Today I'm happy to allow Maureen Klovers to take over Cozy Up With Kathy. Maureen writes the Rita Calabrese Mystery series. In a switch up, instead of me interviewing Maureen she interviewed me!
Confessions of a Mystery Reviewer:
My Interview with Kathy Kaminski, the Cozy Mystery Fan Behind “Cozy Up with Kathy”
For a change, I’d like to shine the spotlight on an unsung heroine of the cozy mystery community: Kathy Kaminski.
One of the most talented and insightful reviewers in the blogosphere, she summarized the essence of my series far better than I ever could when she wrote “Food, Family, and Fun could be the motto for this series. Food can reflect emotions, family can drive you batty while also providing support, and life, even when dealing with murder, should be fun.” And I suspect other authors feel the same!
Kathy also throws terrific Facebook cozy mystery parties for Halloween and Christmas, founded the Western New York chapter of Sisters in Crime, and has done much to champion outstanding indie and small-publisher authors who would otherwise languish in obscurity.
I hope you enjoy this peek behind the mystery reviewing curtain with one of the greats!
Me (Maureen): I like to play "Two Truths and a Lie" to get to know someone. So tell me two true things about you and one lie, and I'll try to guess the lie!
Kathy: Here are my three things: (1) I was a police officer in Texas, (2) I am an avid baker, and (3) I once owned an off-track thoroughbred who I competed with as a Hunter/Jumper.
Me: Thoroughbreds are crazy expensive, so I’m thinking that’s the lie.
Kathy: Nope! I had a thoroughbred named Harley. His racing name was Bad to the Bone.
Maureen: That sounds like a cozy mystery title. Did he win any races?
Kathy: Yup!
Maureen: OK, so I am going to guess being an avid baker is a lie.
Kathy: You’re right! That’s a lie. But I do love watching the Great British Baking Show.
Maureen: That’s kind of odd, don’t you think? I mean you read culinary mysteries with recipe but you don’t make them…so tell me about being a police officer.
Kathy: I was a patrol officer the University of Texas-Austin. Now I’m a rehabilitation counselor in the forensic unit of a psychiatric hospital, working with patients who are involved in the criminal justice system. My main focus is vocational training; getting people ready to join the workforce when they leave the facility. I’m most proud of the greeting card program I run; patients make greeting cards that they share with other patients. I also run a mobile library. I run several groups including a “mystery history” group for patients where we watch and discuss documentaries. I teach creative writing.
Maureen: Do you get any “true crime” stories—or even confessions—from your patients?
Kathy: No—and if I did, I couldn’t tell you. I did have one patient who was an actual psychopath. That’s actually pretty rare, because most psychopaths are never caught. They’re the “nice guy” who lives next door. But he was actually one of my favorite patients.
Maureen: What was the first mystery you ever read?
Kathy: I read the Hardy Boys mysteries and the Three Investigator Mysteries as a child. I distinctly remember my first cozy mystery, CATERING TO NOBODY by Diane Mott Davidson. I loved the mystery, I loved the food, I loved escaping into a world with lovely people I wanted to spend time with—I loved it all!
Maureen: Do you read in other genres?
Kathy: With my review schedule I rarely have time to indulge in genres other than crime fiction. In addition to cozies, I enjoy traditional mysteries, historical mysteries (which are usually cozy or traditional), and the odd police procedural or thriller. I try to find time for non-fiction as well. I like reading about spiritual matters, cults, history, and more!
Maureen: What motivated you to make the leap from mystery fan to mystery reviewer?
Kathy: Qwilleran, from the “Cat Who” series!
Maureen: I enjoy Lillian Jackson Braun’s reporter-and-Siamese-cats crime-fighting trio as much as anyone, but I’m not following.
Kathy: Qwilleran always said he can write 1000 words about anything. So inorder to improve my writing I started a blog. Then, since I knew several authors I decided to start a mystery blog. Cleo Coyle was my first giveaway, and Lorraine Bartlett was my first interview. Then I started doing tours. The rest is history! I do tours now with Dollycas and Partners in Crime.
Maureen: If you could be one fictional character, who would it be and why?
Kathy: This is a very difficult question. My first thought was Amelia Peabody, a Victorian-era Egyptologist, but I want modern conveniences, especially indoor plumbing, so she’s out. Then I thought Molly Kimball from the Cambridge Bookshop Mystery series by Elizabeth Penney. Moving to England with my mom to help run the oldest bookshop in Cambridge would be fun, and it would be great to have a boyfriend who is not only really nice, but rich! But she is so young. Hmmm. Maybe Aleksandra Daniels from the Enchanted Bay Mystery series by Esme Addison. She shares my Polish heritage, and a there is the added bonus of magic!
Maureen: What mystery series hasn’t been written but should be?
Kathy: A clerical mystery series starring a rabbi and a priest, both in their 70s, who grew up together.
Maureen: That’s an interesting premise.
Kathy: My dad was born in 1939. I just remember all the funny stories he had about growing up. I’ve read and enjoyed several clerical mysteries with priests and nuns as sleuths, and I enjoyed a few series with wives of rabbis!
Maureen: How has the cozy mystery genre evolved since you started reviewing?
Kathy: The volume has really increased, for one thing! It used to be books in a series would publish once a year, now it’s every 3-4 months! Lately, I am seeing a lot more paranormal mysteries, especially ones that are self-published.
Maureen: So for those of my readers who are interested in becoming a reviewer, how does it work?
Kathy: It starts with getting the books. I am a member of two touring companies, I work closely with publicists from Kensington, plus other publicists and authors contact me as well. After I finish the book, I focus on writing a review that captures the essence of the book, not just what happens, but the mood, the theme, how it makes the reader feel. Then I post my reviews on my blog, as well as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Bookbub, thestorygraph.com, and Netgalley if I got the book from them. I add links to my personal Facebook page as well as my corresponding Cozy Up With Kathy Facebook page and on Blue Sky as well.
Maureen: Do you try to solve the crime along with the sleuth?
Kathy: No, I read solely to enjoy it. Sometimes I know who “dunnit” before the protagonist, but I don’t keep track.
Maureen: Do you ever read a book and have a completely different reaction to it than other reviewers do? Do you even pay attention to what other reviewers write?
Kathy: Yes! I get mad when I see bad reviews about books I loved and, conversely, I’m amazed at good reviews for books I thought were awful! I never read someone else’s review for a book before I write my review for it. Consequently, and I know this sounds bad as a reviewer, I rarely read reviews.
Maureen: OK, since this is for my newsletter, let’s talk Rita. What’s your favorite Rita Calabrese mystery, and why?
Kathy: I love Rita so much!!! It’s hard to say which was my favorite Rita Calabrese mystery, but I’ll go with OF MASQUES AND MURDER, the fourth book in the series, where Rita decides to give up meddling for Lent!
Maureen: How do you want the characters to evolve as the series progresses?
Kathy: The evolution of a character is a tricky thing. We love to have characters grow, but Rita's foibles are some of the things I like best about her. She's opinionated, she meddles, but most of all she loves her family. I don't think that should ever change. It will be interesting to see how her relationship with her husband may change due to his new journalistic endeavors. And neither the Widow Schmalzgruben nor Cesare and Luciano (her Bernese mountain dogs) can ever die!
Maureen: Apparently, you and my dad think alike – maybe it’s the shared Polish heritage! I was going to kill off the widow at one point and he talked me out of it. Well, I think that’s a wrap! Thanks so much for talking with me, Kathy.
Kathy: My pleasure!
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Links:
For Kathy:
Website: https://cozyupwithkathy.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CozyUpWithKathy
Facebook Party Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2735820886635502
Blue Sky: @katreader.bsky.social
For Maureen:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maureenkloverswrites
