I'm pleased to welcome Josalyn McAllister to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Josalyn writes the Hazel Dean Mystery series. Guilt is Midnight Blue is the first book in the series and was released last month.
Kathy: In Guilt is Midnight Blue we meet Hazel Dean who owns a shop, Books and Chocolate. It seems like a marriage of two perfect things. Have you ever wanted to own a bookshop...or become a chocolatier?
JM: I have always wanted to own a bookshop. A dusty, cluttered, cozy used bookshop. The market for bookshops has been in decline over the years and I’ve often thought that if I was independently wealthy I would run a bookshop and use my wealth to keep it in the black. That’s the exact situation I’ve given Hazel. It’s very much a vicarious experience for me.
My mom is actually a chocolatier, so I’ve grown up with beautiful handmade chocolates and caramels around all the time. To combine that business with books seemed like a match made in heaven!
Kathy: Hazel can see other's emotions in color. How did this unique ability take shape, both for you and Hazel?
JM: I have a great aunt who claimed this ability when I was a child. She often would attempt to “smooth our auras.” I was charmed by it. When I moved to the South, I found that it isn’t that unusual of a claim. I thought giving a character that ability would make the perfect Southern magical realism heroine.
Kathy: Location can play such a big part in mysteries. Why did you choose a small Appalachian town as the setting for your Hazel Dean Mystery series?
JM: I moved to Atlanta about three years ago. When we drove through the Appalachian Mountains on the way here, I fell in love with them and knew that they needed to be the setting for my next book. I grew up in California and I lived in the Midwest for ten years. I’ve been intrigued by a lot of aspects of Southern culture, superstitions especially. It makes for a great background for cozy mysteries.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
JM: Cozies have always been comfort reads for me. As a child, I was a precocious reader. My mom didn’t really read at all, and she was concerned that I might read into things that she didn’t feel were appropriate for me, so she handed me classics. Someone told her about Agatha Christie when I was about ten and I fell in love with them. Whether or not they were actually appropriate for a ten-year-old I’m not sure. Lol.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
JM: I wrote one sweet romance novel. It was well-received, but it was torture for me to write. After an initial draft I had a few people read it and they pointed out that there was no kissing. Apparently, that’s a romance staple. I added a kissing scene but knew that I would never be able to endure that sappiness of writing another romance. The puzzle aspect of cozy mysteries suits me much better.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
JM: This series is about Hazel Dean, an amateur sleuth who owns a bookshop in a small town close to the Appalachian Trail. Her ability to see other’s emotions in color draws her to involve herself in the pursuit of justice, despite the protests of her DA husband and her father figure, who is the captain of the police.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
JM: I really love a lot of the characters, but Hazel’s teenaged sons are my favorite. I grew up with five brothers and I was a middle school teacher. I have a theory that all teenaged boys are either obnoxiously cocky or painfully self-conscious. I gave her one of each. They’re fun to write.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
JM: I really wanted to write magical realism set in the South, particularly in the mountains. I’ve also always wanted to write mysteries. After living in Georgia for a couple years, I decided to combine them, and I really love the result.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
JM: I have been writing random stories and descriptions since I was about seven. I started writing novels about thirteen years ago. I published the first one in 2020. Up until then I was terrified of getting negative feedback. I finally realized that I wouldn’t be able to progress any more unless I put my work out there. It was terrifying and continues to be terrifying, but I’m so glad that I did.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
JM: Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Alexandre Dumas and Erik Larson
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
JM: Anna Karinina by Tolstoy and The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
JM: I love to bake and cook. I run. I sew my kids elaborate Halloween costumes. I read constantly. I also enjoy gardening and board games. I celebrate quirky holidays like National Donut Day and Harry Potter Day.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
JM: Butter, oatmeal, cucumbers and yogurt
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
JM: This is Hazel’s first book and she’ll get four more.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
JM: Coming up with plotlines! Then ranting about them to my husband, who is very sweet and pretends that they are important to him.
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Guilt is Midnight Blue by Josalyn McAllister
About Guilt Is Midnight Blue
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Publisher: Eburnean Books (May 6, 2021)
Paperback: 290 pages
Hazel Dean can see other’s emotions in color. She mostly uses it to help people find the perfect book in her shop, Books and Chocolate. But, when one of her customers is murdered, the police point to an old feud. Only Hazel can tell that the accused is innocent. She must navigate around her district attorney husband, and her surrogate uncle, the police captain, to find out what really happened. Hazel drives, hikes and snoops all over her small Appalachian town in an attempt to bring peace to the victim’s family and prevent her community from being torn apart by old grudges.
About Josalyn McAllister
Josalyn McAllister is a cozy fiction author whose most recent works include Love Over Easy and Guilt is Midnight Blue. Josalyn started writing character descriptions at the tender age of seven, inspired by the works of LM Montgomery. In her teenage years she moved on to Newsies fan fiction. Inspired by National Novel Writing Month, she wrote her first novel about a child she mentored in college. She has never stopped writing. Josalyn taught middle school history before deciding she would rather spend time with her own children than other peoples. A restless soul, she has moved all over the country and collected an eclectic array of hobbies. Her writing has a relatable quality that will charm and entertain you.
Author Links:
Website josalynmcallister.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/josalyn.mcallister.5
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20244955.Josalyn_McAllister
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/josalynmcallister/
Enjoyed the Q&A. I worked in a bookstore while I was in school but had to find another job because I was spending too much of my pay at the bookstore. The employee discount was just too good to pass up.
ReplyDelete😂 I love that!
Delete😂 I love that!
DeleteSounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
Thanks so much for having me on your blog today!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteJosalyn thank you for stopping today on this blog as you are a new to me author and also I would love to read a print copy and review on a few sites. peggy clayton ptclayton2@aol.com
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