A COZY WORLD

So what do you think living in a 'cozy world' means? Is there such a place? My youngest daughter, who is just graduating from college, told me I live in a protected world. She thinks I'm lucky. Yes, there are different worlds out there, but the one I choose to live in reads like the books I write and enjoy reading the most - cozies!
     To keep tea warm, a cozy is placed over the pot. Much in the same way, a cozy story covers the reader in warm prose. Agatha Christie (my favorite author) often used getaway weekends to country estates as settings for her murder mysteries. She vicariously put me on a terrace having tea, or going for a walk in the garden or traveling along the coast, staying in hotels by the sea. As an only child, left to herself much of the time, Agatha Christie created her stories to alleviate boredom. What an amazing contribution to mystery lovers she made to the world. Her cozies were never gory or profane. She set the standard for cozy authors to follow.

     Like Agatha Christie, I began writing out of boredom while traveling to a conference with my husband. Fashioning the heroine after myself, I then created characters from a myriad of people I met - from a valet at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel I named Walter Montoya, Jr. in "Murder in Half Moon Bay" to a fellow passenger on a plane trip I named Helen Morningstar in "The Ghost Orchid Murder." Their permission was always obtained before using their persona of course.
     My family rolled their eyes at my becoming an author. But there were others who encouraged me enough to believe I could write. Did I know what I was doing? No. Was I determined to finish the course? Yes! My cozy world is one I've created, and after two years and five books later I can honestly say there has never been anything as fulfilling as writing the Jillian Bradley Mystery Series. Except for reading other author's works, which is also part of my cozy world...
     The cozy world is where even though there is conflict, evil characters and murder in the books, the stories themselves revolve around protagonists who are able to win. My protagonist's world isn't perfect, but Jillian Bradley lives in a lovely home, collects beautiful works of art, has a personal shopper for her clothes and has men perusing her. She is a childless widow, but don't be fooled - Jillian has a knack for solving murders along with her dear little companion, Teddy, a Yorkie with a nose for sniffing out clues.

     I hope you'll step into Jillian's cozy world and read about her adventures. As a gift this weekend, book 4 in the series, "The Mark of Eden" is available for you to download on your Kindle, iPad or iPhone. Enjoy this $3.99 book absolutely free. And when you leave a comment you'll be entered to win a bonanza of our books! So why do you enjoy reading cozies? Do you read them exclusively or like a mix of genres? 

Nancy Jill Thames is the author of "Jillian Bradley Mysteries," a series often set in exclusive hotels and resorts, based on real life travel adventures with her husband of 44 years. Her mysteries incorporate her love of afternoon tea, which has earned her the title of “Queen of Afternoon Tea.” She holds a music degree from UT Austin and lives in Leander, Texas where she is a member of the Leander Writers Guild. She has won awards for her blogs,  a pie contest for her Chip Chocolate Cream Pie, and has been on the Author Watch Bestseller List numerous times.

     Nancy Jill is busy working on book 6 Waiting for Santa, a murder mystery taking place on Christmas Eve near Jillian Bradley’s home in Clover Hills.

To check out her books, Murder in Half Moon Bay, The Ghost Orchid Murder, From the Clutches of Evil, The Mark of Eden, and Pacific Beach, please visit our Cozy Book Store or http://www.authornancyjillthames.webs.com

FRESH SPINACH WITH LEMON

VISIT OUR COZY KITCHEN FOR THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE!