Happy “almost” Halloween!

October is my favorite month of the year. Fall is finally here, the weather has cooled off, but most of all it’s Halloween month! And that means good, clean fun. I don’t do horror—I’m a big chicken. (There, I said it!) I want to be fun-scared, not scared-scared (see my bio below). I even have the viewing tastes of a child. Give me It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown any day. Or Hocus Pocus, or Casper. 

My point is that I don’t do scary, and real world stuff fits into that category. That’s why I write paranormal cozy mysteries. You get the fun ghostly stuff, along with a nice, gentle, murder mystery. Because with cozy, anything involving violence happens off the page. And in the books and stories I write, it’s the ghost who shows up first, and the murder investigation happens afterwards. 

But it’s not always about murder. In A Stitch and Crime, from the third Insecure Writer’s Support Group short story anthology, the story involves a little ghost girl, the old nun who raised her, and a candy shop mystery. Reluctant Ghost Whisperer Indigo Eady, along with her ghost pal Franny Bishop, a former Victorian madam of some repute, solved the case and reunited the girl and nun who had been lost to each other for years. The story is fun, lighthearted, heartwarming, and most of all, has no violence. And a candy store background is a pretty sweet setting 😉

I have a friend with breast cancer recently say that she started reading cozy mysteries because in this increasingly violent, crazy world we currently live in, she enjoys escaping to the low stress of a cozy mystery. 

If you’d like to escape into a cozy world…

From the same series as A Stitch in Crime…

And currently FREE at all outlets…

A SCANDAL IN BOOHEMIA

by Gwen Gardner

Indigo Eady can’t live on ramen noodles forever…She jumps on the first job offered. All she has to do is work undercover at Sabrina Shores Theatre, find a ghost thief, and cross him over. Easy-peasy, right? Until an actor is murdered and Indigo’s fingerprints are all over the pistol like ink on a Rorschach test. 

Forced to dust off her rusty sleuthing skills to clear herself, Indigo enlists the help of her ghost friend Franny and her sort of hunky ex-boyfriend Badger to help solve the crime. Now, how to keep her investigation from the handsome inspector?

***

Indigo Eady is a reluctant ghost whisperer, but she’s grown quite attached to Franny Bishop, a former Victorian ghost madam of some repute. Franny’s afterlife makes Indigo’s life look like she has one foot in the grave. Much to Indigo’s chagrin, Franny is determined to find her a man. After all, there are plenty of handsome men around ripe for the picking, and Franny’s an expert. In the meantime, Indigo and Franny have murders to solve.

Available at: Amazon | Google Play | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo | Smashwords

ABOUT GWEN GARDNER

Gwen Gardner writes clean, cozy, lighthearted mysteries with a strong ghostly element. Since ghosts feature prominently in her books, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face — but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does.

Her lifelong love of books and reading transitioned naturally into a love of writing, where adventure can be found around every corner—or down a dark, twisting alley. She thinks there is nothing better than a good mystery (being an excellent armchair detective herself), unless it’s throwing a ghost or two into the mix to “liven” things up. Don’t worry, though. Ghosts may be tricky to keep in line, but it turns out they’re darn good sleuths.

Find out more about her writing journey at GwenGardner.com (and watch for ghost-crossings!) or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

How to Write Talking Animals

by Ellen Jacobson

When I set out to write my new cozy mystery series – the North Dakota Library Mysteries – my muse insisted that there be a talking animal in it. At first, I thought she meant a cute dog or cat. I could get on board with that. But while I was trying to decide if it should be a regal Siamese cat or a playful golden retriever puppy, my muse rudely interrupted me.

“It’s a chameleon,” my muse said firmly.

“You mean like from those insurance commercials?” I asked.

“That’s a gecko, not a chameleon.” My muse sighed. “You really need to bone up on reptiles.”

“Yeah, I’m not really a fan of things with scales,” I said.

“Tough. The decision has already been made. You either write about a chameleon or you quit this whole author gig and go get a real job.”

Eventually, I gave in. And now I’ve written a book starring a talking chameleon. Well, at least he thinks he’s the star of the show. He really isn’t. But it’s easier to let him believe that.

Anyway, if you’re thinking about writing about a talking animal, here are a few tips that might be helpful.

1 – Do Your Research

Learn about the animal you’re going to write about, especially if it’s one you’re not as familiar with. The last thing you want is for your readers to point out how you got it wrong. In my case, I needed to do some research on chameleons. I’ve been having fun weaving in chameleon facts into my story, like how they catch flies with their tongues.

2 – Interaction with Humans

Decide how your animal interacts with the human characters in the story. For example, can humans understand the animal when it talks or does it just sound like regular animal noises to them? If so, is it all humans or just one special human that understands the animal? For example, in my series, only the main character, Thea Olson, can hear the chameleon talking. In fact, no one else can even see the chameleon.

via GIPHY

3 – How They Talk

Does your animal sound like a human when they talk, or does their speech reflect their species? For example, if you’re writing about a sloth, you might have them speak very, very slowly. Alternatively, you might not want to make them sound any different from a member of the human race. In my case, my chameleon sounds like an old chain-smoking guy from New York City. If you closed your eyes, you might not even realize he’s a reptile.

4 – How They See the Human World

Although your animal character will probably have some human traits, ultimately they aren’t human. The unique perspective they have on the human world is a great creative jumping off point. Have fun using animals to provide commentary on the human condition—both the good and the bad.

MURDER AT THE LIBRARY

A cozy mystery by Ellen Jacobson

Libraries are full of books . . . and deadly secrets.

When Thea Olson agreed to volunteer at her local library, she anticipated shelving books, not stumbling across a dead body.

Concerned her brother, the acting chief of police, is in over his head, Thea is determined to find out whodunit. She investigates the murder with the assistance of her grandmother and the handsome new library director.

Just when the trio of amateur sleuths hit a dead-end, a snarky chameleon appears in the library with cryptic clues for Thea. At first, she thinks she’s hallucinating. But once Thea accepts the fact that the obnoxious reptile is real, she realizes he might just help her crack the case.

Can Thea discover who the murderer is before someone else is taken out of circulation?

This is the first in a new library series set in the fictional town of Why, North Dakota. If you like quirky characters, chameleons, way too much coffee, and all things bookish, you’ll love Murder at the Library.

Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Smashwords

ABOUT ELLEN JACOBSON

IWSG Anthology author: Hero Lost - The Silvering

Ellen Jacobson is a chocolate obsessed cat lover who writes cozy mysteries and romantic comedies. After working in Scotland and New Zealand for several years, she returned to the States, lived aboard a sailboat, traveled around in a tiny camper, and is now settled in a small town in northern Oregon with her husband and an imaginary cat named Simon.

Find out more at ellenjacobsonauthor.com