Author Spotlight: Korina Moss

Award-winning Author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries

Cheddar Off Dead is the first book in the Cheese Shop Mystery series. Bait and Swiss is the sixth book in the series. Image credit: Korina Moss

Korina Moss is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series. This cozy mystery series features an amateur sleuth who owns a cheese shop in Sonoma Valley. The books in this series have been featured in USA Today, PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World Magazine, AARP Magazine, and other publications. The first book in the series, Cheddar Off Dead, won the Agatha Award for the Best First Novel. (The Agatha Award is named for Agatha Christie and is awarded to authors of outstanding traditional mysteries.)

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Korina Moss

What drew you to the cozy mystery genre?

I’ve been reading cozy mysteries since the nineties, even before they were called cozies. Once I’d read all the Agatha Christie books in our public library, I began searching for similar types of mysteries with that cozy feel. That’s when I discovered authors like Diane Mott Davidson, Rita Mae Brown, and Nancy Pickard. I love cozy mysteries because they have a certain comfort to them while still being stimulating because you’re trying to solve the mystery along with the protagonist. The worst thing about finishing a book you love is that it’s over, but one of the great things about cozies is that there are more books in the series, so it doesn’t have to be over – you get to revisit your “friends” from the series book after book. When I decided to write a book, I knew I wanted to create that same type of book that I loved reading for so many years.

What are a few of the essential elements that make a cozy stand out to you as a reader?

The characters have to be likeable and fun. The setting should be idyllic (except for those pesky murders!). The mystery has to be good, with plenty of red herrings to keep me guessing. And I also like a theme that I’m interested in, where I can perhaps learn something I didn’t know.

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?

That’s a hard one because I have lots of favorites. One of the classics is M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin.

What inspired you to write your first cozy mystery?

All the cozy mysteries that I’d read. I’d always been writing—early on I’d tried writing some young adult mysteries and then a historical mystery, but none of them got published. Then I started a family and continued writing but in different formats – I wrote a Christmas story that won a statewide contest and turned it into a short ballet that was professionally performed on stage, and I wrote weekly humorous articles for our local newspaper about being a mom in a small town. But I wanted to get back to my dream of becoming a published mystery novelist, so I finally decided to write what I loved to read—cozy mysteries.

The first six books in the Cheese Shop Mystery series.

How do you research and create the "cozy" elements in your books, like the settings and community?

The town of Yarrow Glen is fictional, but I wanted it to feel like it could be a real town in the Sonoma Valley. So, I did a lot of research on real small towns in that area and looked at photos and videos of those towns. Then I thought about what my ideal town would look like – it would be walkable with a park where the community gathers. The shops are all locally owned and there are apartments above them where many of the shop owners live. I included the types of shops I’d like to have in my town – the cheese shop, of course, a bookstore, a café, a bakery, etc. I included shops where the characters play major roles in some of the books, like the meadery, the bicycle shop, and the thrift store. I also included places every town should have like the town hall, a library, a newspaper office, and an inn with a pub where the locals gather. And of course, the police station! Most of it is from my imagination, but I did research the types of buildings and the history of the Sonoma Valley, so I could accurately portray what the downtown would like look. Basically, I just poured my cozy imagination into my town and its community.

What is one key step in your writing process that helps you transform an idea into a finished book?

When I do my chapter-by-chapter outline. I first brainstorm in my notebook and come up with the basics of the book – the crime, the suspects, the victim, the motives and red herrings, the cheese theme that will hold it together, and the relationship and character arcs of my main characters. But it only begins to be transformed into a workable manuscript after I see if it will flow into a cohesive forty-ish chapters. Does the timeline work? Does the pacing work? Does the mystery itself work? Do my main characters each have a chance to shine? Those questions are usually answered once I do my chapter-by-chapter outline, and from there I can start the first draft.

What advice would you give aspiring cozy mystery authors who want to start writing their first novel?

Read cozy mysteries and find the common elements. Read a couple of books about the craft. Find a theme that’s cozy that you can add your own flavor to. Block out everything else (marketing, querying, others who are getting published, etc.) and focus on writing your manuscript. Even when it gets difficult, don’t stop or lose focus until you finish your first draft. Once you’ve revised it, hire me! I’m now offering developmental editing services to cozy mystery writers, which includes my insider knowledge as an author for a Big 5 publisher.

How can readers connect with you online?

I’m Korina Moss Author on Facebook and Instagram. I’m occasionally on Tik Tok. You can always find me, my books, and my editing services on my website korinamossauthor.com, where you can also sign up for my free monthly newsletter.

Buy the Cheese Shop Mysteries

The Cheese Shop Mystery books by Korina Moss are available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and many other online and brick and mortar bookstores.