So what are the elements that make a mystery novel 'cosy'? I usually describe my mystery novels in this way but I am never quite sure they fit into the sub-genre, except that not much blood or violence is visible and the characters occasionally abandon crime in favour of scrapbooking or knitting. In the latest …
A Discovery about Themes
During this year's NaNoWriMo I made the startling (to me) discovery that it was a big help to have decided the theme of the novel in advance. I don't think this is quite the first time I've done this, but in this case the theme permeated the whole story to such an extent that instead …