Tonya Kappes' Strung Out to Die Blog Tour

Holly Harper's life is finally getting back on the right track after her divorce from "what's his name."  She and a group of divorcees have formed a strong bond plotting creative ways to get back at their exes and created a self-help group known as The Divorced Divas where their meetings are held in Holly's bead store, The Beaded Dragonfly.

It’s no secret that Holly’s ex husband, Sean Harper, and the wealthiest bachelor in Swanee, Doug Sloan, don’t get along because Sean is constantly fixing all of Doug’s shoddy handy man work.  Plus all the Divas would love to get their claws in some of Doug’s money.

When Doug ends up dead on the floor of The Beaded Dragonfly with a string of cat eye beads around his neck, it’s up to Holly to figure out whose framing her.

Strung Out to Die can be purchased from Amazon.

I’m new to the cozy mystery genre. I read one book and realized I liked it. I started searching the web to find out what exactly a cozy mystery was. My search lead me to this awesome review site called Cozy Mystery Book Reviews.

Cozy Mystery Book Reviews opened my eyes to a whole new world of books. I asked Bella at Cozy Mystery Book Reviews to tell me what a cozy mystery was to her. This is what she told me. “To me a cozy mystery is a "light mystery", where the murder takes place off stage and involves an amateur sleuth. There are some cozies (eg Agatha Christie) that don't involve a amateur sleuth. For example, Hercule Poirot is a detective, however Miss Marple is a amateur sleuth. To me cozy mysteries involve a murder set in a small town with a amateur sleuth trying to find the killer. Usually there will be a romance element, which can vary from light to heavier (eg Stephanie Plum books have more romance than some other cozies). They aren't gruesome, and give the reader a chance to try to and solve the murder, and enjoy the cozy setting.” 

Now, for my first cozy mystery book tour, I asked Tonya Kappes to discuss the appeal of Cozy Mysteries.

Why Cozy Mysteries Are Appealing To Readers

Years ago, when I started writing, I was bound and determined to write in the women’s fiction genre. With pencil and paper (Yes! I wrote longhand back then.) in hand, I sat down at one of my guy’s (I have three teenage boys living at home) pee-wee football practices under a big cozy tree and started my journey of writing women’s fiction.

I will write anywhere!

Quickly, that novel turned took a life of its own, which characters happen to do, turning into a whodunit instead of who am I going to love.

It was the intrigue of trying to figure a mystery that had me hooked. I had grown up on Murder She Wrote and Matlock, not to mention Veronica Mars. But I adored the short lived television series, Pushing Daisies.

(Pushing Daisies)

It was a show that was full of quirks, laughs, friendships, and mystery. Who doesn’t like all of those elements? I love them!

I am no different than you or any other reader. In fact, I’m an avid reader. So it’s a perfect combination for me.

Even though cozies are ultimately about figuring out the mystery, they are based around relationships. We are human, which makes us drawn to anything that deals with relationships. The main character in a cozy generally finds herself directly affected by the crime, and the reader loves the character which makes us have an emotional attachment to the main character. We root for her from the beginning until the end. It’s the emotion connection that we connect with.

And the setting of a cozy is a bonus to the reader. We love to gather at coffee shops, knitting groups, book shops, even bakeries and many other places so we can visit with our friends. I know when I go to a coffee shop to write or meet up with buddies that I get a warm fuzzy feeling which puts me in a great mood.

But that isn’t the only reason why readers love cozies. The hobby in the cozy is very appealing. In Strung Out To Die, the mystery is set in a lapidary or bead shop. In the book, the reader is going to learn more details about the beading/jewelry making hobby.

A cozy is all about a woman finding herself and not letting the little details of life (like a murder) derail them from reaching their dream and pursuit of happiness. Who can resist a lighthearted story and the possibility of a small romance?

What do you love about a cozy mystery?

Just who is Tonya Kappes?

Tonya is an author who writes fun humorous fiction, some with romance and some with a little mystery.

More than anything she loves to connect with readers! She’s a huge fan of them and LOVES getting to know them. Making readers smile and remembering not to take life too seriously is how she likes to write. She’s addicted to coffee. McDonald's Diet Coke and Red Hots Candy keep her going!

When Tonya isn’t writing about quirky characters and even quirkier situations, she's busy being the princess, queen and jester of her domain which includes her BFF husband, three teenage boys and two dogs.

And be sure to stalk (her word NOT mine) her on her Website, Facebook and Twitter!

 

Keep up with Tonya’s Strung Out to Die Book Tour by visiting these out sites.

January 14 – Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
January 15 – Brooke Blogs
January 16 – Mochas, Mysteries & More
January 17 – Melina the Reader
January 18 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews
January 19 – Must Read Faster
January 20 – Cozy Up With Kathy

 

Click HERE for a chance to win a $25 Amazon or Book Depository gift card.