Cozy Moment Friday: The Tea Box

"The Tea Box"

I always find the days right after hitting the "publish" button and sending a book out into the world to be strange and sort of difficult. I'm not sure why, but I guess it's a lot like going from 100 to 0 in the matter of a few minutes. Getting a book ready for publication takes so much work, and then, when you finally get it done and publish it, and you've done everything you can possibly do, a strangeness settles in when you realize that now is the time to relax and let go of it. It's kind of like a post-book malaise of some sort, and it usually lasts a couple of days where you walk around too exhausted to really do anything, but antsy as can be to do something. 

Anyway, right after publishing Bulldogs & Bullets this week, I found myself in that strange feeling. One day, I got all ready to go down to the plaza to walk around, but found that the process of getting ready exhausted me so much, that I just lay on the sofa instead! 

But later that afternoon, I went to go check the mailbox and I was surprised to find a package waiting for me there. I brought it back, opened it up, and was pleased as pie to find not only a beautiful, delicious loaf of banana bread, but also this other amazing item: 

This beautiful tea box was specially made for me by my sister, the wonderfully talented woodworker who goes by The Lumberjill. She made it out of reclaimed fence wood that I helped her transport to her shop one day a few months ago. The box not only has little compartments for tea, but it also has my initials wood-burned onto it!

Needless to say, I was totally blown away by the thoughtful gift, and I felt myself yanked out of that post-book malaise and into a much better feeling (the banana bread helped with that also ;) It always amazes me when my sister turns something like a pile of old fencing - something that nobody would want - into a beautiful piece of art. It reminds me that everything is beautiful. Sometimes you just have to get beneath the rough exterior to see that :).  

That was hands-down my cozy moment of the week. Now I have a wonderful place to store my tea collection, and a special piece that I'll always treasure. And what about that loaf of banana bread, you say? Well, I would love to show you a picture of that too, but I'm afraid it couldn't make it to the photo shoot ;)

What about you? What was your cozy moment this week? Leave a comment below for a chance to win a digital copy of my newest book, Bulldogs & Bullets! 

The 5 Best Things About Being a Cozy Mystery Author

Though I've been writing The Christmas River series for three years now, I consider this week to be my one-year "Authorversary." This time last year, I officially put in my two week notice at the newspaper I worked at to be a full-time cozy mystery author. The year since has been like a dream. I wake up every morning and get to create and do what I love all day. It’s not all easy. But on the good days, there’s nothing better than being a cozy mystery author. Here’s what I love about it: 

1. Being able to do lots of “research” for books.

Some writers have to research things like police procedures and crime statistics. And while I occasionally have to do research like that, a lot of mine has to do with baking pie or building gingerbread houses. When I write about Warren, Cinnamon’s grandfather, I also find that I’m doing a lot of research about beer. You know, checking out local breweries and taste-testing the beer to make sure I know what I’m talking about when I’m writing about Warren… a lot of research takes place down at my local brewery ;). When it comes to Dog Mountain, I’ve had to do some, uh, crucial research about puppies to make sure the story was accurate. All this research is definitely one of the perks of writing cozy mysteries!

2. Spending time in a world where things make sense.

While crimes often take place in Christmas River, Broken Hearts Junction, and Dog Mountain just like in the real world, things often have a way of working themselves out for the best in these towns. It’s not all perfect, but overall, the bad guys get caught, the innocent people are exonerated, and the nice girl gets the good guy at the end. Obviously, all the characters still face their own share of struggles and difficulties, but I’d say that the cozy mystery world is slightly more just than the real world. Not to mention the fact that the cozy mystery world is chock full of just that – an abundance of cozy! It’s a place that feels safe and happy. I feel lucky to be able to spend so much time in these kinds of places.

3. Laughing out loud at some of the characters’ antics

Warren, Cinnamon’s grandfather in the Christmas River series, is perhaps the one character that cracks me up the most. I love his beer-brewing antics and the fact that he doesn’t let his ripe old age stop him from doing anything. He’s in his 80s and he’s spent a year living abroad in Scotland, married a much younger Scottish beer brewing beauty, and has opened up his own brewery. He gives new meaning to the term young at heart, and he never fails to put a smile on my face! Additionally, Kara, Cinnamon’s best friend, is someone in my books who always makes me laugh. She’s cutthroat and ruthless, and I mean that in the best possible way. Cinnamon gets plenty of entertainment out of the two of them, and so do I!

4. Feeling moved when you see a character grow.

Much like Cinnamon Peters, I’m generally not sappy, gooey or sentimental. But sometimes, a scene with one of my characters will just get to me. It doesn’t happen often, but every once and a while, a character’s growth will just move me to tears. The scene that’s probably affected me the most in all my books so far is the last chapter in Mayhem in Christmas River, the second book in the Christmas River series, when Cinnamon decides to move forward with her life instead of living in fear of being hurt again. It was such a big moment for her, and I had big fat tears rolling down my cheeks when I finished writing it. Those kinds of moments remind me why I decided to write in the first place.

5. Hearing from readers about how the series has affected them!

This is my number one favorite thing about writing cozy fiction. Hearing about how readers found my books when they were going through a rough patch in their life, and how my stories helped take their minds off their troubles makes me feel like a million bucks. I can’t believe I’m so lucky to be able to put this kind of positivity out into the world on a full-time basis!

Plus, you know, wearing sweats to work every day is a pretty fun perk of this job too... :)

What do you like most about reading cozy mysteries? Comment below to enter in this week’s giveaway – a $10 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of Madness in Christmas River! The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on my Facebook Friday (Nov. 6) morning, so be sure to check in then!