Today is the day, my reader-friends. I’ve been talking about the cozy mystery I wrote for so long…and NOW IT’S AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!
On September 29th, 2023, HEAD FOR MURDER (HEAD ROCK HARBOR MYSTERY #1) will drop and readers will be introduced to gay bookstore owner, cat father, cross-stitcher, and amateur sleuth, Jackson Harper. As well as the town of Head Rock Harbor and its unique citizens. Located on the Mississippi River, the quaint little river town is cozy as cozy gets. Until local painter Prescott Pemberton is found dead in the harbor.
What’s initially ruled a “death by misadventure” by local police simply doesn’t smell right to Jackson. He tries to mind his business–as his mother is always telling him to do–but there’s something fishy going on with Prescott’s death. When Prescott’s assistant turns up dead in a car crash, Jackson finds himself knee-deep in the dangerous world of amateur sleuthing.
I can’t wait to wait to introduce you all to the characters and town in HEAD FOR MURDER!
Some interesting things I discovered while writing the first book in this series were discussed in the blog post MURDER, HE WROTE if you want to check that out. I also talked about it extensively in the GIVE ME HEAD blog post, and the BOOKSHOP MYSTERY blog post.
Some other interesting thing I learned while researching and writing my first cozy mystery is that the “general rule” for a word count on a cozy is 50-65k words! I was shocked. I thought they were longer. However, when I started going through my shelves of paperback cozies, I realized this is about right. Most run in the 200-250 pages range. Imagine my shock! I never noticed before.
I also was able to use writing my first cozy as an excuse to excessively consume mystery shows, movies, books, and games. It’s all for research, after all…
My first cozy also allowed me to delve into more Americana and small-town American vibes. After writing POSSIBLY TEXAS a while back, I missed my small-town characters, quirks, and the charm of American small towns. Creating quirky, interesting characters with snappy dialogue, worldbuilding, and creating a whole town is an exciting, laborious task that never fails to get my creative juices flowing.
Additionally, I’m getting to bring more LGBTQIA representation to the cozy mystery world. I’m not the first to have a queer main character in a cozy, but more representation in cozies–like most genres–is desperately needed!
Furthermore, as a transplant to the American Midwest, I’ve gotten to explore the culture and food of my new homeland extensively. I’ve fallen in love with so much of it, beguiled by some of it, confused by a bit of it, and can’t wait to explore more of it. My first foray into cozy writing has allowed me to incorporate food and culture that have intrigued me and besotted me with my new home.
Writing this book–and beginning a new series for readers to fall in love with–has been a great passion of mine. I can’t wait to start book two!
So, if you love great characters and snappy dialogue, small towns, food, cats, bookstores, amateur sleuths, intrigue, danger, and lots of comfy, cozy vibes–along with a big dash of gay–HEAD FOR MURDER is for you!
Tremendous Love & Thanks,
Chase
Chase Connor Books 