Why I Set My Cozy Mysteries In The Good Old Summertime

At the crack of dawn this morning, I was awakened by a disheartening KABOOM! noise going off behind our neighborhood. I instantly knew what it meant: the transformer had blown out, and our electric power was gone. I heard the wind kicking up in gusts outside the house, and I knew that was the guilty culprit. We've heard the blown transformer noise a lot this winter.

I went into the kitchen and checked the thermometer gauge: 8 degrees. I tapped it and still got the same cold reading. It was going to be a long day. But I'm not complaining. My dad worked for the power company for decades, so I know what their intrepid and determined crews go through to get the lights back on for us. Our power is back now, so hats off to them. Plus, we didn't get much snow, and I know what the brave, hardy folks up in Boston and New England have gotten with their snowfall totals this winter.

So, I sat down after a cold breakfast, and began my daily writing session. I keep a stack of yellow legal pads I like to write on along with my favorite Papermate ink pens. It had been quite some time since I last wrote anything lengthy in my longhand. But I went at it anyway. Right now, I'm working on the first draft of the next book in my cozy mystery series.

I always set my cozy mysteries in the good old summertime. I like the books's setting to be a pleasant one when the outdoors temperature is a moderate and not a frigid one. This morning while I wrote out my next scene in my cold room, I could enjoy the story's sunny warmth vicariously. So, it provided a nice distraction from my present woes. Really, when you think about it, that is one of the nice aspects about reading popular fiction: escapism. Now I have to go keystroke in my handwritten pages to the Word file of my first draft, which I also aim to finish very soon. Rap on wood. I hope you have a good week, as well. Stay warm!