Author Spotlight: Tara Lush

Author of the Crescent Moon Mysteries, Coffee Lover’s Mysteries, Critters and Criminals Mysteries, and More

Tara Lush’s cozy mysteries include the Coffee Lover’s Mysteries, Critters and Criminals Mysteries, and Crescent Moon Mysteries. At the bottom of this interview, you’ll find out how to get a free short story prequel to one of these cozy mystery series!

Tara Lush is an award-winning journalist who made a mid-career change to fiction. She specializes in cozy mysteries featuring shady characters in sunny places.

Her cozy mystery series include the Crescent Moon Mysteries, Coffee Lover’s Mysteries, and Critters and Criminals Mysteries. (See more on Eat, Pray, Hex by Tara Lush, a Cozy Crime Reads Featured Mystery and the first book in the Crescent Moon Mysteries).

Enjoy this interview with Tara Lush!

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Tara Lush

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

Before I was a fiction writer, I was a crime reporter. I covered a lot of crime, both big and small, as a journalist. I’ve witnessed executions, talked to murderers in jail, corresponded with corrupt FBI agents, and written about the most absurd Florida Man crime imaginable. I also covered a lot of really heavy topics, like mass shootings.

When I began writing fiction, I gravitated to a genre that I love: romance. I wrote about 15 spicy romance novels and long serials. In 2019, I realized my books weren’t hitting the mark, and I didn’t quite know why. One day when I was on vacation in Quebec City, I decided to try writing something similar, yet different: a cozy mystery, that combined a slow burn, sweet romance with some non-gory crime and a few hilarious Florida elements. That book was my first cozy mystery, Grounds For Murder. It was picked up by Crooked Lane Books and I ended up writing four in that series.

As it turned out, I loved writing mystery novels! Looking back, it shouldn’t have been a shock. My first romance was a romantic suspense novel, I adored watching Masterpiece Mystery with my mother, and Nancy Drew was a childhood favorite.

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

I think the one element that’s absolutely essential to cozies is the found family aspect. Often, the amateur sleuth is either new to town or feeling like a fish out of water. When the sleuth decides to investigate a crime as a total unprofessional, she either gathers or acquires a group of people to help her. They end up being her closest confidantes. This aspect of having ride-or-die friends (or family) is something a lot of us are missing now. The biggest compliment any reader can give my books is to say that they’d love to hang out with my sleuth and her friends. A group of friends who loves you unconditionally — even while sleuthing a murder — is not only comforting, but life-affirming.

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?

I am a huge fan of Only Murders in the Building. It’s one of my all-time favorite shows and I adore the multigenerational sleuthing team of Mabel, Oliver, and Charles. They work so well together, are hilarious, and most importantly, they are, in their own ways, empathetic and caring to each other.

Many of Tara Lush’s cozy mysteries are set in Florida where she lives. Image credit: Tara Lush

What inspired you to write your first cozy mystery?

As I mentioned earlier, I was in Quebec City on vacation. I happened to be there alone (my husband had to work), and I was sitting in the cutest coffee shop thinking about how my latest romance series hadn’t really done well. It was a five-book series about a family on a Florida island. There were quirky island characters, lots of friendship, and a farting dog. I simply couldn’t understand why romance readers didn’t want all of those elements.

I began thinking about what I was good at (being a crime reporter) and what I loved about my romance books (humor, friendship, unconditional love), and then it slowly dawned on me: perhaps I was writing in the wrong genre.

I sat there and plotted out a cozy mystery about a laid off journalist-turned-barista, and that was my first book!

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

So far, all but one cozy mystery is set in Florida, where I live. Florida, in all of its weird glory, is the perfect place for crime fiction. There are strange people doing shady things. The natural world includes palm trees and alligators. There are tourists everywhere. It’s hot. It’s beautiful. It’s such a great combination of factors, of yin and yang. I try to include these elements in all of my books. I don’t do a lot of research about the settings, mostly because I’ve lived in Florida for so long and it’s kind of in the fabric of my DNA at this point.

My first two cozy series were contemporary, but the third — the Crescent Moon Mystery Series — is paranormal. I have been doing a lot of research on Wicca, witchcraft, and New Age ideas. I’ve been reading a lot of books related to those things. One of these days, I’m going to work up the courage to check out a local coven in my city!

The first five books in the Crescent Moon Mystery series by Tara Lush

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

I plot my books pretty heavily before I write. I’m not a pantster — meaning, I don’t fly by the seat of my pants. I like to have a roadmap of where I’m going. I begin first with the victim: who is it? Who killed them, and why? Then I think about the killer, and their motivations. After that, I consider how my sleuth will, and won’t, interact with the killer. As I’m writing I try to stay flexible, but it’s far easier to tackle a manuscript if I know what’s ahead.

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

Read a LOT. Read heavily in the genre, both classics and new releases. Watch shows like Only Murders, Monk, the BBC mystery shows. Really steep yourself in the genre. I’ve written 12 cozies and I’m still learning. I try to read a lot of mystery fiction of all subgenres (my personal favorite to read is domestic thrillers). I firmly believe that finding the rhythm of a genre lies in doing hours of reading and viewing. Pay attention to how novels are structured. Take notes as you read, even write down the plot points. Most mysteries have a certain structure, and learning that is the building block to everything else.

How can readers connect with you online?

They can always find me at my website: www.taralush.com. I’m also on Instagram, which is where I love to post photos of my dog: www.instagram.com/the.book.lush.

Free Cozy Short Story From Tara Lush

If you’d like to read a story by Tara Lush, you can download Cattitude and Curses, which Tara has generously offered up to Cozy Crime Reads. This short story tells the meet-cute tale of Amelia and her cat Freddie Purrcury. It is a prequel to the very popular Crescent Moon Mystery Series, which has become a favorite among cozy mystery readers.

To get your free copy of Cattitude and Curses, click the book image or link shown below and enter your email. A download link will be sent to you via Book Funnel. Book Funnel delivers more than 2 million ebooks from authors to readers every month. It is easy to use. If you want to learn more about Book Funnel or if you have trouble downloading your book, visit this Book Funnel Help Page.

You’ll also get signed up for Tara Lush’s free Cozy Cove email newsletter, which includes news, book announcements, recipes, freebies, bonus stories, and other really fun stuff.

Get My Free Book

Get your FREE copy of Cattitude and Curses

Sometimes the most magical new beginnings come with whiskers

Before Amelia Matthews owned a haunted inn in Cypress Grove, she was just a divorced baker trying to survive her first New Year's Eve alone in her empty California house. Her daughter's away at college, her cookie business is gone, and her future feels as gray as the winter sky.

Then, a mysterious orange kitten shows up on the final day of the year. And somehow, rescuing him — and naming him Freddie Purrcury during a late-night Queen singalong — feels less like a choice and more like destiny.

This short story is a prequel to the Crescent Moon Mystery Series.

Buy Books by Tara Lush

You can find Tara Lush’s books in print, ebook, and audiobook form from many different booksellers, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Everand, Kobo, and Bookshop.org.