PRIME COZY READING MONTHS AHEAD

 by Korina Moss

Photo by Cheese Shop Mystery reader Cheryl Pelicano

Hurrah! We have begun the ‘ber months: September, October, November, and December. As a New Englander, these are my favorite months of the year. The air is cooler, the colored leaves are majestic, and it’s the start of the cozy season. Sure, you have your summer beach reads, but this stretch of the year is what reading was made for.  

Taken by me after a very early snow

It starts in mid-September, lazing on the lush grass, the warm sun countering every chilly breeze. You bring a picnic blanket, some artisan cheese, and an apple picked fresh from a nearby orchard. You definitely bring a book. 

A September day in the park with my son

Once October arrives, autumn has taken hold and you know it will vanish just as quickly.  You spend mornings on your front porch rocker, a crocheted blanket up to your chin, and your dog resting at your feet in a sunbeam. One hand holds a mug of something warm, and the other holds your book. The rustling leaves provide soothing background music, with the occasional thumping of your dog’s happy tail acting as percussion. You make a habit of this for as many days as Mother Nature allows, until it’s too cold to sit outside. 

Morning fog on one of my October walks

You bring your book indoors to lounge on the window seat, where the squishy pillows have a memory for perfectly resting your head and shoulders. The warm glow of the lamplight illuminates the book’s pages, as November rain darkens the skies, lashes the windows, and pulls the last of the dying leaves from their branches. Your cat jumps up to join you and pushes herself under your book, before kneading the throw blanket covering you. She eventually lies down, her soft purrs indicating her comfort. 

Clearing after a wet November day

By December, the windows have become frosty and radiate the cold, so you choose a deep-cushioned chair by the fireplace. The windows are now draped with tiny twinkling lights, and the only thing to match your mood is a holiday-themed book. As you read, you breathe in the aroma of freshly baked gingerbread. The spiced scent might be from your kitchen or merely from the cozy comforts written on the pages. Hot cocoa will do. You light the kindling atop the fireplace grate before returning to your book. As the flames crackle and dance on the logs, so does your imagination, lost in the story. At the final chapter’s end, you look up from your book and catch the first snowfall of the season. 

The snowy view from my back deck

Readers: What does cozy reading look like to you?

 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the 6-book Cheese Shop Mystery series, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead, as well as 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. This summer, Cheddar Off Dead was recommended by PBS & PBS Kids for their all-ages summer reading challenge. Learn more and subscribe to Korina’s seasonal newsletter via her website korinamossauthor.com

KORINA MOSS is also a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy mysteries. To learn more and read client success stories and testimonials, go to her website korinamossauthor.com. You may contact her by email at korinamossauthor@gmail.com.

FOLLOWING MY FORTUNE COOKIE FUTURE

by Korina Moss 

Sometimes when your life’s path seems particularly up in the air, you cling onto things that might give you something to grasp onto: a Tarot card reading, a horoscope, a Magic 8-Ball. I don’t normally put a whole lot of weight into those, but when my son and I get Chinese food… Let me tell you, those fortune cookie fortunes I hold sacred. 

I got this one early on in my publishing journey, so I knew the cookie fortunes were the real deal.

Once my Cheese Shop Mystery series got going, I modified Homer Simpson’s fortune.

And I even opened a fortune about my love life… but it was a bit of a curveball. 

I guess it could be worse than Humphrey, my Highland cow.

The next time we went to the Chinese restaurant in July, I feared another mocking fortune cookie. However, this was the one I pulled out. 

It was especially exciting! Although in a tiny corner of my mind, I did wonder if it was meant to be literal, and before the end of the month, I’d somehow end up with a glittery, broken raw egg on my lap. (At least I’d still have Humphrey.)  

But this fortune did not mock me. Two days later, it actually came true in all its metaphorical glory! I was asked to be a founding faculty member and Author in Residence for Stone Lyon Society, a new online writing school focused solely on cozy and traditional mysteries.  It seemed too good to be true! I met with Patrick, the founder of the school, who has a vast background in business, education, teaching, and writing. As a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy mysteries, I work with a lot of new mystery writers, so I’ve gotten to know the common areas where they tend to fall short. Of course, being a writer myself, I also have an idea of what’s important when learning the craft. In the meeting, I was thrilled to discover that Patrick and I are so aligned in what we think mystery writers need and how to meet them where they are. As fellow New Englanders, we also got along famously. After signing some contracts, I’m now helping to shape the school’s curriculum.

I’ve said before how satisfying developmental editing has been, because I get to help mystery writers strengthen their abilities and reach their goals. But I can only work with so many clients, as each manuscript takes me a few weeks—I’m already booked through next March. To have this opportunity to now reach more writers through this program is certainly a “golden egg of opportunity.” My fortune was right on target.

Now I wonder if I should leave my foretold future on a high note and stop reading my fortunes. We could always switch to an Italian restaurant. At least if it had fortune breadsticks, it would be the same every time. 

Readers: Have you ever gotten your fortune told? Do you believe in it in any of its forms? 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, as well as 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 a faculty member and Author in Residence at Stone Lyon Society, an online writing school for cozy and traditional mystery writers. She’s also a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy mysteries. To learn more, visit her website at korinamossauthor.com. 

AUTHOR BRANDING: WAS MINE A MISTAKE?

by Korina Moss 

Branding. It’s a word that I’m sure writers have heard after they’ve signed their first publishing contract or are writing their first novel. As an author, you want to stand out from the crowded field, which means you have to do more than market your book, you have to market yourself. This is where branding comes in. Branding helps readers identify you, helps them to feel a connection with you and your books, and lets them know what they might expect from your writing. 

Consistency is the key to branding. Ideally, you want to be easily identified. You should attempt to maintain a consistent look on all your social media, your website, and in your newsletter. You can do this by choosing a color palette (ideally similar to your books), color tone, fonts, and even creating your own logo. 

The background of my website has 
a huge cheeseboard

For instance, if you use bright jewel tones as your signature colors, readers will know to stop and look for you when those colors show up on their timeline. They’re more likely not to miss an event you’re attending or when you have a preorder sale. 

Is there’s something from your genre that readers can associate with you? If you write British cozy mysteries, perhaps you could make a quick “good morning” reel every Monday morning while drinking a cup of tea. If a dog or cat is featured in your mysteries, you’ll want to feature your own dog or cat on your platforms.

Is there something featured in your series that will make you stand out? Lucy Burdette (the pen name for Roberta Isleib) has a long-running Key West Food Critic Mystery series. She also happens to spend most of the year in Key West, so much of her social media features her life in Key West. We get to see the places she mentions in her books, and we get a little peek into her life too. It’s definitely a plus to set your series in the area where you live, even if it’s a fictional town. 

Lucy Burdette's IG post with a photo of the
Key West restaurant from a snippet from her book. 

When I was deciding how to brand myself before my Cheese Shop Mystery series came out, I had to consider what I wanted my identity to be. I’d hoped I would have a long and varied career, so although cheese was the obvious branding choice, going all in with it might not be a smart move in the long run. Ultimately, I decided to heed a variation of the advice editors give to new writers when starting a series: Don’t save anything for later. I was writing a Cheese Shop Mystery series, and I wanted to stand out and be noticed. I decided not to worry about later and go all in on cheese.

Wearing my cheese earrings
my publicist gave me

I named my newsletter subscribers Team Cheese and used the hashtag #teamcheese in most of my social media posts until eventually, most reviewers and bloggers who mentioned me on social media also used the hashtag. My first year at the Malice Domestic fan convention after my book had released the month before (and I’d already been branding myself for many months), I was regularly called “the cheese lady” by readers when they’d forgotten my name. It was ok—they knew my book! I've received wonderful cheese-related gifts from readers. I can’t tell you how many cheese memes, funny cheese reels, and cheese board posts I still get tagged in and messaged to me. And the message always says, “I saw this and thought of you.” It was exactly what I wanted—when cozy mystery readers see cheese, they think of me.

My St. Martin's editor and me in my cheese shirt
at Malice Domestic

I was shocked when my first book and I were well known enough in the mystery community to be nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel, and two more books were nominated for Best Contemporary Novel the following two years. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities and decent sales. 

However, now that my Cheese Shop Mystery series has ended, do I still want to be known as the cheese lady? Probably not. Oops. I still go to events and sell my books, and I don’t have another series coming out imminently, so I’m backing away slowly from the cheese. I still post on National Cheese Day (and all the variations of it), but I’ve changed my newsletter sign-off from “Cheers to Cheese” to “Keep it Cozy.” I’ve left the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen blogging group where recipes and cheese played a big role and focused on my author role in the Facebook group Cozy Mystery Crew. Every three weeks, I spend a day with our members, where we chat about what’s going on in my life and theirs. Cheese isn’t totally off the table (pun intended), but it takes a backseat now when I speak about my life and my books. 

In a way, I’m back to step one in deciding how to brand myself. It’s not exactly where I want to be, but on the other hand, I can’t deny that my strategy worked in the moment. 

You get to decide what’s right for you, but you can’t go wrong with these simple steps for starting your branding journey:

1. Take time to decide how you want to define yourself. Try to identify your point of difference, the thing that sets you apart from other authors in your genre. What kind of vibe do you want to give off?

2. Build your presence – Start with two platforms and decide how many you can handle. (They take more time than you think.) Create a website. Join online groups and organizations in your genre to interact with readers and writers in a personal way, not as a salesperson. Get to know your target audience, which will help you make decisions about your branding. 

3. Be consistent – Use the same profile photo across all author platforms. On social media, your website, and your newsletter, consider using the same color palette, fonts, type of music, illustration elements, and perhaps even a logo. Consistency will lead to recognition.

Readers: Think of your favorite author. What elements make up their brand? How does it match up with their book(s)?

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, as well as 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 mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free seasonal newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.

HOW TO INSPIRE READER LOYALTY

by Korina Moss

A photo posted by Dana, a loyal reader of mine 

Reader loyalty. Every author hopes for it. Cozy mystery authors count on it for their careers. One way to foster loyal readership is through marketing, but that’s putting the cart before the horse. First, you must write a series that inspires reader loyalty. 

Cozy mysteries are intended to be a standalone series. Writing a standalone means you have to focus on writing the best self-contained story you can. But writing standalones within a series means you also have to consider the books you'll be writing next. Ultimately, you want a connection among your books and a progression of your characters. These two things will help to elevate your series and inspire reader loyalty. How to do this? Here are 5 things to keep in mind that may help:

1. Give your protagonist a character arc throughout the series. 

Cozy mysteries are comfort reads, so although we want to write a three-dimensional protagonist (which likely means she’ll have some flaws and challenges), you need to put a light touch on them. Your protagonist must be likable from the beginning, and therefore, her issues can’t be so heavy or need such redemption that the reader isn’t riding with her from the start. With this in mind, you can introduce an arc that gets resolved in book one and then a bigger arc that runs throughout the series, or you can introduce an arc and show your protagonist’s growth incrementally throughout each book. Either way, don’t hit the reader over the head with lessons learned. Character arcs should also apply to your core series characters (those who help your protagonist sleuth and show up in every book). Think about what changes they might go through within each book. What small differences will readers be able to see in your core characters between book 1 and your later books? 

2. Keep in mind the time between when the books take place. 

Does your first book take place in the spring and the second book take place the following fall? Then you need to keep in mind when you write that second book that 6 months have passed for your characters. If your protagonist has just moved into her new apartment in book 1, she’s not going to be unpacking boxes at the start of book 2 if it takes place 6 months later. (Unless she’s like me, lol.) If two characters start dating in book 1, then you have to consider that they’ve now spent six months dating at the start of book 2. If your sleuth and the detective have been awkwardly flirting in book 1, and in book 2, you have them acting exactly the same, you need to mention why their status has remained the same. Have they avoided each other since the last murder investigation? Only seen each other in passing? Are both horribly shy? There should be a reason why their relationship is in the same place. Things will have happened in those months between books that readers didn’t get to see. Make sure each book simply acknowledges that. 

3. Make some community characters recurring.

If you introduce characters who play an important role in your book and they’re part of the community, readers are going to want to see them again and know what they're up to now. It’s a great way to make the town feel alive and slowly grow it. However, not every character can be in every book. They still have to serve a purpose to the mystery. You don’t want too many names and characters for your readers to have to remember. But using these recurring secondary and tertiary characters not only adds color, they help to make your characters feel like they actually live off the page. 

4. Keep the relationships between characters growing and changing.

In real life, romantic relationships and friendships change and grow. Especially if your protagonist starts out in a new town (like Willa does in my Cheese Shop series), you’ll want to show the progression of her friendships and the romantic relationships from book to book. This will have to be done a bit more slowly than in real life, but there are always ways to show growth and for relationships to get tripped up. I age my characters, but not every series does. I understand why and it may not be important to readers to see them age. However, I think if my characters are going to grow and their lives are going to change, and I'm writing different seasons and holidays and shop anniversaries, then my characters should also get older. 

5. Ground your setting.

You want your reader to have a good image in their head of your setting. One way to do this is to have a strong handle yourself on what your town looks like, what’s there, and where the places are located. It will keep you from making mistakes and also allow you to paint a better picture of your setting for the reader. Make note of the shops or locations that play a role in your books. You’ll want to show many of them again in future books, even if it’s just a mention of walking past them. If your protagonist has 3 places she always goes to—for example, her home, the local café, and the shop she runs—you want to describe not only these three places, but where they exist within the town. It will give your reader some idea of the size of the town, if it’s walkable, if your protagonist lives in a rural location, etc. Your setting is like those recurring characters I mentioned earlier—your readers want to be reminded that those places still exist even if they don’t play a role in that particular book. 

Readers become loyal to a series when they love the characters, the town, and the cozy feel. They like to feel like they’re returning to “old friends” in a place they’d love to live (minus those pesky murders). You want to make these things as real as possible for them. A progressing arc of your protagonist and core characters and their relationships not only makes them more realistic, it also gives your readers something to be invested in and look forward to. Connecting the books with many of the same community characters and town businesses leads to a comforting familiarity for your readers. I hope these five tips will help your series become one readers will want to revisit again and again. 

Readers: What makes you return to a series and become a loyal reader? 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, as well as 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 mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free seasonal newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.

STIRRING MY MUSE by Korina Moss

In last month’s blog post, My Full Circle Journey, I wrote about the Malice Domestic Fan Convention I was about to attend and how it would be different for me this year going as a dual cozy mystery author/ freelance editor. I hadn’t written in a while, and my personal goal for the conference was to stir my sleepy muse. Whether that would happen or not, there was so much to look forward to.

Author Leslie Karst & SinC president Raquel Reyes
showing their love, lol 

I watched like a proud auntie while a client of mine, Megan Gerig, looked like a pro on her first author panel to talk about her first novel, Beatrice Ophelia is Flickering Out. 

I chatted with another client at her first Malice, Faith (pseudonym Tanzy Kohl), readying herself for the submission process. 

I got to watch my dear friend, Ellen Byron, charm the crowd as toastmaster, and my friend and our fellow Writers Who Kill member, Annette Dashofy, give her heartfelt speech as Guest of Honor. I cheered when my close friend Mindy Quigley won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel for At Death’s Dough. 

And I jumped out of my chair next to my friend and client, Adrian Andover, as he won Best First Novel for Whiskey Business. (Click here for the full list of honorees and Agatha Award nominees and winners.)

Of course, getting to spend four days with dear friends and new friends always lifts me up. Among the laughs and the personal catching up, one-on-one or in small group settings, it’s no surprise that we talk a lot about writing and publishing. It’s encouraging to hear everyone’s stories—where they are in their journey, how they’re feeling about it, and what’s changed. We have real talks—it’s not all rainbows and unicorns, as most every writer knows. But it’s still our common passion. There are writers who are just getting their careers started, while others are taking a break. Some writers are busier than ever, and others are changing course. It doesn’t matter. Our shared goals and challenges are what bond us. Celebrating and supporting each other no matter where we are in our journey is what makes the mystery writing community so special. 

Back L to R: Jackie Layton, Rosalie Spielman, Korina Moss, Annie McEwen
Front L to R: Daphne Silver, Tiffany Krieg (The Beachbum Bookworm), Tricia Maniaci, & Holly Pirtle (Short, Sweet, & Cozy)

It’s been two weeks since I dragged myself and my luggage home from those whirlwind four days. As for my personal goal? I left inspired with my muse awakened. 

Writers: What stirs your muse? 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, as well as 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 mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.

MY FULL CIRCLE JOURNEY

 by Korina Moss

Some of our WWK members at Malice Domestic

‘Tis the season for Malice Domestic, an annual mystery fan convention that takes place in Bethesda, MD the last weekend in April. 

My Agatha Award for Cheddar Off Dead

This conference has a special place in my heart because it’s where I get to meet readers who love mysteries as much as I do, hang out with my writing friends, and get to know some of my author idols. It’s also where I won an Agatha Award for Best First Novel for Cheddar Off Dead and was nominated the following two years for Best Contemporary Novel for Case of the Bleus and Fondue or Die. Being among the writers I admire in those categories and being recognized by the mystery community was an honor.

Selling and signing at the Little Falls Cheese Festival

As every published writer knows, behind the fun stuff like accolades and meeting readers, lies the hard work of writing and marketing your books. I keenly felt the pressure of having my first series published by an imprint of Macmillan, a big-5 publisher, along with then having to launch a new book every six months. By book six, I was pretty burnt out. 

Event poster and my books on display at Barnes & Noble 

When the series ended, I couldn’t imagine jumping into another book or series right away. However, I wanted to remain in the mystery writing community while my muse decided when to resurface. So about 16 months ago, I shifted my focus from cozy mystery author to freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy mysteries. I enjoy the work, and I get to revel in my clients’ successes: finding agent representation, receiving publishing contracts, and independently publishing their mysteries. And at this year’s Malice Domestic, I get to cheer on one of my clients whose book has been nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel. (In February, it won the Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery from Left Coast Crime.) 

Adrian Andover's lauded debut mystery

Expanding my role in the mystery community has been a balm for my burnout. Witnessing the determination and excitement of new writers has reminded me of my writing roots. It’s taught me to set aside the business aspects of being a published author to get back to what really matters—creating a story I want to tell.

Readers & Writers: If you’ve been to a mystery writers conference or convention, what has it done for you? If you haven’t, what would you hope to get out of it?

If you’re attending Malice Domestic, please find me on Saturday, April 25th at 2:00 PM on the panel titled Served with a Side of Murder: Food-Related Mysteries, with fellow authors Mary Lee Ashford, Jennifer J. Chow, Raquel V. Reyes, and moderator Debra Klein. I’ll be featuring my sixth book, Bait and Swiss. At 4:00 PM, you can find me in the book seller’s room signing my Cheese Shop Mysteries.

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, as well as 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 mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.

BIG CHANGES COMING TO THE BOOKS YOU BUY

by Korina Moss

The way some of us read books will be different in the coming year. Two days ago, I read an article in The New York Times about the demise of the mass market paperback. Mass market paperbacks are the smaller paperbacks that sell between $7.99 and $9.99. If you’re a cozy mystery or romance reader, you’re especially familiar with these. But now, publishers have decided to do away with mass market paperbacks, and bookstores will no longer carry them. Anything that would’ve been sold as mass market will soon be in trade paperback size, which will cost between $15.99 and $21.99, which means you’ll have to increase your book budget.

Mass markets of my Cheese Shop Mystery 
(and trade paperback of the Spanish translation of 
Cheddar Off Dead)

Almost all cozy mysteries, like my Cheese Shop Mystery series, are published in mass market, because our books are almost always part of a series and our readers are loyal. Like readers of romance novels, our readers are known to devour several books a month (sometimes more), and the mass market price point allows for it. Along with cozy mysteries and romance, other genres, like thrillers, mysteries, and science fiction, will also feel the effects of doing away with the smaller, less expensive printed copy in favor of trade paperback.

There are several reasons for this decision, one being the introduction of the e-book. According to the NY Times article, “… In the United States, about 103 million mass markets were sold in 2006, the year before the Kindle was introduced. Last year, readers bought fewer than 18 million of them.” Although “physical books still account for about 75 percent of book sales,” mass market paperbacks took a hit. Over the past decade, 10,000 fewer mass market books were published. 

My 5th book, Fondue or Die, on the shelf at
Barnes & Noble with the other mass market cozy mysteries

As a writer and reader of cozy mysteries, this makes me wonder how they will fare. If it’s true, as The NY Times states, that “It wasn’t publishers leading away from mass markets. It was readers,” then it’s up to us. Will cozy mystery readers shell out an extra $6 or more for the pricier trade paperback cozy mystery? Will they accept the new format and higher prices and continue to purchase as many of their beloved books? Or will the cozy mystery genre ultimately pay the price?

If you’d like to read the full New York Times article, click here: So Long to Cheap Books You Could Fit in Your Pocket. 

Readers: How will this affect your book buying? 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, as well as 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 mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.

Korina is also a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy and traditional mysteries. Using her experience writing her award-winning series for a Big 5 publisher, she has the inside track on what editors, agents, and readers are looking for in a cozy mystery.  Whether you're a new writer hoping to be traditionally or independently published, or you're an established writer wanting some guidance with a manuscript, she can help you strengthen your book. You can find more information on her website and contact her at korinamossauthor@gmail.com

TO PROLOGUE OR NOT TO PROLOGUE

 by Korina Moss

The choice of whether a book should begin with a prologue is often a heated debate. A prologue can be used for several reasons: to provide essential background information in order to set up the central conflict, as is often used in fantasy books; to provide a glimpse into the antagonist’s mind, sometimes used in thrillers; or to reveal information that the protagonist doesn’t yet know, sometimes used in suspense novels. Of course, there are other times one might use a prologue -- as with every “rule” in fiction writing, the reasons are not cut and dry. But should a prologue ever be used in a cozy mystery?

I’m never going to say never. However, the one reason not to use a prologue, which has come across my editing desk, is as a replacement for a slow first chapter. Some writers want to use it as a way to hook the reader with simply an exciting scene, knowing they've filled chapter one with backstory and introductions, and the plot train hasn’t left the station. Although you need to take time to introduce your main characters and set up the initial stakes and the discovery of a murder, this should be done while still moving the plot forward. A prologue can be used for many reasons, but it's not a substitute for keeping your readers entertained in chapter one. 

Readers: Do you like prologues? Writers: Do you like to use them? 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which includes the winner of the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, as well as 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 mysteries. To learn more or subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.