Cozy Settings by Erica Wynters

Every recipe has an ingredient you can’t leave out without changing the fundamental nature of what you’re making. You can’t make chocolate cake without chocolate. You can’t make a taco without a tortilla. And you can’t make a cozy mystery without a charming small town. Small towns are such an iconic part of the cozy mystery genre that they often function as character in their own right. While it would certainly be possible to set a murder mystery that’s not overly graphic, has a great cast of characters, and a sweet touch of romance in a big city, it’s almost never done. Let’s look at what goes into the recipe for a captivating small town for your next cozy mystery.

 

Add a heaping cup of quirky characters. One of the best things about a cozy mystery is all the unique characters that help or impede our main character in their quest to solve a murder. Small towns are a gift because they are full of characters who have known each other most, if not all, of their lives. Those characters know each other’s secrets, know all the gossip, and have plenty of opinions about who among them has a motive for murder. Make sure your cast of characters has a wide age range. A retiree is going to see what’s happening in the story differently than the high school student that works at the local coffee shop. Cozy mysteries are rich because their characters live rich, interesting, and sometimes shocking lives.

 

Don’t forget a dash of charm. Cozy mysteries got their name for good reason. They allow us a cozy escape from the stresses of everyday life. We get to solve a murder alongside the main character, but never feel overly stressed or creeped out. Charming small towns are an important part of that recipe. Whether you create a fictional town or use a real one, you want your town to be filled with charming businesses, community events, and public spaces. A park with a gazebo is a great place to set a Fourth of July event where the main character can learn important clues while being surrounded by a large cast of characters in an idyllic setting. A Christmas tree lot covered in freshly fallen snow is a charming setting for the main character and the police detective to have a disagreement about the case while also building a budding romance. The charm of your setting keeps readers coming back. They don’t just fall in love with your characters, but with the local coffee shop, bakery, or flower shop. Even the local hardware store can add a nostalgic charm to your cozy mystery setting. Small towns in a cozy mystery give us an idealized version of American life. One most of us don’t get to experience on a day-to-day basis.

 

In my Camelot Flowers Mystery series, the town of Star Junction has everything a rural small town should have. Readers have loved Star Junction as much as they’ve loved the characters. What about you? What do you make sure to add to craft a cozy, charming small town setting in a cozy mystery? Or maybe you write a cozy mystery that bucks the tread and is in a big city. What have you found to be the benefits of that setting in your story?

 

 

Erica Wynters is the author of the Camelot Flowers Mystery series and The Alexandra Briggs Mystery novellas. She may have lived most of her life in the frigid Midwest, but now she spends her time in the warmth and sunshine of Arizona. She loves hiking, hunting down waterfalls in the desert, reading (of course), and napping. Can napping be considered a hobby? When not weaving tales of mystery with plenty of quirky characters, laughs, and a dash of romance, Erica works as a Marriage and Family Therapist helping others find their Happily Ever Afters.