Cozy Mystery Author Loves Her Genre
The word “cozy” means warm, comfortable or beneficial, not traits usually attributed to murder. However, in the genre of literature known as cozy mysteries, a character is murdered and an amateur sleuth follows clues to solve the crime. One author of these cozies, as the books are affectionately called, is local writer and librarian Amanda Flower.
Flower will be at the Main Library Auditorium on Thursday, July 12, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the cozy mystery genre and her book “Lethal Licorice,” which revolves around a murder in an Ohio Amish community. This is her second novel featuring Bailey King as the proprietor of Swissmen Sweets, her late grandfather’s candy shop. Although not Amish herself, Bailey King has deep ties to the Amish community and a background as a chocolate maker at a high-end shop in New York City. This “fish out of water” tale allows Flower to offer insight into the Amish community while also giving readers a character to root for and relate to.
Flower began writing her first cozy in college, although her desire to be a mystery author dates back to childhood. She has always loved the genre, and writing mysteries with a relatable main character, a villain (not necessarily evil) driven to commit murder, a plot that compels the reader to solve the mystery as the story progresses and a happy, just ending suits her perfectly. Her success is evident in the twenty-three cozy mysteries she has published and her 2015 Agatha Award, for which she was nominated three previous times.
Join Amanda Flower at Lakewood Public Library on July 12, 2018 and follow the trail of this successful author of cozy mysteries.