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I’ve Been Wanting to Share – Here are 5 Favorite Cozy Mystery Authors

I’ll confess, I only started reading cozy mysteries about two years ago. Sure, I watched Murder, She Wrote on television, but I was never “hooked” on mysteries the way I am now. I not only love writing them, I love reading them.

Looking through my collection of paperbacks and Kindles this morning, I realize I have certain favorite authors I’ve read most everything they have written. That’s pretty much what I do, stick with an author I enjoy and read all their books. Do you do that too?

Here’s a list of five favorite cozy mystery authors I’ve totally enjoyed reading:

1. Ellery Adams – especially the A Book by the Bay Series

New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. She now writes full-time from her home in North Carolina, which she shares with her husband, two trolls, and three keyboard-hogging felines. Adams loves coffee, champagne, kickboxing, 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles, Pinterest, and black jelly beans.

Her traditionally published series include The Secret, Book, and Scone Society Mysteries, The Book Retreat Mysteries, The Books By the Bay Mysteries, and The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries. Visit www.elleryadamsmysteries.com

2. Carolyn L. Dean – especially the A Ravenwood Cove Mystery Series

I’ve been writing and making stories in my head as early as I can remember. In third grade I came home, set my lunchbox down, and told my mother I wanted to be a writer. Luckily, Mom was supportive.

I’ve been a published author for a while now, under different names and genres, but the thought of writing about a small coastal town in Oregon, and about its loves and mysteries and holidays and people has been with me for years. To be honest, I am a bit scared to dump those ideas onto the written page, but hope you’ll enjoy getting to meet the people who inhabit my imagination.

In real life, I’m married with kids, live on the West Coast of the US, and own a hobby farm just outside of my favorite small town. I love to travel, and can often be found strolling down a windy Oregon beach, holding onto the string of a high-sailing dragon kite. Carolyn’s Website at https://CarolynDeanBooks.com

3. Leighann Dobbs – I have three favorite series…

The Lexy Baker Mystery Series
The Blackmoor Sisters Mystery Series
Moosamuck Island Cozy Mystery Series

USA Today bestselling author, Leighann Dobbs, discovered her passion for writing after a twenty year career as a software engineer. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. When she’s not reading, gardening, making jewelry or selling antiques, she likes to write cozy mystery and historical romance books.

Her book “Ghostly Paws” was the 2015 Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem First Place category winner in the Animal Mystery category.

Don’t miss out on the early buyers discount on Leighann’s next cozy mystery – get a TEXT alert straight on your cellphone. For Cozy Mystery alerts, just text COZYMYSTERY to 88202

4.Abigail Keam – especially the A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

Abigail Keam is an Amazon best-selling and award-winning author who writes the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series about a female beekeeper turned amateur sleuth. Josiah solves mysteries with her quirky friends in the Kentucky Bluegrass where fast horses, bourbon, and secrets abound. Like her heroine, Josiah, Miss Abigail adores chocolate, bourbon, chocolate with bourbon, horses, and honeybees.

Miss Abigail is also an award-winning beekeeper who has won 16 awards at the Kentucky State Fair including the Barbara Horn Award which is given to beekeepers who rate a perfect 100 in a honey competition. Like her protagonist, Josiah Reynolds, she was a professional beekeeper and sold honey at a local farmers’ market for years.

She currently lives on the Kentucky River Palisades in a metal house with her husband and various critters. She still has honeybees.

Death by a Honeybee won the 2010 Gold Medal Award for Women’s Lit from Reader’s Favorite and was a Finalist of the USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books of 2011. Death by Drowning won the Reader’s Favorite 2011 Gold Medal Award for Best Mystery Sleuth and also was placed on the USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books of 2011 as a Finalist.
You can visit her at https://www.abigailkeam.com

5. Leslie O’Kane – especially the Molly Masters Mysteries

Leslie O’Kane has written 28 novels, all of which have two things in common—they are laugh-out-loud funny, and at least one crime takes place in each book. Her all-time favorite review was Oline Cogdill’s in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel who wrote: “Leslie O’Kane is certainly on her way to making her Molly Masters series the I Love Lucy of amateur sleuths.” A member of two book clubs herself, Leslie gears her books for the lighter, optimistic side of women’s groups. She writes lively, page-turning books that are quick, entertaining reads. Her books are described as somewhere between Where’d You Go, Bernadette? and The Thin Woman.

Maintaining a sense of humor is a mainstay of Leslie’s life. Many years ago, when taken hostage in a robbery by an irate customer afterhours at the bar where she was head waitress, Leslie thought, “This guy is taking his having missed last call way too seriously.” That made her laugh, which in turn made the robber strike her with his shotgun. The experience taught her that writing about crimes is much more fun than taking part in them.
Website: http://leslieokane.com/

Blog Coypright ©2017 – SharonMichaelsAuthor.com – All Rights Reserved

I invite you to stop by and check out my Author page on Amazon.com – learn more about all my Amazon books Sharon Michaels Amazon.com Author page

Especially my Oscar the Doxie Detective Mystery Series

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Writing Challenge – A Life Long Dream Achieved

October Writing Challenge

The beginning of every month I post a Writing Challenge / Prompt on my Sharon Michaels Author Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/sharonmichaelsauthor/

I took the October 2017 Challenge and here’s my post.

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to write fiction. I’m not trained to write fiction. In fact, when I wrote stories in school all the bright red correction marks covering my words dampened my enthusiasm and chipped away at my self-confidence.

I love to read and read several romance and cozy mystery books a week. With every fiction book I devoured, I wished I could put my words down on paper as well and eloquently as that author had. With some books, I honestly thought I could have written them better myself.

In 1997 I published my first nonfiction book. How to Give Yourself the POWER to Succeed is still available today as a paperback and Kindle. It felt great to be a published author. In fact I’ve written and published ten additional nonfiction books.

There still was that longing – that wish – that hope – that dream – to write fiction. In 2015 I decided to bite the bullet and take an online course. I wrote 10,000 words in six weeks. It was difficult and exhilarating all at the same time. I wrote the beginnings of a romance novel. The instructor loved my characters, thought my book was marketable and encouraged me to finish it. As of today, it is sitting on the top shelf in my closet in a bright red binder. Why? I’m pretty sure it is fear of rejection.

During the first part of 2016 I wrote another romance novel and actually finished it. It too is sitting on my closet shelf right next to the one in the red binder.

Then, toward the end of 2016 I woke up one morning with a fun idea to write about our beloved mini-dachshund Oscar. I wanted to honor that sweet little guy who had crossed over the rainbow bridge a few years earlier. It was a scenario that kept rolling around in my mind about how Oscar solved crimes with the help of his neighborhood canine friends.

I sat down that very day and started writing. I saw the scenes play out in my head. I heard the dogs and humans talking. I added little insights into the life of Oscar the Doxie Detective from our real life experiences with our own Oscar. The story was fun to write. I paced myself to write at least five hundred words a day five days a week. I wanted it to be a quick read Kindle – somewhere around 10,000 – 15,000 words.

I published The Prickly Pear Murder as a Kindle January 2017. Within a couple of days of publication, my first fiction book started receiving five star reviews. During 2017 I published two more in the Oscar cozy mystery series. I love writing them. I get lost in my Happy Hills community and living in the Canine Detective Club world.

My original life-long goal to write fiction and publish it – accomplished! In fact there will be a fourth book in the Oscar the Doxie Detective series coming out the first part of 2018.

So with all that said, here is my new awesome goal for 2018:
Finish the two romance novels sitting on the closet shelf and publish them during 2018. I can do this. I’ll keep you posted.

Please leave us your comments.

Sharon Michaels
Author, blogger and success teacher

© Copyright 2017 SharonMichaels.com – All Rights Reserved

I invite you to stop by and check out my Author page on Amazon.com – learn more about all my Amazon books Sharon Michaels Amazon.com Author page

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Facebook Virtual Book Launch – Sunday Nov 5, 2017

Here’s a link to the page to read all the details:
Facebook Virtual Event with Author Sharon Michaels

Come join me, Sharon Michaels, on Facebook as I introduce my newest book in the Oscar the Doxie Detective Series. I’ll be giving away prizes, sharing tips on writing, asking trivia questions, sharing famous author quotes, and many more fun things.

Sunday November 5, 2017
4:00 – 6:00 PM EST
3:00 – 5:00 PM CST
2:00 – 4:00 PM MST
1:00 – 3:00 PM PST

An enjoyable relaxing time to share our love of books!

Please RSVP and join me on Facebook for my official book launch for my newest book.

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Book #3 – Oscar the Doxie Detective Cozy Mystery Series

The Kindred Spirits Mystery

This is book 3 in the Oscar the Doxie Detective Cozy Mystery Series.

It is October in Happy Hills Arizona and strange things are happening. We’re talking about things that go bump in the night.

Oscar and the Happy Hills Canine Detective Club work to solve a century old mystery involving a stagecoach robbery and a missing strongbox heavy with gold and silver. Oscar’s patience is tested as he must rely on “spirits” to save his Sara from harm.

*Contains mild paranormal activities.*

A short fun light-hearted cozy mystery you can probably read in an hour or so. Pour your favorite beverage, power up your e-reader, sit back and enjoy seeing the world through the eyes of Oscar the doxie detective. I’m guessing after reading this canine adventure, you’ll realize your own dog knows a lot more than you think.

P.S. From the Author: This is not a children’s book. It is a fun, clean adult cozy mystery.

Here’s a link to the Kindle on Amazon.com:
The Kindred Spirits Mystery

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Writing Challenge – Event That Changed My Life

It was difficult choosing just one event that had a long lasting impact on my adult life. The one I’m sharing happened when I was probably ten or eleven years old. I recall it as vividly as if it was yesterday.

Two doors down from my childhood home lived my friend Mary. Mary’s younger brother, who was about my age, had special needs – he was learning challenged. School was frustrating for him. His teachers were making little progress teaching him the ABC’s. He’d start crying if you asked him to open a book or brought out paper and pencil. Something inside of me knew I had to help.

Twice a week we would play school. I would pretend to be a teacher and he was my student. At first he was apprehensive and then it became a fun game. Personally, I took our time together seriously. My goal was to help him gain not only basic educational skills, but greater self-confidence.

Within a month I’d taught him to write his ABC’s. I was thrilled when his teacher sent a note home congratulating me on a job well done. How did this experience change my life? I knew from that moment on that my life’s mission was to become a special education teacher. Yes, I did go to college and became a special education teacher. Even today I am still a teacher. I may not be in a classroom, but I believe I teach through my blogs, books, coaching and MasterMind programs. My basic personal and professional mission has never changed: Every morning I vow to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

What event in your life was so powerful that it changed your life forever?

A side note: I seriously think teaching is embedded in my DNA. I’m making it a goal, to search my ancestry to see how many educators there are in my family tree.

Be sure to purchase your copy of Sharon’s empowering paperback and Kindle book, How To Give Your the POWER to Succeed on Amazon.com – Recognizing the things you’re doing that may be keeping you from the things you want.

I’m Sharon Michaels and I teach you how to do business successfully. https://SharonMichaels.com

I invite you to stop by and check out my Author page on Amazon.com – learn more about all my Amazon books Sharon Michaels Amazon.com Author page

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