Five Cozy Questions with Author Kirsten Weiss
Today we welcome Kirsten Weiss, who writes quirky, contemporary cozy mysteries.
Five Cozy Questions
1. What attracts you about the cozy genre? I don’t like gore, and I do like seeing the world set right in the end when a murderer is brought to justice. And though the idea of an amateur sleuth is unrealistic (an idea I play with in my Wit’s End mysteries), I believe individuals can make a difference, and we should aspire to try. I’ve come to understand that everything we do has an impact, though we may not see the end result right away, or at all. But if we do good, the odds of the end result being good as well are higher.
2. What types of cozy mysteries do you write? Cozy mystery has become a big genre, with lots of variations. My “straight” cozies, which are closer to traditional mysteries, can get a bit slapstick. I love writing humor. But I also write more serious witch mysteries, where I get to explore deeper concepts.
3. What are you working on now? I’m working on a cozy-genre mashup. I’m describing it as The Alchemist meets Practical Magic, with a murder to solve. The first book in the series launches at April 30, 2024, and is called Legacy of the Witch. The protagonist is in her forties and a recent widow and trying to put her life back together. And then there’s a murder, and a ghost, and a mystery school, and she begins to realize there’s more to her life than meets the eye. But like traditional cozies, there’s no gore, an amateur detective, and some discreet romance. Unlike traditional cozies, it includes an app for an UnTarot deck that readers can play with, as well as some other more interactive elements.
4. You write both “straight” cozies and witch cozies. What inspires your witch mysteries? I worked overseas in microfinance for about twenty years, and as a foreigner, I always felt that there were things going on I didn’t understand. (And I’m pretty sure I was right!). And in the countries I worked in, there was a rich history of supernatural myth and superstition, which I found fascinating. I guess my brain put those two things together — the mystery, the idea of the unseen, and the supernatural.
5. I’ve noticed most of your mysteries are set in California. Why is that? I grew up in California, and since I know it intimately, writing mysteries there made sense. The landscape in California is also astonishingly beautiful, as are many of the small towns. It’s a great setting to take a mental vacation in. But I moved from the state roughly five years ago and now I’m getting to know new places. My Big Mystery series is set in fictional Nowhere, Nevada. And the stories in my upcoming Mystery School series will take place at off-season resorts around the US.
Meet Kirsten Weiss
I believe in free-will, and that we all can make a difference. I believe that beauty blossoms in the conscious life, particularly with friends, family, and strangers. I believe that genre fiction has become generic, and it doesn’t have to be.
My current focus is my new Mystery School series, starting with Legacy of the Witch. Traditionally, women’s mystery fiction refers to fiction where a woman — usually in her midlife — is going through some sort of dramatic change. A lot of us do go through big transitions in midlife. We get divorced or remarried. The kids leave the nest. Our bodies change. The midlife crisis is real — though it manifests in different ways — as we look back on where we’ve been, where we’re going, and the time we have left.
Now in my mid-fifties, I’ve spent more time thinking about the big “meaning of life” issues. It seemed like approaching those issues through witch fiction, and through a fictional mystery school, would be a fun and a useful way for me to work out some of these ideas in my own head — about change and letting go, faith and fear, and love and longing.
After growing up on a diet of Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, and Agatha Christie, I’ve published over 60 mysteries — from cozies to supernatural suspense, as well as an experimental fiction book on Tarot. Spending over 20 years working overseas in international development, I learned that perception is not reality, and things are often not what they seem — for better or worse.
There isn’t a winter holiday or a type of chocolate I don’t love, and some of my best friends are fictional.
Author Links
- Website: kirstenweiss.com
- Free copy of Fortune Favors the Grave: kirstenweiss.com/get-the-book
- Instagram: instagram.com/kirstenweissauthor
- Twitter/X: twitter.com/KirstenWeiss
- Facebook: facebook.com/kirsten.weiss
Featured Cozy Mystery: Steeped In Murder
Tea, tarot, and trouble.
Abigail’s dream of owning a tearoom in her California beach town is about to come true. She’s got the lease, the start-up funds, and the scone recipes. But she’s out of a tearoom and into hot water when her realtor turns out to be a conman… and then turns up dead.
Not even death puts an end to the conman’s mischief. He rented the same space to a tarot reader, Hyperion. Convinced his tarot room is in the cards, he’s not letting go of the building without a fight.
But this unlikely duo will have to work together to untangle the murder first. With a little help from her quirky grandfather, Hyperion and Abigail steep themselves in the murky waters of the sham realtor’s double dealings. But can they unearth the truth before murder boils over again?
Steeped in Murder is the first book in this Tea and Tarot mystery series with heart. Get cozy and download this hilarious caper today. Tearoom recipes in the back of the book!
- Amazon: amzn.to/2UeoiIW
- Apple Books: apple.co/38SOLAW
- B&N: bit.ly/39UmNWJ
- Kobo: bit.ly/39UmKu1
- Google Play: bit.ly/3qKizu5
Contributions Welcome!
Here at Cozy, She Wrote, we’re always on the lookout for cozy mystery articles and authors’ answers to “Five Cozy Questions.” For submission information, visit cozyshewrote.com/submissions.
Questions or Comments?
Email Cozy, She Wrote editor @CielleKenner.
