it is based on many little rural villages I have visited over the years. I am often inspired by people I have met throughout my life, by their quirks and things I found endearing. I love watching my fictional characters develop and grow.
I also love visiting tea rooms, patisseries… anywhere with tea or coffee and cake! My perfect setting is a book shop with a tearoom inside!
The main character in Baker’s Rise is Flora Miller, a recently divorced woman in her mid-forties who has inherited a whole estate, including the manor house, tearoom, coach house, and lots of buildings in the village itself. As well as her predecessors parrot! She is initially lacking in self-confidence and direction, lonely and out of place. Not for long though! Some of the villagers take her under their wing, though she does also ruffle a few feathers! This series is also special because each book contains a different recipe – written in the chapter titles. You have to follow the instructions in the headings in order to make the recipe!
My new series is set in the fictional town of Lillymouth in North Yorkshire, another beautiful area I have visited many times. It is a coastal town, with the sea on one side and the North Yorkshire Moors on the other. The main character is a woman vicar called Daisy, who is not your typical member of the clergy! I love writing characters who have a lot of depth and are often surprising even to me! I am constantly inspired by places I visit, stories I hear about their rich history and traditions.
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LOVE TO READ COZY MYSTERIES?
I think that cozy mystery readers enjoy the quaint settings, the quirky characters, the humour and familiarity, often even a touch of romance. As well as trying to solve the mysteries, of course!
Over the course of the series, I think that people enjoy watching the relationships between the different characters develop, as well as seeing more of their individual personalities. I believe that people find the comfort and entertainment that I’ve always found when reading this genre.
ASIDE FROM BEING AN AUTHOR, ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE COZY COMMUNITY IN ANY OTHER WAY?
I love being an active member of several cozy mystery Facebook groups, both as a reader and a writer. Social media provides the perfect platform to interact with other book lovers from around the world, and I enjoy the friendships I have made there.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS?
Agatha Christie, MC Beaton, K R Richards, Jane Austen, … too many to list!
IF YOU WERE MAROONED ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT 3 BOOKS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?
Ooh, tricky question to narrow it down to three…
- The Bible
- Agatha Christie, The Complete Works (I hope that’s not cheating!)
- Pride and Prejudice
DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS COMING UP THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
The fifth instalment in the Baker’s Rise Mysteries series, Out With the Old, In With the Choux is published on April 22nd with a box set of the first four books coming next month – I’m very excited about that! The next three books in that series will also be out this year as well as the first book in my Lillymouth Mysteries series. All will be free to read on Kindle Unlimited! Book 2 in my series, tentatively titled, Death in Academia, has been turned in to my editor. And I’m working on book 3 in the series, Death at the Festival. It’s due to my editor in September.
The Quickie 5
- FAVOURITE FOOD: Roast Dinner
- BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Coffee, always coffee.
- MOST PRIZED POSSESSION: A necklace my husband gave me when we were 17, for Christmas. It has his birth stone and mine. It’s not worth anything in monetary value, but worth the world to me!
- SUMMER OR WINTER? Can I say Spring? That’s my favourite season.
- FAVOURITE VACATION SPOT? Lake Bled in Slovenia.
To keep up to date with R.A. Hutchins online, you can connect with her on:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS |
By clicking on one of the book titles on R.A. Hutchins’ website, readers can also join her monthly newsletter, for sneak peeks, details on special offers etc.
