I meet Benni Chisholm through the Crime Writers of Canada and it is my pleasure to introduce her to you today. Take it away, Benni...
COZIES
AND ME
A
cozy is a specific type of mystery novel. The term is not well known,
so here is a simple definition—a cozy is a true Who-Dun-It
mystery.
In
Agatha Christie fashion, cozies give the reader a chance to match
wits with the author. The reader and the protagonist—detective or
amateur sleuth—make use of clues provided by the author to try and
solve the puzzle. The solution comes when the red herrings are set
aside and the real antagonist is unearthed.
Cozies
avoid bad language, explicit sex, and hardcore violence. Good writing
and proper grammar are the norm which makes a cozy easy to read and
easy to understand. If violence or sadomasochism is part of the
actual story, creepy things often occur off page.
Cozies
contain Murder and Mayhem, but they also include a great deal about
Family, Friendship, and Community.
The
Me in the title of this article is Benni Chisholm, author of four
cozies. The protagonist in my cozies is Philomela Nightingale. Her
name is derived from a Greek myth in which two sisters commit a
murder and are later turned by the gods into a nightingale and a
swallow. My two sisters do not commit murder, in fact, Philomela
helps solve them. A dubious psychic is a neighbour and two police
officers appreciate Philomela’s keen observations and flashes of
intuition.
So
you see, the two sisters represent family. The neighbour epitomizes
friendship. The police and other residents of the seaside town of
Saltaire comprise community.
A
narcissist, sociopath, or psychopath may dominate the action in a
cozy, yet goodness prevails and justice is eventually served.
Readers, after experiencing armchair fears and thrills, paradoxically
finish each cozy with feelings of satisfied relief, optimistic hope,
and perhaps even joy.
Author links
