How To Write a Cozy Mystery: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Modern Cozy Murder Mysteries

by Nina Harrington

Would you like to Write a Cozy Mystery, but do not know how to get started?

Then this Step-by-Step Guide is just what you have been looking for!

This Ultimate Guide to Writing a Cozy Mystery has been designed to provide you with all the information you need to write your own cozy mystery and develop a cozy mystery series.

What are Modern Commercial Cozy Mysteries?
The Ten Key Elements of a Modern Cozy Mystery.
The Market for Cozy Mystery Fiction in 2021.
How to Research and Cozy Mystery Niches.
The Ideal Wordcount for your Mystery.
How to Decide on the Best Publishing Model for your Work.
The Three Hooks and a Sleuth Story Generator.
How to use Four Act Story Structure to Outline your Mystery.
My Cozy Mystery Plot Template.
How to Write the First Draft of a Cozy Mystery in 10 Steps.
In-Depth Development of Act One of your Mystery.
Writing a Cozy Mystery Series.

There are no hidden extras, fluff or padding, just straight practical advice on what to write and how to write it.Save time, money, and energy by working through each step of this focused Guide to create your own cozy mystery novel. This Guide is recommended for cozy mystery writers at every level, fiction writing classes and screenwriters.Nina Harrington is the author of 48 fiction and non-fiction books, with 1.7 million copies sold worldwide in 28 countries and 23 languages.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Crafts

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2021

About the author

Nina Harrington grew up in rural Northumberland, England, within walking distance of both heather moorland, and wonderful wild sandy beaches.

She decided aged eleven, that her dream job was to be a librarian because then she could read all of the books in the public library whenever she wanted!

Many years later she took the bold decision to take a career break from working in the pharmaceutical industry to realise her dream of being a fiction writer. No salary. No contract - but following her heart.

That decision had put over 1.7 million copies of her romance books into the hands of readers in more than 28 countries and translated into 23 languages.

Some of these books have won international awards.

Nina loves to read both suspense and contemporary romance, and is still a total fan-girl when she meets her favourite authors at book-signings and conferences.

Nina has worked in the UK, France and Spain, and enjoyed wonderful holidays in countries such as Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Jamaica, India, Nepal, Mauritius, Reunion and Portugal, but is now settled with her husband in Jane Austen country in the south of England.

When she is not creating stories, which make her readers smile, without the aid of pharmaceuticals, her hobbies are cooking, eating, enjoying good wine, and talking, for which she has had specialist training.

Nina currently writes contemporary crime novels and series romance for the Mills and Boon Modern Tempted/ Harlequin KISS lines and Carina UK, plus non-fiction guides for other authors.

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been toying with the idea of writing a cozy mystery, and this was the perfect intro to the story craft specific to a cozy. She breaks it down into manageable steps, and she includes several ways to brainstorm the various aspects of a mystery. I'm excited to try applying it to my own cozy mystery!

[James R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a practical guide to the nuts and bolts of how to write a cozy mystery novel in terms of what to put where. However, I think this book only guides you on the basic process and wouldn't help you write something that was actually good. I say this because the book relies heavily on using case studies from a novel that the author has written under a different pen name which she holds up as an example of her technique but when I looked it up, it has awful ratings on Goodreads and Amazon. So the case study that is being held up as a perfect example of this method of writing cozy mysteries is derrided in reviews by its readers. Funnily enough, this book about how to write cozy mysteries seems to have sold significantly better than the author's actual cozy mysteries that have been written under a different name, which tells its own story. I feel a bit like the author of this novel probably wasn't qualified to write this book as it seems they have not yet mastered the form of writing cozy mysteries themselves. Having said that, the advice they offer about writing isn't bad and will lead to a finished draft though the end product may be a bit formuliac as the model in the book relies heavily on following a prescriptive process.

[Gabrielle Jarrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thorough and left brain step by step book, which I believe is necessary for a mystery. It made me realize I will not write the cozy mystery I thought I would! Which is great information!

[Erica Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Full of useful information. An excellent book on the craft of writing a cozy. As a new publisher of multiple genres, I am trying to get my hands on some great resources and so far, this has been one of them.

[Susi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was overwhelmed by the amount of useful information in this book. While writing a cozy mystery, I could see myself revisiting this book repeatedly. So why the four stars? For three reasons. Firstly, it was a little repetitive at times. Secondly, because I was so overwhelmed with the volume of information that I felt it needed more recaps. And finally, because I struggled to fully understand some of the examples given.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good 'how to' book and I found it really useful. It gets straight to the point without a lot of padding some other how to books are guilty of. I particularly like the way Ms Harrington gives examples from her own cozy novels to illustrate key plot points.
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reading copy of this book, but if I hadn't I would have purchased it anyway as Ms Harrington is a writer and teacher I trust.
Thank you, a 5 star guide to writing a cozy mystery.

[Lori Puma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Researching genre section is fantastic. As is the breakdown of categories readers will use to find your book.

Section on sequences is a little vague. Has examples from published books, not stories in progress.

Also could have used a little more proofreading in the edition I read.

I like the method of brainstorming described. But doesn't have info on what to do if what you come up with is boring, or how to choose the best idea when you come up with too many ideas.

[Luanna Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I’ve been waiting for. The engaging style makes for easy reading. The author does a review of the genre, and then outlines the steps to craft a cosy mystery, with lots of examples. There were many ‘ah ha’ moments – exactly what I need in order to write the ‘ah ha’ or better yet the ‘uh oh’ moments in my cosy mysteries.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but I found it difficult to navigate and somewhat repetitive. If you understand story structure and are simply looking to try a new genre you love, I wouldn't use this book for a reference. However, if you're completely new to writing, this would be a great manual. I found Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy Cohen better for me.

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually a well thought out guide to writing cozy mysteries from start to finish. I wish I had this when I was writing my first cozy, but I am familiar with Nina Harrington is a used her template on my second and third novel.

[Terri Borkgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book to learn about writing mysteries. Learned how to plan the book I want to write and are working on.

[Gretchen Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for outlining story.

This book is helpful in explaining expectations of a cozy mystery novel, a chapter on the market for cozy mysteries, and outlining a cozy mystery. I found the outlining of a cozy mystery the most helpful. I was able to go through my free writing and create chapter and plot from the advice in this book.

[Marcy Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're already familiar with plot structure, then this won't add anything new, and in fact, it's less detailed than other books on plot. I did appreciate that it tried to speak to plot specifically as it related to cozy mysteries.

If this is a genre you're interested in learning to write, this book and Nancy J. Cohen's Writing the Cozy Mystery are good places to start.

[Ghostly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s all here

If you read any other book on cozy mysteries, then make sure you round-off your research with this one. It will stand as a seminal reference on the subject. Simply excellent!

[Cass Rosewood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to learn how to write cozy mysteries!

I like how the book breaks down the techniques with examples from cozy mysteries.

It gives me insight on how to do research in genre and more.

[S.K. Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great information

[B.J. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steps Well Demonstrated

Gives you a sound skeleton with which to formulate your own cozy murder mystery series. Definitely worth the read, and take notes!

[Dorajane Grummer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book, a must for a writer's shelf.

[Roen Neely]

The most useful of the "genre fiction" craft books I've read.

[Taryn Blackthorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was the how-to book that helped me the most with my cozy research! Thank you Nina

[Amanda Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro into writing your own cozy mystery! Fantastic tips and tricks to make the writing process smooth and as easy as possible.

[L.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Info I'll refer back to many times, I think. Very useful guide covering many aspects of writing, from choosing a subgenre, deciding on wordcount, and then drafting the mystery itself.

[Sarah Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful book on writing cozy mysteries. Especially good for story structure and market research.

[Alba Marcos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro perfecto si eres un escritor mapa para introducirte en este género. Muy práctico.

[Jen Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read

If you want to write any kind of mystery, this is a heaven sent! I’ll be referring to this book until I have the structure memorized. Thank you sooo much Nina!

[E'Who'Reads'a'Thousand'Mysteries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting
I started this book in the Kindle app and decided to buy the actual book to study it better.