Author Spotlight: Rachele Baker

Rachele Baker is a veterinarian and cozy mystery author. She writes the Rylie Sunderland Mystery Series, which features a veterinarian/amateur sleuth named Rylie Sunderland who solves mysteries in beautiful settings in Northern California. Rylie’s sweet and faithful golden retriever, Bella, was inspired by Rachele’s golden retriever Savanna.

The Rylie Sunderland Mysteries are available on Amazon in ebook, paperback, and hardcover. You can also read them for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Rachele Baker

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

I think the first cozy mystery I ever read was Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams. After that, I started reading more and more cozy mysteries as I got hooked on the genre.

I was attracted to the genre by the cozy vibe and the fun of solving mysteries along with the amateur sleuths.

What essential elements make a cozy stand out to you as a reader?

I enjoy finding clues to the mysteries in a variety of ways in addition to the amateur sleuth talking to people. I like intricate plots with lots of surprises along the way and endings I don’t see coming.

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?

Yes. Brooklyn Wainwright in Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mysteries.

What inspired you to write your first cozy mystery?

I wrote and published two non-fiction books around 2013. That experience is what made me realize that I enjoyed writing. I unpublished both those books when I decided to write fiction.

I started writing my first cozy mystery, Tragedy in Tahoe, in 2018 during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The challenge of NaNoWriMo is to write the first 50,000 words of a new novel within the 30 days of November. I won that challenge! That was the beginning of my career as a mystery author.

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

The first two books in my Rylie Sunderland cozy mystery series are set in places near where I live now so I’m very familiar with the areas. Book 1, Tragedy in Tahoe, takes place in Tahoe City, California, where I lived for over seven years some time ago.

Book 2, Vengeance in the Vines, takes place in St. Helena, California, in the Napa Valley wine country. That book required quite a few “research trips” to St. Helena to visit wineries and restaurants and explore the area. Not a bad gig.

I used the real-life dog park in St. Helena, Wappo Dog Park, in Vengeance in the Vines as a place where Rylie takes her golden retriever Bella on a fairly regular basis. Rylie gets to meet a number of people at the dog park, has some interesting conversations, and makes friends there.

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

When I’m in writing mode, my brain is constantly working on the story. I get my best ideas when I first wake up in the morning and I’m laying in bed procrastinating about getting up. Then I have to get up and jot down my ideas right away before I forget them.

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

Read lots of cozy mysteries to get a feel for genre expectations.

Find your community. I belong to Sisters In Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Both of those organizations have helped me tremendously as a writer. I attended lots of Sisters In Crime webinars and took some of their classes on the craft of writing while I was writing my first book. I also read some well-regarded books on the craft of writing.

Writing that first book is a steep learning curve. It takes a lot of work, time, and dedication to take it from an idea to a fully edited novel that’s ready to be released into the world.

How can readers connect with you online?

Readers can sign up for my Cozy Chat monthly e-newsletter to get info about my books, photos from my adventures, news for book lovers, and the opportunity to participate in fun contests and giveaways.

They can also Follow me on Amazon for new release alerts and Follow Me on BookBub.

Readers can also visit my website and connect with me online on Facebook, Instagram, X, BookBub, and Goodreads.