Jingle Bells, Mussel Shells, Murder All the Way - An Interview

I'm happy to welcome Katie Hagen to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Katie writes the Sweet Reunion Romance Series. Jingle Bells, Mussel Shells, Murder All the Way is a cozy mystery spinoff and was released December 1st.

Kathy: Christmas is Tessa Brown's favorite holiday. How does Christmas rank with you!?

KH: For Tessa, the holidays are about the food, singing carols, decorations, and, of course, Christmas themed coffee. For me, Christmas is all about the music. I start playing holiday music in October! Yep. I’m one of those people. I’m not too big on gifts or the holiday meals but I definitely love a good holiday light tour with all my favorite Christmas music! (And maybe a Christmas cookie or two).


Kathy: Tessa's parents are following their dream by becoming a touring gospel duo. Do you enjoy gospel music. If so, who are your favorite artists or songs?

KH: I am a fan of all music! I live on a small island and in the rare times that I’ve been able to attend a gospel performance I have been brought to tears!


Kathy: Jingle Bells, Mussel Shells, Murder All the Way is a cozy mystery novel spinoff from a novella series. What made you decide to write a spinoff?

KH: I really fell for the Tessa in Charlotte 10 Years Later, my first novella in the A Sweet Reunion Romance Series and I felt that she deserved her own love story. When I set out to write Jingle, the plan was for it to be a holiday-themed sweet romance novella. Well, the story took me in a different direction and suddenly I had a full-length holiday cozy mystery novel on my hands! I love how it turned out and I consider it a bit of a cross-over between sweet romance and cozy mystery.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

KH: I remember reading some of the baking-themed cozies when I was a teen. I was drawn to the colorful, delicious-looking covers and though the stories were a bit older for me, with characters in their thirties, I loved following the clues and solving the mystery. Now, after spending twenty years as a dog groomer, I’m drawn to pet-themed cozies and read them whenever I get the time.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

KH: Actually, I started out writing poetry. I found a love for it while I was finishing college from home last year and released my first poetry ‘chapbook’ in February 2019 called Dreams for the Divine and Drowning under the name K.D. Hagen. Since then I’ve written a book of rhymes and fairy tales (Of a Lilac Moon) as well as a collection of literary short stories (Stained: Short Stories for the Unkempt Woman). I also have my sweet romance series and now I’m diving into cozies. I’m working on the first in a new series about a dog groomer now!


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

KH: A Sweet Reunion Romance follows four high school friends in the ten years following graduation. There are lots of secrets, second chances, broken hearts, and new beginnings.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

KH: I really like snarky characters, probably because I tend to go the opposite way. I love Cassie from the A Sweet Reunion Romance series because she is wild and fearless. Melissa from Jingle seems a bit like a younger version of Cassie to me, she’s snarky and just bored by everything, except she actually tries to follow the rules, something I think Cassie as a teen would have laughed at.


Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

KH: I think the idea for A Sweet Reunion Romance came from my poetry in Dreams for the Divine and Drowning where I played the ‘what if’ game a lot. What if that boy you secretly loved would have loved you back? What if that relationship that broke your young heart would have actually worked out? Would you have been happy? Would it have changed the happiness you have now? I wanted to write that concept as a story and Charlotte’s journey to find herself 10 years after high school started from there.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

KH: I got a lot of confidence from college and honestly, I miss getting that praise and feedback! Everyone from teachers to classmates pushed me to publish my work and taking classes about how to publish, market, and advertise definitely helped too!


Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

KH: J.K Rowling, Steven King, Anne Rice, and Stacy Lee.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

KH: A book called The Clockwork Magician by Eldrich Black. It’s a young adult novel that I honestly feel could be the next big thing. The story is fantastic and is a bit like Oliver Twist meets The Golden Compass with some Harry Potter thrown in. I highly recommend it.


Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

KH: I wish I had time for hobbies! I spend all my kid-free time writing and avoiding housework. I love my two dogs, Dudley and Bear, and good TV and movies such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I can’t garden…at all. I draw sometimes and paint a little. I love to cook but am the worst baker. Really, when I’m not reading or writing I’m just spending time with my daughters and my husband.


Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

KH: Oh wow. Ok, so this is hard because I’m on a new diet every other week. But I can say that I always have cheese, some form of crackers, fresh vegetables which I have to eat daily, and lots of spices.


Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

KH: I do think that there is still at least a third book coming for the A Sweet Reunion Series from the original two stories. There are still questions left unanswered there. Tessa might get another book in her story now that more big things are coming for her. I might just meet up with her again next holiday season and make it an annual thing. Right now, I’m working on a cozy series with a clueless aspiring actress that is forced back to her hometown to run her late aunt’s dog grooming business. I’m loving the quirky small-town characters so far! I’m thinking it feels a little like the Amy Sherman Palladino show, Bunheads or Hart of Dixie with Rachel Bilson, but with a great murder mystery to solve!


Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

KH: Knowing that my children can one day read my stories, feel closer to me when I’m gone, have a possible source of income to pass down, and be proud of their momma.

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Jingle Bells, Mussel Shells, Murder all the Way

Can be found on Amazon in Paperback and Ebook (link below)

https://www.amazon.com/Jingle-Bells-Mussel-Shells-Murder-ebook/dp/B07ZYBZNZM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=jingle+bells+mussel+shells&qid=1576264573&sr=8-1

Amazon profile

http://www.amazon.com/author/kdhagen


Katie Hagen website:

http://www.wordpress.com/readkatiehagen


Social Media links:

http://www.facebook.com/readkatiehagen

Instagram poetry:

https://www.instagram.com/k.d.hagen/

Fiction and personal life:

https://www.instagram.com/readkatiehagen/

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Author Bio: 

Katie Hagen is an author and poet residing with her husband, children, and dogs, Dudley and Bear, on a little island in the Pacific Northwest. She earned her bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing in 2018 after years of struggling to balance school, life, travel, family, and general laziness. So much of her time is spent writing that there is a rear-end sized divot in her armchair which officially means that it is hers. On the rare occasions she finds herself pried loose, she likes to take barefoot walks in the forest and socked walks to the kitchen.