Author Spotlight: Abigail Keam
Award-Winning Cozy Mystery Author
Abigail Keam writes the Mona Moon Mystery Series and the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series. Image credit: Abigail Keam.
Abigail Keam is an award-winning author of more than 50 books (and counting). Her two cozy mystery series include the Mona Moon Mystery Series and the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series.
The Mona Moon Mysteries are set in the 1930s and center around Miss Mona Moon, a cartographer turned amateur sleuth. Mona solves mysteries with her pistol, courage, and a unique bag of tricks. The first book in the series was named one of the Top 10 Mystery Novels by Kings River Life Magazine. Subseuqent books have also been named Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalists in the Best Historical Category.
The Josiah Reynolds Mysteries feature a beekeeper named Josiah Reynolds who lives in the Bluegrass world of oak-cured bourbon, antebellum mansions, and thoroughbred horse farms. Josiah has her own farm and sells her wares at the famers market when she isn’t caring for her many animals and solving mysteries. Several of the books in the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series have won Gold Medal Awards from Readers’ Favorite.
See a review of Death by Trauma, book 21 in Abigail Keam’s Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series.
Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Abigail Keam
What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?
I enjoy puzzles, so it is natural I would enjoy reading and writing mysteries. I like the cat and mouse chase - the sleuth vs the murderer.
What are a few of the essential elements that make a cozy stand out to you as a reader?
Cozies are plot driven, which I enjoy, but a good mystery delves into the blackness of the human heart. Mysteries are really works of psychology which spin the reader round and round. Can the reader spot the red herrings? How the reader interprets the truth of the mystery says much about the reader as well as the mind of the author.
Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?
Yes, Josiah Reynolds. I also like Miss Marple and Phryne Fisher.
Books 1-21 in the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series by Abigail Keam.
What inspired your first cozy mystery?
When a child, my mother ordered a monthly mystery book for me each month called The Happy Hollisters. Oh, my, how I loved getting those books each month in the mail. What a treat!
How do you research and create the "cozy" elements in your books, like the settings and community?
I write about what I know. I was a beekeeper so my protagonist, Josiah Reynolds, is a beekeeper as well. I love animals, so Josiah loves animals. I live in the Bluegrass surrounded by Thoroughbred farms and likewise, so does Josiah Reynolds. We both live very similar lives. Many of the characters in the mysteries are based on people I know. Kentucky is full of eccentrics. Don't worry. They don't recognize themselves from the books.
What is one key step in your writing process that helps you transform an idea into a finished book?
Dreams. I never do an outline. I just write the first line and take the book from there. The characters lead me where they want to go. It's an adventure for all of us.
Books 1-14 in the Mona Moon Mystery Series by Abigail Keam.
What advice would you give aspiring cozy mystery authors who want to start writing their first novel?
Get away from negative people. They'll tear you down. Get a good editor and a good cover designer. Without a good cover, your book doesn't stand a chance of being read. That's the truth of the matter.
How can readers connect with you online?
Via my website and social media:
Buy Abigail Keam’s Cozy Mysteries
Abigail Keam’s cozy mysteries are available in ebook and paperback from Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. The first book in Abigail Keam’s Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series in Death By A Honey Bee. The first book in the Mona Moon Mystery Series is Murder Under a Blue Moon.
Abigail Keam Cozy Mystery Bookshelf
See more of Abigail Keam’s cozy mystery books on this digital bookshelf. Use the arrows on either side of each image to browse the shelf.
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