Guest Post: Kirsten Weiss> What's a Paranormal Cozy?

Image Credit: Christina Hernandez on UNSPLASH


One of the perks of partnering with misterio press for the upcoming release of my new Moccasin Cove Mystery series is getting to rub virtual elbows with established authors. Today I have the pleasure of sharing a post by author, Kirsten Weiss, who is so well established in the mystery genre that she has six active series and a standalone. I hope you'll check out her fun books, including Unbound, just published and available at the buy links at the end of this post. --Liz


What’s a Paranormal Cozy?

Thanks, Liz, for letting me post here, and congratulations to you on your Daphne Nomination! That’s a tough competition and a big honor!

So. I’m Kirsten Weiss and like Liz, I’m an author with misterio press. (No caps). I write both cozy mystery and cozy paranormal mystery – which just goes to show how much variety there is in mystery genres these days.

Liz thought it might be interesting if I defined what both those sub-genres are. So, here we go.

First, cozy mystery. With cozies, the violence happens off the page. A body is found, but the circumstances aren’t too scary or appalling. Amateur detectives are the rule, and those detectives typically aren’t white collar. They may run a bakery or a café or a knitting shop. Cozies typically take place in a small town, often filled with quirky characters. And pets are also typical.

A paranormal cozy (See Bound cover image at left) will layer supernatural spookiness on top of all of that. The only chills here are of the ghostly variety. The books never get too terrifying. And though vampires, werewolves, witches and other supernatural creatures may turn up, they may well be the detective or the victim. But like in a “normal” cozy mystery, magic isn’t used to solve the crime. That would be cheating. The hero must apply logic and reasoning to uncover the killer. (Though there can be a magical assist when it comes to actually apprehending the bad guy!).

My newest paranormal cozy, Unbound, takes place in an imaginary mountain town and is based on the very real Murphys, California. The witchy heroine, Jayce, owns a coffeeshop on Main Street called Ground. I used to go to Murphys every summer, and I’d always take notes on the scenery to get it right. But the last summer I visited, there was a new restaurant on Main Street called… Ground.

It seemed scalp-tinglingly supernatural, as if my fictional world had bled into the real one. Let’s hope the real Murphys never achieves the body count of the imaginary Doyle!


Unbound

Three Witches and a Metaphysical Detective…

Riga just wants to mentor three young witches and go home. Doyle witch Jayce wouldn’t take help if it landed on her. But when a man is murdered in front of their eyes, these two must learn to work together. Because a dead man is the least of their worries…

Jayce Bonheim loves magic and Doyle, California. But she and her small town have been paying a deadly price for the fairy gate she and her sisters can’t close. Now, a society of dark magicians has returned to town, a deadly winged monster has come through the gate, and an old friend has been murdered. And the new mentor who’s supposed to help Jayce and her sisters seems to have an agenda of her own…

It was supposed to be a simple training gig for Riga Hayworth, not a murder investigation. Still reeling from a tragic mistake in her past, she’s determined to stay retired. But the murder and the town’s magic seem tied together. Can Riga resist the lure of an investigation?

A thrilling and funny paranormal mystery, packed with magic, mystery, and murder. Perfect for fans of Mercy Thompson, Supernatural, and Charlaine Harris. Buy Unbound and start reading this page-turning witch mystery today.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3s2PCIN

Apple Books: http://apple.co/3qAyCsK

Nook: http://bit.ly/30vB4Gf

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2N6Fbpl

Google Play: http://bit.ly/3vddyvW


Amazon bestselling author Kirsten Weiss conjures up action-packed witch mysteries based on contemporary and historical magical practices. Her witchy heroines aren’t perfect (and neither are their familiars), but they’re smart, they struggle, and they succeed.

Kirsten writes in a house high on a hill in the Colorado woods and occasionally ventures out for wine and chocolate. She is best known for her Doyle Witch and Riga Hayworth paranormal mystery books. Are you ready to be enchanted? Just turn the page and… voila!


Comments

  1. Thanks for posting today, Kirsten. I love the info about how magic is not used to solve the mystery. That makes total sense.

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  2. I'd never really thought about that before, that in paranormal mysteries the magic isn't used to solve the mystery. Of course... because that would be cheating. I love all of Kirsten's series, by the way!

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  3. This is why Paranormal Cozy Mystery is my favorite subgenre of the Mystery genre. I love the supernatural but have turned into a scary cat in my older adult age. This way I get the best of both worlds (literally and figuratively!) No graphic violence, no vulgar language, and sexual actions are behind doors (and you don't read about it!) Add a little harmless magic, a little romance, some fun animals, and solve the crime the old-fashioned way (using logic not magic.) How could someone not love these adorable books? 🙋‍♀️💖📚

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Teddi! I agree! But I think I was a skittery kitty at a much younger age, so I came to read cozies and trad mystery long before I discovered the paranormal subgenre. Now I love both. I'm not always the best at solving the crime as I read, but at least I can look back and see the clues once it is revealed.

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