What are your favorite romantic suspense and mysteries about?
I’m in the middle of finishing up my Pineapple Port story for the Summer Snoops & Cozy Crimes collection (only 99c on pre-order right now!! 12 novellas!) It’s called “Summer Teeth” …as in “Some’r here and some’r there.” As soon as I finish it, I’m going to write KILTY #3. I’m reading Kilty as Charged and Kilty Conscience now to remind myself where I was going with that series… BUT when I’m done THAT I’m going to get right to work on Pineapple Port Mysteries #7, which I hope to have out early fall.
I’m in that sweet spot where both Kilty #3 and Pineapple #7 can be about just about anything. Both have story arcs that won’t change but there’s always a mystery or two to be unraveled as well. I find myself looking for trends and clues from Amazon’s marketing as to what readers like the most…
And then I remembered I had about thirty thousand of you I could ask!
So here’s my question:
What elements do you love best in your romantic suspenses and/or mysteries?
Are there themes you look for? For instance, for cozy mysteries, Amazon has sub-themes like culinary, animals and crafts & hobbies. I had a woman once tell me she couldn’t get enough of “woman trapped in a cabin with a potential love interest” which seemed wildly specific to me, but apparently it’s a thing!
What themes and elements do you love most? I’ve made some polls below to take for a little direction but I can’t include every possibility, so feel free to tell me more things you like in the comments below!
PS: I didn’t add “humor” to either one because I’m incapable of writing a book without jokes…so you’ll be getting that either way.
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And magic in the mystery story
Amy, I really don’t care murder mystery! A little suspense with romance is good. Thank you!
Hi Amy, I want my books to be sweet, clean and wholesome. It’s even better if it’s a Christian read. Otherwise I don’t want it taking up space on my e-reader.
What I like is humor, mystery and murder. I like if the character’s have pets especially if the pets are involved in the storyline. Also having a ghost in it can be really funny . I love a book with a great cover and a great storyline. I look for a book that will keep me hooked and wanting a series of them to read.
I like cozy mysteries with either a ghostly friend/advisor such as “Granny Apple” series or a paranormal theme such as “Psychic Eye”.
Lucky for me that’s practically all I write! 😉
I agree with Penny Harper. She said everything that I enjoy. Thank You Penny and Amy Vansant.
Sincerely, Diana Amov
For mysteries- How about missing people or kidnapped people?
Romantic suspense- I like sweet romance and firemen.
Yes, a little magic or even a little psychic abilities ie…get close to someone and can tell if they are being honest or if they are in danger.
Great mystery with understory of romance, not too much suspense, no graphic sex…nice cozy reads with happy endings.
Oddly, the most important thing for me is a well-edited standalone book with good grammar, correct sentence structure and punctuation, and a complete ending. A lot of reviewers agree with me. If an author can’t provide those things, I may struggle through a first book, but I won’t buy another one. To date, there have been only two books that I couldn’t complete. The poor editing and awkward sentences were just too disconcerting. I don’t understand how someone can give a poorly edited book four or five stars. Even a three-star book should have good editing. Other than that, I like strong, intelligent main characters who don’t do stupid things and who will not let misunderstandings get in their way. I like books that include magic, ghosts, and familiars who communicate with their people. If a main character finds out she’s a witch, the first thing she should do is thoroughly learn how to use her powers. I like good character development, dialog that is reasonably individual to each person, and a plot that doesn’t take me where I thought it would go. I don’t mind a little mild profanity, but I despise the f-word, the use of which implies that either the author has no class or thinks I don’t. I don’t mind a little mild violence, in the case of a murder mystery, but it better not involve a child or an animal–too evil. I don’t mind the occasional implication that sex has taken place, but I don’t want any detail. And I don’t want to spend any time in the killer’s head–too creepy. I like learning about other cultures and locations. Right now I think my favorite books are paranormal cozy mysteries, but they’re all kind of starting to sound the same. And a mystery doesn’t always have to involve a murder. Maybe someone is trying to find out about a letter from an ancestor or help a friend learn what happened to their Uncle Fred or help a familiar answer a question about its past. I think I’ve rattled on long enough. I hope it’s helpful.
Well said Barbara. Couldn’t agree more. Especially about any evil towards kids or pets.
Barbara, I couldn’t have said it better myself. I can’t tell you how many books I have read lately that makes me wonder if they were even proofread by anyone!! Calling a character by the wrong name, leaving out a keyword in a sentence, using a word with a completely different meaning, etc. How do I go about getting a job as a proofreader or editor????
Great input Barbara! That bit about misunderstandings really struck a chord with me — I hate it when “complications” are created because people just won’t TALK. To me it’s just lazy writing. It happens so often the first time I had two characters talk out a misunderstanding immediately I was afraid readers would find it odd or too fast…then a bunch of people told me it was a relief!
Well said Barbara
Hello!! I love cozy mysteries! I’m a sucker for animals, vivid travel descriptions of real places (especially those involving Spanish-speaking countries b/c I’m a Spanish teacher!), and, if possible, the option to listen on audio. 🙂 Since you already fill the pages with humor, I think that sums it up for me! Thanks so much! 🙂
As for me I like paranormal romance books with shape shifters.
I don’t like harm to children or pets. I love comedy/light mysteries. A little romance. No really filthy language and yes murder.
I like mystery , paranormal , bit on dark side , lot on the hot side , don’t like or fluff but apart from tha anything goes 🙂