When did you start reading mysteries?
As a kid, I spent summer days in a treehouse my dad built between two spindly pines. I never climbed the ladder without a mystery clutched in one hand. Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Nate the Great, Harriet the Spy…I read every series I could get my hands on. Once I’d devoured the kids’ books, I moved on to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Dick Francis. I fell for Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Pollifax and Tony Hillerman’s Joe Leaphorn, and so many other oh-so-clever sleuths. I’ve read every one of Louise Penny’s mysteries set in Three Pines, one of my favorite novel settings, and I read one or more cozies every week, even when I’m on deadline!
Why do you write cozies?
My brain loves to follow clues and unravel mysteries. There’s nothing I like better than figuring out whodunnit before the sleuth’s “big reveal.” The mysteries I love most take me to places I want to experience and introduce me to quirky, intelligent characters I want to spend time with. They feed me delicious meals and yummy goodies. They steam up mochas in cozy cafes frequented by locals. They pour me a cup of hot tea or a glass of wine as I sit in a comfy chair in front of a cozy fireplace. I write cozies because I love the cozy life and cozy mysteries are a big part of what makes life cozy.
How do you get your ideas?
A better question might be, “How do you choose which ideas you’ll write about?” Ideas are like gnats: they’re always buzzing around, sticking to the side of your face, flying into your ears . . . The trick is to focus on one gnat when the others are swarming. I tend to write about the peskiest gnat—the one that refuses to go away.
What do you do for fun?
Not surprisingly, I read. Beyond that, I love to sing—sometimes in choirs, sometimes as a soloist or fronting a band. Recently, I belted out the Nina Simone classic “Sinnerman” with a killer jazz pianist (my hubby), the best sax player in our valley, and a banging drummer.
I love to travel in my rolling home on wheels and have probably visited every state in the U.S. at least once. If you’ve driven this country you already know, it’s huge! My favorite road trips take us off the interstates and onto the highways that weave through towns—both big and small. One of my favorite roads trips was taking U.S. Highway 20 from the East Coast to the West Coast. But there are few roads more winding and gorgeous than the Pacific Coast’s Highway 101.
Oh, and I climb onto the back of my husband’s motorcycle when weather allows. We’ve ridden North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains, Oregon’s Coast Highway, and South Dakota’s Black Hills, among many other scenic U.S. byways.
Cozies & Kim Griswell 