Tag Archives: booklovers

“Cozy” is Not a Dirty Word

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It seems like everything these days has “cozy” as a descriptor added to it. Cozy mystery, cozy fantasy, cozy games. As a cozy mystery writer, naturally I don’t mind this. Wikipedia defines a cozy mystery as “a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community. Cozy mysteries thus stand in contrast to hardboiled fiction, in which more violence and explicit sexuality are central to the plot. The term “cozy” was first coined in the late 20th century, when various writers produced work in an attempt to recreate the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.[1]”

I like this description because I cut my teeth on the Golden Age of Mystery. My mom was a huge fan of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers, Patricia Wentworth and more. Lord Peter Wimsey was one of my first fictional crushes, and to this day, I feel sad for the pre-teens who grew up crushing on Edward Cullen instead. I write cozy mysteries because I love this subgenre and long to recreate that vibe in my own storytelling. I like the descriptor because when I pick up a book in that subgenre, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. That’s the value of genre reading.

That doesn’t mean that I never desire to read something grittier or more graphic. Lord Peter resides cheek-by-jowl next to Eve Dallas on my bookshelves. I’ve recently fallen in love with cozy fantasy, and I adored The Spellshop by Sara Beth Durst. (I have the second book, The Enchanted Greenhouse, sitting on my TBR stack like the prize gem in a dragon’s hoard). This doesn’t mean I don’t own a copy of Jurassic Park, or that I’d never re-read the Lord of the Rings.

For me, “cozy” is more of a mood than anything. It’s a certain vibe I’m seeking when I pick up a book. It’s because I want the banter between Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson. It’s because I wish to battle wits with Miss Marple, or soak in the atmosphere of a deadly cruise down the Nile. I do think this is a large part of the appeal of the subgenre–people talk about cozies as being low stakes books, but the stakes are still there for the protagonists. It’s just that our female amateur sleuth is not likely to be targeted by a serial killer and the dog always lives. The magic-using protagonist hiding out from the anti-spell casting government might be in danger, but the village will stand up to protect them.

Cozy reads aren’t necessarily my comfort reads, though they can be. I can be happy with a ridiculous amount of violence if I love the characters and I know everything will turn out all right in the end. What makes it a comfort read is I know these criteria will be met when I pick up the book to read it again. I love the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, and re-read them frequently. Ditto scores of other sci-fi and urban fantasy books. Ilona Andrews is an autobuy for me, and I have everything they’ve published in print.

But when I’m browsing online, in a bookstore or library, trying to decide what to read next, quite often I’m going to gravitate toward something with “cozy” as a descriptor. I don’t know about you, but I need a lot of soothing these days. The news is a constant bombardment of all the ways in which we are going to die (and suffer while doing it), so yeah. I’m re-reading and re-watching a lot of old favorites. The last thing I need is for my entertainment to wound me. The “cozy” descriptor (mostly) allows me to choose new material without bracing myself for an unseen blade being shoved into my ribs.

Even in my embrace of all things cozy, I admit, I get a little tired of the majority of books in this genre being set in bakeries or craft stores. I get it–baking and crafting are how many people immerse themselves in coziness. I am doing a lot of baking now myself, having discovered 3 Doughs 60 Recipes by following @mostlybree on bluesky. I’ve also revived my old bread starter recipe, and while I am still working the kinks out of it (I get fabulous tasting bread that won’t rise), I take pleasure in doing something besides doomscrolling on the weekends. But as someone who is a terrible baker and doesn’t craft, I find myself longing for cozy mysteries set in other environments.

There appears to have been a recent complaint in the gaming community, however, that gaming is taking cozy too far by introducing cozy versions of popular, violent games. That “cozy” is somehow a disease poisoning their good times. Now, I’m not a gamer; I only heard this referenced through a blog post on The Book Wyrm’s Hoard, so I don’t have all the facts. But the blogger’s talking points are sound:

  1. If you don’t like “cozy” you don’t have to consume it. It’s not for you.
  2. “Cozy” as a descriptor is associated with people who identify as female. And we deserve to have our space, too.

Cozy is not a “dirty” word. For one thing, cursing isn’t allowed in cozies. 😉

If you don’t like it, that’s fine. It wasn’t meant for you anyway.

 

A departure into poetry

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Author Hiria Dunning runs a weekend writing prompt over on Bluesky called #pretendpanel. Each week, she comes up with fun challenges that really make you think about the answers. I’ve been participating (when I can) for a while now, and I encourage you to do the same. The premise is simple: pretend you’re on an author panel answering the offered question. This month, the prompts have focused on short verse form, something that is not my forte. I’ve jokingly pointed out that even when I set out to write a short story, it turns into a novel on me.

I love short stories, but I truly believe they are an art form I don’t possess the skills to create. Ditto with poetry. Today’s #pretendpanel prompt was about sharing some short-form writing, either your own or a favorite of yours.

I used to write poetry in high school. Didn’t we all? Fortunately, most of it went by the wayside. I’d kept a few favorites in a notebook but when I went to find the notebook this morning, I couldn’t locate it. Do I still have it somewhere? I don’t know. I have lots of blank notebooks. Beautiful, funny, inspiring blank notebooks that I leave blank because I’m afraid of ruining them with my messy handwriting and messy thoughts. But that is another story altogether.

Odds are the notebook–the one with a handful of semi-terrible poems–is around the house someplace. It’s also equally possible it got lost in a move, or tossed in a fit of Marie Kondoism. Who knows. I’m not even sure I mourn its loss.

But there is one poem I wrote that I’d regret losing, and fortunately, I found a copy in my dropbox.

I’m sharing it as part of the #pretendpanel prompt for today

 

Siblings

With shaking hands, I performed the rituals that would keep the room safe.
That would corral the monsters everyone said did not exist and seal them in the closet overnight.
But the magic could not keep out the noise, the sound of raised voices and splintering wood.

In the morning, I looked down through the shattered railings, shocked by the raw wood visible beneath the white paint, as though broken bones were sticking out from underneath torn skin.

And he was gone…like he did not exist.  Not to be seen again, except on rare occasions, like Christmas and funerals.  And we did not speak of him, not son, not brother.

Lying in a heat-soaked room, living for the breathless moment when the fan would oscillate in my direction.
Gasping for air like a little bluegill.
She left her narrow bed and knelt beside me, whispering, “If you don’t stop making that noise, I will kill you.”

She, who chose to hold adulthood at bay by starving her body into adolescence.
Littering our room with the detritus of desiccated meals not eaten.
She who ran away and hence did not exist, not spoken of again, not sister, not daughter.

And I, praying not to exist, began painting my room in beige.  Beige walls, beige eyes, beige hair, beige skin.  With each stroke of the paint brush, I am not here, I do not exist.

She of great passion and raging talent would not go away quietly.  She left in a storm of slamming doors and bitter tears.  She, too, ran away, existing but not existing.  A fledgling with her mouth open in a nest far away.

I stumbled into a wall today, paintbrush in hand.  Stared in shock at the gray paint dripping from the end of the brush, an anemic life force spattering on the floor.  With shaking hands, I performed the rituals that would unlock the door, the door that had long since been painted over.  I am here, but I do not exist.  I cannot leave.  I am the Good Daughter.

 

There you are. My one and only adult attempt at poetry. Maybe I can find a use for those blank notebooks after all.

A Nose for Death (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 4) is now available!

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It’s finally here! A Nose for Death (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 4) is now available! For some reason the print version on Amazon is a little slow to go live, but it’s now up as an ebook and print book on Amazon. It will soon be live on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, or you can ask your library to stock it through Hoopla and Overdrive, if those are your preferred platforms. What can I say? Amazon is speedy, so if you can’t wait, grab your copy there. If you’d rather support different sites, the price is the same across them all.

Cover art for A Nose for Death, depicting A German Shepherd sitting in a lane with fencing on either side that leads to a lovely house in the background. Behind the dog, there is a bloody axe in the driveway.

Isn’t this cover adorable? I made high-pitched dolphin squeals when I saw this from Melody Simmons at Bookscre8tivecovers.com. Here’s the blurb:

A storm. A dog. And a body…
Ginny Reese and her dog Remington are back in a thrilling new cozy mystery by award-winning author M.K. Dean.

Veterinarian Ginny Reese is adjusting to her recent inheritance in the small southern town of Greenbrier. After a storm takes down one of the outbuildings on her property, her dog, Remington, discovers human remains in the ruins. When the victim turns out to be Vicky Coleman, an old high school classmate—and former girlfriend of Sheriff Joe Donegan—both Ginny and Joe become suspects and are sidelined by a new investigative team.

Ginny’s relationship with Vicky Coleman ended on bad terms and she feels obligated to find out what happened to her former best friend. Doing so will stir up old memories and feelings, potentially derailing whatever it is Ginny is rekindling with Joe. But Vicky played some dangerous games that put her in the crosshairs of a killer, and if Ginny isn’t careful, she and Remy will end up in the killer’s sights as well.

A Nose for Death is the fourth book in the highly acclaimed Ginny Reese Mysteries, and the stakes have never been higher. Make sure you have time to read when you pick up your copy because you won’t be able to put it down!

I can’t wait to share this with you! I’ll be doing a live on TikTok tomorrow evening (Saturday 3/29/25 at 7 pm EST) with author Dori Saltzman (Death of a Travel Advisor) to discuss writing mysteries, but also writing series. Do join us! My account is https://www.tiktok.com/@mk_dean_author. We look forward to seeing you there!

I’ll be updating this post with the other links as they go live!

It’s Bouchercon time!

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Tomorrow I’m flying to Nashville to join my good friends Claire Johnson and Anna Butler at the 55th annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention! I’m so excited! This is my first Bouchercon, as this is the first year that it’s been somewhat in my neck of the woods.

According to Bouchercon’s Mission statement:

Bouchercon’s mission is to introduce, attract, and promote readers and writers by producing outstanding, inclusive events to grow and sustain the mystery community.

Bouchercon® is the annual world mystery convention where every year readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents, booksellers and other lovers of crime fiction gather for a 4-day weekend of education, entertainment, and fun!


The first Bouchercon took place in 1970 in Santa Monica, California. Subsequent Bouchercons have been held in many cities across the United States, as well as in Toronto and the UK.

Wait, what? 1970 was 55 years ago?? I’m sure this must be a typo, right? 

At any rate, the event will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center and it looks to be a SMASHING conference! The venue is amazing! There are terrific panels on almost every subject imaginable, and the Anthony Awards will be announced as well. Not to mention, I just found out Laurie King will be celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the release of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice–which also doesn’t seem possible that this beginning to a terrific series was that long ago as well.

Planning to go? Look for me there! I’ll be doing speed-dating for authors (it’s exactly what it sounds like only you as the reader sit at tables while authors come by and for 2 minutes persuade you to read their book) as well as a panel on avoiding the pitfalls of indie publishing with moderator Fred Tippet II, and panelists R Weir, Winnie Frolik, and
Josh Pachter. Immediately after the panel, I’ll be signing books in the dealer’s room. Provided I can find it! Will GPS work inside the convention center? Better brush up on those map reading skills! Hope to see you there!

Bookmarks, Bouchercon, and the Next Ginny Reese Mystery

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Everyone who knows me knows I live for that first day at the end of the summer, when the temperatures drop 20 degrees and the humidity is cut in half. You can take a deep breath without feeling as though you need gills, and walk the dogs without feeling as though you live in a greenhouse. As someone with poor heat tolerance, I loathe summer. I get it when friends bemoan the coming winter months, when the skies are dull and gray, and you have to deal with sleet and the occasional snow. But give me a break. We barely get any fall or winter these days, whereas summer is nearly year-round now.

Let me have my autumn, darn it. Bring on the spooky season, I say!

“Summer” starts sooner and lasts longer each year now. Every year shatters heat records from the year before. We almost never see snow around here anymore, and are perilously close to losing fall as well as winter.

I incorporated a little ode to Autumn in the opening paragraphs of A Nose for Death (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 4) that had to be eliminated when I moved the time sequence for the story from fall to early spring. I’ll share it here:

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. And not just “fall” but autumn in every sense of the word. It’s the crackle of dry leaves underfoot as they skitter across the sidewalk on a windy day. The smell of wood smoke in the air, and the wet mulchy scent of damp earth. It’s the honking of geese overhead on a cold, gray day, the mournful sound resonating in your bones as you pull out your heavy sweaters and boots for the first time of the season. It’s how the spectrum of sunlight shifts from white to gold, slanting through trees with leaves of yellow, orange, and red, lighting up the emerald-green blades of grass in the fields with an intensity seldom seen at any other time of year. It’s waking to air so crisp, it’s like biting into a fresh apple, with tracings of frost on the windowpanes.

Sadly, what we’re experiencing now is what’s being referred to as ‘false fall.’ Yesterday we got the lovely break in heat and humidity, and tonight the temps are dropping into the upper forties. Normally I’d be thrilled, but we’re told the temperatures are going to bounce back up into the 90s again and stay there well into November. As someone who loves hiking with the dogs, this is depressing, to say the least.

But I’m taking advantage of it now, making a point to get outside after work while we have this temporary reprieve from living in Satan’s armpit. Yesterday, while walking the dogs, the solution to a thorny plot problem that has been tying me up for months miraculously revealed itself to me, and I had to dash back to the house and write it down before the resolution escaped me. I’m not much of an outliner or plotter (some would point out the advantages of being one right about now) but as I wrote down the details of the solution, it held up. Which means I can finally move forward to finish this book.

I’d be hard-pressed to say exactly why it is that I’ve been struggling to finish this WIP. Work stress, life stress, just-getting-darn-old stress have all been factors. I try not to be annoyed with myself and just accept any progress, the Eureka moment when I solved my sticky plot problem being one of them. This means I’m entering the homestretch of Nose at last, and I’m hoping for a fall release date. Another reason to love fall!

I’ll be attending the big mystery convention Bouchercon in Nashville next week, meeting up with friends and sitting in on some panels. I’m busy making swag bags with stickers, QR cards, temporary tattoos, and candy, as well as decorating bookmarks. I find the process of sorting beads, deciding on the colors and patterns, and then creating the handmade look very soothing. But at this point, I’m planning on bringing so much with me to Nashville, I might as well move there!

The swag bags and bookmarks are for the author speed dating event I’m doing Thursday 8/29 am, where I will be circulating a room of attendees, pitching the Ginny Reese Mysteries in a 2 minute spiel to each table. On Saturday 8/31 at 8 am, I’ll be on a panel discussing how to avoid the pitfalls of indie publishing, after which there will be a book signing in the dealers room. If you’re near Nashville next week, you should check out Bouchercon at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center! If you’re attending, look for me there–I’d love to meet you!

Also, if you’re not following M.K. Dean on BookBub, I’d love the support! I can’t take advantage of certain features on the site (such as their release announcement function) until I have at least 1K followers. It costs nothing to create an account if you don’t have one, and what I love about Bookbub is you can tailor your preferences when it comes to their featured deal notifications so you’re alerted if there are discounted/free books in your favorite genre. Check it out!

 

The Chaotic Hype Awards: Good Clean Fun… Mostly.

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If you didn’t already know, I’m spending most of my social media time on TikTok these days. There’s something about the platform that appeals to the actor in me, and I have more fun on that platform than any other.

Right now, I’ve been nominated for the Chaotic Hype Awards! This is a crazy annual awards event hosted by BookTokker @chaosandbooktalk. I’m in two categories: Best Mystery Author (as McKenna Dean) and Most Likely to have an Alphabet Agency Watching Them (as MK Dean). The competition is FIERCE and needs to be thinned out. Help a mystery writer out? You can vote in the awards here (and not just mystery: romance, voice actors, reviewers and more)! 

Here’s a little sample of the fun we’ve been having…

 

@mk_dean_author The Chaotic Hype Book Awards will be announced a week from today: February 10th at 7 pm EST with @Chaos and Booktalk 📚 You can only vote once so choose wisely! Lynx to the voting can be found in the clicky place in my personal biography! #mysterywriter #mysterytok #ginnyreesemysteries #chaotichypeawards2024 #chaotichypeawards #dundundun #bookbesties #hypegirlsquad ♬ original sound – MK Dean Cozy Mystery Author

Barking All the Way (A Ginny Reese Holiday Novella) is now available!

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It’s here! Barking All the Way (A Ginny Reese Holiday Novella) is now available!

The bummer is that, at the moment, Amazon is not showing Barking All the Way either by title search, author name, or series name. The only way you can find it is with a direct link. I would LOVE it if you could help me spread the word! Drop me a comment here below telling me where you’ve shared the link and I will pick 3 people at random to win a $10 Amazon GC!

House-call veterinarian, Ginny Reese, is determined to embrace the spirit of the season this year. Maybe it’s because she’s lost a good friend, or because fate has been kind to her, and she wants to give back to the community. Maybe it’s because spending more time with Sheriff Joe Donegan, her ex-boyfriend, has her feeling like she’s living in a Hallmark movie. Either way, she’s planning to get into the holiday spirit if it kills her.

And it just might. There’s a Grinch in town, committing petty robberies and vandalism, but the crimes seem to be escalating. Can Ginny, with the help of her trusty German Shepherd, Remington, nab a thief in time to save Christmas for everyone, including herself?

Recipes included! (I know, I’m not a great cook, but trust me, these are tested and proven recipes!) Look, I made these! Aren’t they adorable? The recipe is in the book!

Melting Snowmen Cookies

Contest ends December 12, 2023. Winners announced here!

Halloween fun: Help me name the next Ginny Reese Mystery!

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This past weekend, I participated in an outdoor book signing at a dog agility trial. Makes sense, right? Dog lovers will adore the Ginny Reese Mysteries! As a matter of fact one competitor advised a buyer not to start reading An Embarrassment of Itches until after the event was over because she’d started it the night before and stayed up far too late to be at her best for the competition. What better endorsement than that? Even though I did feel a little guilty…

All weekend long, I was fanning myself in 80 degree weather and slathering on sunscreen, but now, only forty-eight hours later, it’s only 43 degrees and we’re under a freeze warning for tonight. I made bread and potato soup this morning, have a fake fireplace playing on YouTube, and some light jazz playing in the background while I work on a Ginny Reese holiday novella. I still need a title for it, so I thought we could play a little game.

This pet and holiday themed mystery features a Secret Santa mixup and is focused on a Christmas caper as opposed to murder. Drop your suggestion in the comments and if I select it, you’ll receive an acknowledgement as well as a little gift package from me. I’ll also choose three people at random from the comments to win a $10 Amazon gift card–and we can all use that for the holidays, right? Contest ends Nov 15th because I have to have a title by then! Be sure to share this with your cozy mystery loving–and dog loving–friends!

 

 

June is Audiobook Month! Celebrate with a Chance at a Gift Card!

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Did you know June was audiobook month? I didn’t until recently! I love audiobooks–the right pairing between narrator and story is magical. All this month, N.N. Light’s Book Heaven is celebrating audiobook month by spotlighting a series of authors (including me) who have audiobooks out. You can enter to win a chance at a $75 Amazon gift card! You’ll find the entire schedule at the link above.

 

Check out the link here and be sure to check daily for the featured spotlight. You may just find something you have to have! An Embarrassment of Itches (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 1) narrated by Jillian Yetter, will be spotlighted on June 26th, so keep your eye out for that. But you don’t have to wait until then to start collecting entries toward the grand prize. Go check it out now! 

A Corpse in the Condo (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book3) Coming Soon!

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If you follow my newsletter (on the rare occasions I send one out), you know that I’ve made changes to my brand, streamlining it to my paranormal romance/mysteries and cozy mystery. I did this for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that when most people think “paranormal romance”, they think powerful alpha male and fated mates, that sort of thing. I get it–but that’s not exactly what I write. It’s more Bringing up Baby meets WH-13. Peggy Carter meets Q and works at The X-Files.

My first love has always been cozy mysteries (which is why all of my romances have some sort of mystery as a subplot), but up until recently, I didn’t think I was capable of writing a clever, funny cozy. The enthusiastic response An Embarrassment of Itches (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 1) received convinced me to keep writing, and now cozy mystery is my main jam. It doesn’t mean I won’t finish the Bishop’s Origin series (I adore these characters and I want to see their arc through), but it does mean the Redclaw Security series has been shelved, and there are no current plans to expand that part of the universe for now.

In the meantime, I’m pleased to announce the upcoming release of A Corpse in the Condo on June 1st! (There’s been a slip up and the print version is already available if you absolutely cannot wait) Ginny finds out the hard way that trying to pair a business trip with patching up a relationship with a snarky sister can rapidly go south–especially when they find a corpse in the condo Ginny has inherited. With a fortune in artwork gone missing, and a hurricane bearing down, it’s up to Ginny, Joe, Liz, and of course, Remy, to solve the crimes before all the evidence is washed away.