WHAT MAKES A REAL MYSTERY WRITER?

 by Korina Moss

Winning the Agatha Award for Best First Novel

I have a confession to make. I’ve been masquerading as a cozy mystery author, but I’m really a fraud. I’ve written six cozy mysteries. I’ve won an Agatha Award. I’ve been interviewed on the Sisters in Crime podcast. Heck, I’ve even become friends with cozy icon Donna Andrews. Yet, I was never a real author. Why? I didn’t have the one thing that makes a writer—a cozy mystery writer, in particular—legit. A cat. 

Mystery author Molly Macrae with one of her editors

Frankly, I don’t know how I did it. I mean, I actually wrote all six books with my laptop on my lap! I know! Crazy, right? Everyone knows when you decide to become a mystery writer, you need three things: an idea, perseverance, and a cat. Who needs AI when you’ve got CI—Cat Intelligence? Even before writers had computers, they had cats clumping up their typewriter keys, locating where those red herrings should be with a well-placed paw. A cat is the ultimate assistant, editor, and marketing manager all rolled into one (much like a squeaky catnip toy, which they’ll make you bring them later). 

Wiping the screen for a fresh perspective

My real mystery author friends would ask me: How do you make your daily word count without those extra letters your assistant provides while sauntering over the keyboard? How do you keep from getting carpal tunnel syndrome without your assistant pulling your hand away from the keyboard for extra petting? How do you know if your manuscript is acceptable without your editor draped over your printed pages? How do you come up with good ideas without a tail swishing in your face? How do you even market your books? 

Making sure I take breaks

All valid questions. My answer is that I do know something about furry assistants. I started my cozy mystery writing journey with a cat. His name was Carl and he “helped” me immensely. Unfortunately, just before I signed my first contract with Macmillan, he passed away from mouth cancer. Somehow, I managed to write my entire Cheese Shop Mystery series with my lap cat-less. 

Carl, who worked tirelessly on my behalf

Ironically, now that my series has ended, I finally decided to become a real writer. I got a cat. We named her Marlowe (like Raymond Chandler’s detective), and she’s six years old. She’s a tortoiseshell cat, which means she has tortitude (that extra attitude torties tend to possess), which fits her position as assistant/editor/marketing manager perfectly. 

I’ve been working on a proposal for a new mystery—a pitch, a synopsis, and sample chapters. But now I’m wondering… do I really need all that? I’m a mystery writer with a cat. Surely, that says it all. 

No longer a cat-less lap

Readers: Tell me about your pets! Is it true, a cat is a must-have for a mystery writer? 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series set in the Sonoma Valley, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead, and two novels short-listed for Best Contemporary Novel. 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 specializing in cozy and traditional mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.