On the Road Again
Sheryl C.D. Ickes bakes cross-country cozy mysteries based on her trucking career
Five Cozy Questions for Author Sheryl C. D. Ickes
1. Why do you write cozy mysteries? I write this fun genre because I enjoy reading it! A few of the things I find intriguing about the different series are the character growth and camaraderie between the main people as the storylines develop. It is commonly stated that books are friends, and the characters inside sometimes feel more real than the people around us. When a reader has reached that level of a deep connection with a book, then the author has accomplished his or her goal. As a reader, I like mysteries that are fun and provide an escape as opposed to those with depressive themes or ones containing graphic language, sex, and violence. Hence why cozies are right up my alley!
2. What cozy mystery book or project are you working on right now? Have you ever heard of the expression that there are multiple train tracks in my head, each blazing fast with a conductor trying to keep them all from ramming into one another? I cannot think of a more apropos expression when describing my future writing projects. While jotting down notes on various sized papers and envelopes, I try to keep them separated into their respective novels as I focus on working behind-the-scenes on the next installment in each of my current series: Becky and Rufus Cross Country Mysteries and A Slice of Life Mysteries.
3. Which character in your books do you most relate to and why? This response cannot be a singular answer in my case. Since both main heroines in my two series are based off experiences in my prior jobs, they represent me from different viewpoints that complete a larger picture. Alexandra Applecake, star of my A Slice of Life Mysteries, owns and operates a bakery and supply shop in the town of Creek Water, PA. Just as this series follows her exploits into the world of cake decorating and running a business, my own life has mirrored many of her attributes in this field; minus solving a crime or two. The same goes for Becky from my Becky and Rufus Cross Country Mysteries. While she is only beginning her traveling adventures all over the vast United States, one mystery in each state at a time, I have visited over 30 states in my own trucking career.
4. What’s a common misconception about the cozy mystery genre? I would say that the biggest misunderstanding, within the book world, is that cozy mysteries are not often seen as true literature. Just like how poets and authors have had a tussle of wars between their fields of work, cozies have had a long battle in trying to establish a foothold in areas where other mystery sub-genres reign supreme. Despite being one of the largest selling types of published and filmed mysteries, recognition of their efforts has been more nonexistent than actually credited. Compared to the number of writing contests, very few have a separate category designated to cozy mysteries. Though it is getting better, it has a ways to go.
5. How do you decide on the titles for your books? As being one of the most important identifying factors for a book, it is something that I take into great consideration. My ultimate goal is not only to make the title a great hook for the potential reader, but to also make it original and not a duplication of another author’s work. To achieve this, I begin by writing down a list of key words or phrases that align with what is going on in my mystery. Next, I play around with ways to join them together or to state them in a way that makes sense. Once I have a title idea in my head, I head over to the internet and do a number of searches to see if it has already been taken. If the answer is “yes,” then it is back to my list, and if the answer is “no,” then it becomes a strong candidate. During the process, I find it useful to bounce my ideas off a relative or family member to see what another person thinks. Or depending, I ask my readers through my social media channels to vote. Because sometimes when you are too close to the situation, it can be hard to see through the trees of it. Is this task a simple one? It may be for some, but for me, it can be as troublesome as writer’s block until the perfect title comes to fruition.
About Author Sheryl C. D. Ickes
Sheryl C. D. Ickes was born and raised in Pennsylvania, where she currently lives with her family and their one spoiled dog. Getting her truck driving license, aka a CDL, when she was a teenager, heading out on the open road across the vast United States was a dream of hers; and she was lucky enough to achieve it! Stopping in over thirty states while on the job, and a grand total of forty-eight when including vacations, Sheryl uses her years of experience to bring the Becky and Rufus Cross Country Mystery series to life. But that is only half the story.
After she stepped away from behind the wheel of a rig, Sheryl went into cake decorating for over two decades filled with weddings, birthdays, graduations, and ice cream cakes. During this time, a foundation of bakery knowledge was paving the way for her Slice of Life Mystery series, which helps in adding a realistic sweetness to her characters. Her first cozy mystery, It Only Takes One Bite, was published in 2014, and since then, three more books and two novellas have followed in that series. Three of her Slice of Life novels have been winners or finalists awarded from the American Book Fest Awards and the forthcoming installment in Becky and Rufus was a finalist in the 2022 Killer Nashville Claymore Awards. With more books on the way, there is still plenty of real-life material to draw from as she plans another dastardly murder mystery, or six!
Author Links
- Facebook: facebook.com/Sheryl.C.D.Ickes
- Instagram: instagram.com/sheryl_ickes_author
- Website: sherylcdickes.com/
Featured Cozy Mystery: Death of a Dispatcher
Catching the guilty, one state at a time!
Becky and Rufus Bridgewater are a cross country trucking team that enjoy seeing the country as they work. Shortly after returning to their company in Tennessee because of a merger, Becky finds a much hated dispatcher dead and quickly becomes the prime suspect. Clearing her name with the help of a few friends is not easy nor safe. Rufus may have to get used to going solo, both in trucking and in life.
- Click here to buy the book on Amazon: amzn.to/3I62xEe
- Click here to buy on Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop: mysterybooksonline.com/product-page/death-of-a-dispatcher-cross-country-mysteries-1
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.
