TAKING THE PATH OF MOST RESISTANCE

 by Korina Moss

When I began writing my fifth Cheese Shop mystery, Fondue or Die, I had one thought – to make things easy on myself. For once, I was going to choose the path of least resistance. You see, I’d just finished writing book 4, Case of the Bleus, which was anything but easy. I’d written it with two mysteries in one book—a murder mystery and a cheese mystery. It was a fun idea, but intersecting the two plotlines for the denouement’s reveal was more difficult than I’d anticipated. Let’s just say, there was a lot of hair-pulling to get it done just right and on deadline. It was worth it when my readers loved it, and it was eventually short-listed for the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel last year. But when I’d turned it into my editor, overwhelmed and burnt out, I was determined that my next mystery was going to be simple, straight forward, and with much less hair pulling. 

My initial sketchy outline for Fondue or Die kept to my promise. However, the more the story took shape, the more that straight line began to curve and twist and circle back again. It quickly became clear that my new project had become my latest problem child. I couldn’t help it – the plot twists and complications that make my books more difficult to develop are the very things that also make them more exciting to write and more satisfying for readers. “YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF!” I repeatedly yelled throughout the eight months of writing, revising, and hair pulling. 

So it was with a great deal of gratification—not to mention astonishment and of course, gratitude— that I received the news that Fondue or Die is a finalist for this year’s Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. I’m humbled to see it alongside fellow nominees: A Collection of Lies by Connie Berry (who is also a member of Writers Who Kill), A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian, A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron, and The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves.

The awards banquet will take place on April 26th at the Malice Domestic Fan Convention in Bethesda, Maryland. If you’d like to attend, more information can be found here. 

Readers: Have you ever attended a mystery conference or convention? Would you like to? 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series set in the Sonoma Valley, California, which includes multiple Agatha Award nominated books for Best Contemporary Novel and the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead. Listed as one of USA Today’s Best Cozy Mystery Series, her books have also been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, and Writer’s Digest. Korina is also a freelance developmental editor and book coach specializing in cozy mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free monthly #teamcheese newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.