Writers Who Kill: Mimi Lee Gets A Clue

Saturday, August 14, 2021

On the Need to be Funny By Jennifer J. Chow

I write humorous cozy mysteries, and I embrace that fact. Murder and mirth: Do they go together? I’d like to think so—and not only because I write them. I’ve heard morticians and paramedics talk about using morbid humor to get them through tense situations. Comedy can act as a balm.

Growing up, I was definitely not the class clown, but I appreciated humor in my life. I admired wit from my family, friends, and through books. Back then, I never would have imagined that one of my books (Mimi Lee Gets A Clue) would be nominated for a Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery.

Recently, I’ve even been asked to sit on panels on being funny. I did a virtual event on July 20 with other bloggers from Chicks on the Case called, “A Killer Sense of Humor: Adding Mirth to Murder Mysteries.” I was also on the Killer Humor Cozy Panel (August 13, 2021) sponsored by Murder by the Book.

Even as I participated in these events, I also made sure to jot down advice from the other panelists.

How do we insert humor into our novels? Some ideas are:

· Add humor—but not too close to the actual murder

· On the other hand, kill those whom you love to hate

· Use realistic observations but go at them sideways (like a stand-up comic)

· Throw in funny situations, even veering into slapstick if you want

· Subvert readers’ expectations: set them up for something and then do the opposite (a.k.a. go for the punchline twist)

· Make characters witty: people (or animals) in books can have witty internal thoughts or external chatter

In the end, humor is subjective. That’s why it’s super helpful to have beta readers, critique partners, and editors reel in the joking.

However, I do try to make myself chuckle while I’m writing. For me, that’s a good barometer of achieving humor. And the sweetest reward is when others agree, like Katie’s Cottage Books. Katie said of Mimi Lee Gets A Clue: “5 laugh out loud stars!” and “I was reading this book at the bakery and laughing so hard, the random guy at the next table asked me, if I was ok!”

What tickles your funny bone?

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Introductions All Around by Jennifer J. Chow

Hi, I’m Jennifer J. Chow, and I’m excited to join the Writers Who Kill blog. I’ll be regularly blogging on the second Saturday of each month.

I grew up on a steady diet of Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown. Even as a kid, I was interested in writing stories. I remember borrowing my dad’s old typewriter and banging away on the keys (and using a lot of correction tape) to create my rough drafts. I even wrote a mystery short story in the sixth grade. I think it was called, “The Case of the Missing Jewel,” and I got an “A+” on the assignment.

As I grew older, I put my desire to write on the back burner. My parents often told me that writing wouldn’t pay the bills. Plus, I knew of exactly one Asian American writer who’d “made it”—Amy Tan, and I knew I was no Amy Tan.

Interestingly enough, I did try my hand at a contemporary novel with multiple perspectives. The book was inspired by a tragic event, kept secret for decades in Taiwan history; my first published novel, The 228 Legacy, found a home at a small press. Although that novel did have secrets lurking within its pages, I wouldn’t write a full-fledged mystery until later.

I had toyed around with writing a full-length mystery for a while, but I wasn’t certain I could pull off the tricky plotting. However, my mom and I had often read Agatha Christie’s works together, and when my mom was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage four cancer, I decided to take the writing leap. Due to the time pressure and other factors, I ended up self-publishing Seniors Sleuth, the first in my Winston Wong cozy series. (My mom wasn’t able to read the finished product, but she did see a draft of the manuscript before she passed away.)

I’m currently writing a new series for Berkley/Penguin Random House. The Sassy Cat mysteries feature a Los Angeles pet groomer, Mimi Lee. The first book in the series, Mimi Lee Gets A Clue, released in March 2020, and the second one, Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines, comes out in November 2020.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/YTY/a-sassy-cat-mystery/