I'm pleased to welcome Kay Pritchett to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Kay writes the Mosey Frye Mystery series. The Murder at Red Oaks is the seventh book in the series and was released last week.
Kathy: In
The Murder at Red Oaks Mosey Frye enters her client’s grand Victorian and finds a dead body. I love Victorians. What’s your favorite type of architecture?
KP: I have grown to love Victorians, but certainly I didn’t start that way. When in 1988, my future husband brought me to see our now-home, I completely balked at the idea of living in a Victorian. You must understand this hundred and forty-five-year-old house had spaghetti stuck to the kitchen ceiling, holes in the walls, and cracks so wide you could lie in bed and view the great outdoors without even venturing out. We did the overhaul ourselves and moved in two weeks after the wedding. But now, given my mystery writing endeavor, my house and other Victorians in the neighborhood have turned out to be a true inspiration.
Kathy: The Mosey Frye Mystery series is set in Arkansas. What makes this location the perfect setting for your series?
KP: I relocated to Northwest Arkansas in 1982, coming here straight from Seville, Spain. Despite growing up some three hundred miles away in the Mississippi Delta, I felt utterly clueless about my new surroundings. Fayetteville is mountainous and woodsy, whereas the Delta is flat and somewhat treeless, suitable for extensive agricultural activities, particularly cotton cultivation. In these mysteries, I yearned to immerse myself in the culture of my youth. But after living in Arkansas for many years, I found that the Arkansas Delta seemed like a good compromise. By placing my fictional town of Hembree on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi, I could avoid having Mississippi friends and family claim they recognized real people or places in my stories.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
KP: I initially intended to write traditional mysteries but soon realized that I was naturally inclined toward cozies. This may be because positivity is high on my list of strengths, as I have recently learned from taking an online strengths test. May I add as well that there is a particular vibe, let us say, attached to cozy mysteries. It’s as if an atmosphere of stability floats over the setting, bolstering the inhabitants and helping them to confront criminality in their midst. Regardless of how heinous the crime, it’s certain to be resolved, and things will, indeed, get back to normal.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
KP: I have not tackled fiction in another genre. My writing background is academic. As a Spanish professor at the University of Arkansas, I published books and articles about Spanish poetry and fiction and translated some novels and collections of poetry into English.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
KP: Mosey Frye Mysteries present an ongoing battle of wits between Mosey Frye, a thirty-something real estate agent, and Gus Olivera, a forty-ish police detective from sunny California. Mosey’s leaps of intuition coupled with Olivera’s state-of-the-art detective work help them solve the homicides that seem to follow Mosey wherever she goes. Her real estate career has an unfortunate habit of intersecting with murder—whenever she lists a house, she inevitably discovers a body somewhere on the premises.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
KP: That’s a tough question. If I were in a sinking boat with all the characters and could only save one, I think it would be Mosey. You see, she’s my pet—not because she’s my favorite really, but poor Mosey, she needs the most help, having an uncanny knack for getting herself into trouble. Of all the characters, she’s the free spirit, and that’s something I can relate to.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
KP: Yes, I did. One day, while walking in my neighborhood, I noticed a particular house. On one side, you could see into the living room, and on the other, the parlor—wide open to public view. I found myself staring at the place day after day. When a For Sale sign appeared in the front yard, a friend of mine suggested we make an appointment to see the house. As we entered, I was amazed by the height of the ceilings—even taller than mine. I was also struck by the antiquity of the wallpaper and the overall impression of the place. That house became fictional Waite House, which was Mosey’s first listing. The person who later bought the house in real life was a real estate agent, blonde and spunky, just like Mosey.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
KP: A friend and fellow writer, Chris Farris, helped me make that decision. One day, during a writing group gathering, he said to me, “Kay, I think this piece is ready.” I immediately replied, “No, it isn’t,” but his encouragement and recommendation of a specific editor made me consider publication.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
KP: Since I’ve dedicated myself to a career in Spanish literature, the first four authors that come to mind are true literary giants in the field: Cervantes, the author of the first novel and short story; Quevedo, a master at crafting clever prose; Larra, the sharpest observer of all time; and Unamuno, whose profound yet human perspective on life is truly captivating. If I may extend my appreciation to English-writing authors, I would include Faulkner, Hemingway, and Zora Neale Hurston.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
KP: I have a stack of books awaiting my recovery from cataract surgery, and on the top is my friend and neighbor Talya Tate Boerner’s The Third Act of Theo Gruene.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
KP: My sole hobby in life was beading. I picked it up shortly after becoming chair of my department, which might otherwise have driven me to drink if I hadn’t found a way to distract myself. However, once I started writing fiction full-time, I had to give up beading. Too much sedentary close work wasn’t good for my health.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
KP: Grits—I’m not just saying that; I genuinely adore them. Milk—it keeps the bones strong and maintains a pleasant alkalinity in the stomach. Blueberries—I love them, and they’re one of the few foods I love that aren’t detrimental to my health. Decaf coffee—I’d be utterly lost without it.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
KP: I’m currently writing the eighth book in Mosey Frye Mysteries. It’s been the most challenging so far, presenting a complex web of clues that you simply won’t believe. I also found the new characters I created for this mystery so engaging that I couldn’t bring myself to saddle any of them with the murder. It wasn’t until chapter thirty-four out of thirty-six that I finally settled on the one I could see as the culprit.
Kathy: What’s your favorite thing about being an author?
KP: Goodness, the writing process, for sure. The aspects of being an author that require me to put myself out there can provoke a week-long out-of-body experience. I suspect I’m not very unusual in that regard, considering that many writers are introverts.
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The Murder at Red Oaks (Mosey Frye Mysteries)
by Kay Pritchett
About The Murder at Red Oaks
The Murder at Red Oaks (Mosey Frye Mysteries) Cozy Mystery 7th in Series Setting - The fictional town of Hembree, Arkansas Publisher: Wild Rose Press Publication Date: September 22, 2025 Print Length: 368 pages Digital Print Length: 329 pages
What a chilling sight when real estate agent Mosey Frye enters her client’s grand Victorian only to find her strangled and laid out in a coffin. Clued in on the bizarre murder, the new forensic profiler in town raises the intriguing theory of “posing,” suggesting the culprit, plagued by remorse, decided to honor the victim with a grand send-off.
Meanwhile, police chief Gus Olivera, sticking to the evidence, makes a breakthrough by identifying the coffin as one that is missing from the mausoleum. It originally belonged to the victim’s young ward, tragically drowned in the lake by the house years earlier. With real and amateur sleuths baffled, townspeople fear yet another attack from the deranged killer among them.
About Kay Pritchett
Kay Pritchett, a native of Greenville, Mississippi, lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she taught Spanish literature at the state’s flagship university. At retirement, she threw herself into fiction writing and has wrapped up seven books in the Mosey Frye Mystery series. As a mystery writer, she delights in blending the charming wit of amateur sleuth Mosey Frye with the suave sophistication of police chief Gus Olivera. She’s all about sprinkling her mystery novels with lively banter, highlighting the dynamic interactions between Mosey and her trusty sidekick Nadia, as well as the intriguing dialogues between Olivera and sharp-witted coroner Eads McGinnis. Her goal? To transport readers into the thrilling world of an Agatha Christie whodunit, but with a delightful twist—think verandas and paddle boats! Murder in High Cotton (2022), inspired by childhood memories of the Delta, anthologizes her first three short mystery novels. Since then, she has launched four full-length novels: The Summer House at Larkspur, The Incident at Sunny Banks, The House with a Secret Cellar, and The Murder at Red Oaks.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.moseyfryemysteries.com
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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-pritchett-65326661/
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Purchase Links - Amazon B&N Bookshop.org Alibris
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