tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post277874191328168109..comments2023-11-22T06:35:25.251-05:00Comments on POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS: COZY CLASSJulia Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-68536224375120692202010-05-24T00:07:17.662-04:002010-05-24T00:07:17.662-04:00I'm with everyone who said, "no serial ki...I'm with everyone who said, "no serial killers," "no gratuitous violence," and to me, no getting into psychopaths' minds, including in the preface.<br /><br />Yes, the puzzle is the thing, but, to me, also the character development, thinking and good dialogue, as well as plot development.<br /><br />Can't deal with nonstop action without character development and kathy d.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-49816342120406097592010-05-23T16:13:40.013-04:002010-05-23T16:13:40.013-04:00I have not been able to sell anything with a heroi...I have not been able to sell anything with a heroine who dabbles in adultery on the side. That seems to be the one absolutely forbidden "vice." I think a serial killer would be easier to sell. <br /><br />This weekend I was talking to a "literary" author and telling her about cozies (she was clueless), and said they sounded like fun. WFIW. Don't know if she'll go outJudyinBostonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01194047119136913804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-52785587109440545822010-05-23T08:37:03.126-04:002010-05-23T08:37:03.126-04:00Seems your post stirred a lot of interest. I like ...Seems your post stirred a lot of interest. I like cozies - especially the Miss Marple type because it removes me from the hard and fast life of modern society. I think readers still want to escape via books and as Pen N. Hand wrote figuring out the mystery is part of the charm. I won't read graphic serial killer novels - just watching the evening news on T.V. is all you need there.Allenenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-13524242533217096212010-05-23T07:54:41.779-04:002010-05-23T07:54:41.779-04:00Stopped in to read the comments. No one has mentio...Stopped in to read the comments. No one has mentioned the appeal of cozies from the point of plot development (a good puzzle) that intrigues the reader to find out whodoneit and why.<br />The why is imperative because random killing is too common with so many profuse serial killers. My personal definition for them is "the random killing machine."<br />My two cents for what it's Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04182028108594825938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-32516868244503555882010-05-23T00:30:42.768-04:002010-05-23T00:30:42.768-04:00Thankfully, there are many mystery genres and book...Thankfully, there are many mystery genres and books vary even within genres.<br /><br />I love women protagonists, be they private eyes or other types of detectives, favorites being V.I. Warshawski, Sharon McCone and Kinsey Millhone, but so many more.<br /><br />Violence is varied too. While I can deal with what happens, let's say, in the books starring the characters above, I cannot deal kathy d.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-59942769383010162432010-05-22T17:43:13.534-04:002010-05-22T17:43:13.534-04:00I agree with the bloggers who said a good story is...I agree with the bloggers who said a good story is a good story. I think of cozies as comfort food, important to have, but I can't eat too much of it. I also wonder about the designation of "cozy." Louise Penny's books are not comfortable. but elegant and certainly have a hard psychological edge, and she just won the Agatha. I must also admit I am liking my characters to be a lil Glucksternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288522126331817172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-42002914632853855922010-05-22T16:25:12.723-04:002010-05-22T16:25:12.723-04:00I often read a cozy following my reading of a bloo...I often read a cozy following my reading of a blood, gore, too many details mystery. As a young 70 reader - a voracious reader - I love to read mysteries and vary my choices. I think I'm saying that I don't want the same heroine, the same murder, the same depth of fear in every book I read. I like the variety. Perhaps I drive the publishers wild, but that's how I do it. <br /><brMarilynnehttp://marilynnesmith.com/bloggingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-3549234558067050872010-05-22T15:34:19.080-04:002010-05-22T15:34:19.080-04:00A friend of mine once described reading a cozy as ...A friend of mine once described reading a cozy as "chewing the same piece of gum for three days." I have to admit, I've picked up and put down a lot of soft mysteries lately, because I didn't find them challenging or particularly interesting. I'm seeking out more character-driven stories that are buoyed by fresh descriptions and surprising observations. For me, it's all Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-62961361226763184642010-05-22T13:43:43.259-04:002010-05-22T13:43:43.259-04:00You're all right, of course. Actually I was s...You're all right, of course. Actually I was surprised to hear two different people voice similar opinions within a short period.<br /><br />I think what pushes the genre over the line from cozy to something else is the on-the-page violence and sex. The original comments I heard and commented on focused more on "blue-collar" versus "white- (or pink-) collar," something I Sheila Connollyhttp://www.sheilaconnolly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-75157237038397028482010-05-22T11:17:40.811-04:002010-05-22T11:17:40.811-04:00I agree with CC: if the character is too edgy, the...I agree with CC: if the character is too edgy, the book isn't a cozy. Certainly Evanovich's books aren't cozies. A cozy is a particular type of book, and a huge fan base still exists for that kind of book, so I don't think they'll fade away. Cozy writers are providing entertainment for their audience, just as thriller writers are. The crime genre is huge, and there's room Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-85669125165214955572010-05-22T10:46:25.829-04:002010-05-22T10:46:25.829-04:00I would think that if the character in a cozy was ...I would think that if the character in a cozy was too edgy, it would no longer be a cozy. I enjoy stories where ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, but if the character is too "kick butt" that makes it a different kind of story entirely.C.C. Harrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-12910408018335548242010-05-22T07:49:52.751-04:002010-05-22T07:49:52.751-04:00Sheila, I have trouble believing in 49 as the high...Sheila, I have trouble believing in 49 as the high end of the age level of either romance or cozy readers. And I don't draw the genre line where you do but distinguish between traditional and cozy mysteries. For me, the difference is publisher-driven. The craft-focused, vanilla-protag mysteries come mostly from Berkley, some from NAL (not to knock them, and I consider yours among the best andElizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-26812170978225950122010-05-22T06:13:50.224-04:002010-05-22T06:13:50.224-04:00I think a good story is a good story. here's r...I think a good story is a good story. here's room in the genre for all kinds of protagonists - maybe that's the true message here. You don't have to write Miss Marple; your protagonist can be a single mother waitress with real life problems, and oh, a dead customer.<br /><br />Great post!<br />KatieOKatie O'Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17295418503546522882noreply@blogger.com