Writing Engaging Cozy Mystery Series Hooks: Tips and Tricks

by Ellen Jacobson, @Ellen_Jacobson

One of the quintessential hallmarks of a cozy mystery series is a hook such as the amateur sleuth’s hobby (knitting, quilting, gardening), profession (real estate agent, florist, archaeologist), place of business (library, bakery, antique shop), or setting (cruise ship, English village, campground). These recurring themes are an essential part of the series brand and keep readers coming back for more. They enjoy getting a peek into a world with which they may not be familiar or read about an activity that they already enjoy.

The hook for my Mollie McGhie cozy mysteries is sailing. The series is set at a marina in a small fictional town in Florida, my amateur sleuth and her hubby own a sailboat, and the characters in the books are involved in the local boating scene.

One of the challenges I face in writing this series is how to explain about sailing in a way that is, hopefully, fun and engaging to the reader who may not know anything about the subject without boring those folks who are experienced boaters.

I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned along the way. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on series hooks as a writer and/or reader in the comments below.

1 – Do your research

This goes without saying, but you should make sure that you know what you’re writing about. This doesn’t mean that you personally have to have knitted an afghan, sold a house, lived in an RV, owned a bookstore etc. After all, part of the fun of being a writer is putting your characters in situations you’ve never experienced yourself.

But it does mean that you need to do your research, whether that’s interviewing people, reading books, watching movies and TV shows, attending events related to the hook etc.

Even if you are familiar with your hook, you may still need to do some research. For example, even though I live aboard a sailboat, I’ve needed to ask my boating friends for their input on certain things such as the height of a catamaran and how long it takes epoxy to cure.

2 – Have one of your characters be a “newbie”

Now that you’ve done all your research, how do you weave it into your story without doing a mundane info-dump? In my first book, Murder at the Marina, I found it helpful to position my main character, Mollie, as a “newbie” to sailing. When her husband surprised her with a sailboat for their tenth wedding anniversary, she wasn’t impressed for two reasons: (1) she was hoping for diamonds and (2) she knew nothing about boats.

Because she was clueless about sailing, I could have her ask all the “dumb” questions about sailboats and have her express her confusion about boating terminology, equipment, operation etc. This enabled me to “explain” sailing to her (and the reader) through entertaining dialogue with various characters.

One of the things I’m finding more challenging as I progress through my series (I’m currently working on book #4) is the fact that Mollie isn’t a newbie anymore. She’s lived and worked on their boat for a while, she’s become part of the local community at the marina, and she’s taken part in local boating events. One of the tricks I’m trying out now is to have Mollie explain sailing to new “newbies.” It’s kind of amusing seeing how smug she can be at times and the fact that she surprises herself with how much she now knows.

3 – Use beta readers with a mix of knowledge about the hook

If you use beta readers, consider having some who have extensive experience with the hook and others who know nothing about it. My betas have really helped me with presenting accurate information about sailing in an interesting way that doesn’t go over non-sailors’ heads (or bore them to death).

4 – Keep it interesting

Cozy mysteries are supposed to be fun, lighthearted reads. They’re not meant to be technical guides or textbooks on your particular hook. One of the challenges as a writer is to select those tidbits which will be of interest to your reader, not cram in everything you know about the subject.

For example, I’ve done minor repairs on our marine toilet. I can imagine writing a funny scene where Mollie does something similar, but I certainly wouldn’t go into detail about what types of  tools she would need, the step-by-step procedure for connecting the hoses to the holding tank, or what the stock numbers are for the replacement parts. First of all that would be really boring. Second of all, too much detail about toilets is pretty gross.

Instead, I try to write about things that non-boaters might find fascinating in order to provide them with a peek into a different kind of lifestyle. Things like communicating with your partner through hand signals when you’re dropping the anchor, participating in a sailing race, or what it’s like to climb up and down a ladder multiple times of day when you’re in the boatyard.

What about you—what kinds of series hooks do you like reading and/or writing about? What makes them interesting?

Want to know more about cozy mystery hooks? Check out what Elizabeth has to say:

Developing a Cozy Series: Hook

Cozy Mystery Hooks

Ellen Jacobson is the author of the Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery series. She lives aboard a sailboat with her husband and an imaginary cat named Simon. You find out more on her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Get a FREE copy of her latest release—Robbery at the Roller Derby, a prequel novella—by signing up to her newsletter. Alternatively, you can get the ebook for 99c/99p at your favorite retailer or pick up the paperback edition.

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