The Mystery Blog
7 Reasons January Is the Most Dangerous Month in a Cozy Mystery Town
(As proven in Buttercream and Bullets) January is supposed to be quiet. Reflective. Boring.Which is exactly why it’s perfect for murder. Here’s why no cozy mystery heroine is ever safe once the calendar flips to January: 1. Everyone Is Hungover and Emotional Bad...
New Month, New Cozies! Check out What’s Coming This Month
Releasing February 9th She just wants to sell cupcakes and avoid drama. When a killer strikes close to home, will she whisk up the perfect trap or get burned trying? Ava Decker is starved for commitment. Unsure what to do about the three men tearing her in different...
How Baked Goods Can Fix (Almost) All Your Problems
According to Cozy Mysteries… and also real life. Look, I’m not saying cupcakes are magical.I’m just saying I’ve never seen anyone eat a fresh, still-warm vanilla cupcake and say,“Wow, that made everything worse.” There are simply some situations in life that baked...
Small Shop Saturdays and Latest Release with Shelly Jones
Since this week is Thanksgiving and, with that, Black Friday, I wanted to highlight Shop Small Saturday for this blog post. Because, after all, my protagonist, Wren Winters, is the owner of the Cardboard Shop, the local board game shop in Hollow’s Way. Like Wren and...
A Cozy Halloween Party Takes a Deadly Turn…by Melissa Westemeier
After two deaths make headlines on Chestnut Street, Meadow Jackson, the building manager at The Abbey: Senior Living, sees an opportunity to build community by hosting an open house Halloween event. The residents decorate the lobby and first floor and set up...
Behind the Book: What Inspired The Witch Wears Prada
Ever had a relationship you wish you could just delete from your memory? Wouldn’t it be amazing to skip the breakup blues and fast-forward straight to the “Who? Never heard of him” phase when people ask? Ever Wish You Could Forget Your Ex? Same! This is like the Carly...
Cozy Mysteries and Halloween: A Match Made in Midnight
When the days grow shorter and the nights stretch long, there’s nothing better than curling up with a cozy mystery. Add in a jack-o-lantern glow, a cup of cider, and the sound of leaves scratching at the windows, and you’ve got the perfect October setting. It’s no...
Falling for fall
Despite being a cozy mystery author and a fan of mysteries and romantic suspense, I’m not a fan of all things spooky. I scare incredibly easy and I just know I’d be the first to go if I ever landed in a horror film. However, I do love the autumn season. I love...
If My Book Were a Halloween Movie with Shelly Jones
If my book were a Halloween movie…it would be Garfield’s Halloween Adventure! Wait, wait, I promise it makes sense! This gem of children’s animation first came out in 1985. Back then, my grandmother taped it off of the television and for years I could pop in the VHS...
Monster Mashing in Paradise Springs
Greetings, victims, I mean, friends, and welcome to my not-so-spooky Tule Halloween Festival post. If you’ve read any of my Elmo Simpson Mysteries, you know the town of Paradise Springs, Florida is filled with unusual characters. If you haven’t, there’s no better time...