{"id":65,"date":"2022-04-11T23:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T23:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/?p=65"},"modified":"2022-04-11T23:32:00","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T23:32:00","slug":"cozy-mystery-subcategories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/?p=65","title":{"rendered":"Cozy Mystery Subcategories"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
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Question: How many cozy mystery subcategories are there? <\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Answer: More than you think and increasing all the time. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There is a dizzying array of sub-genres within cozy
\nmysteries (and sub-sub-genres within those).<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Amazon Kindle store, where indie cozy mystery authors
\nsell the majority of their books, lists three sub-genre categories under their cozy mystery category. They are:<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Animal Cozies<\/a><\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Culinary Cozies<\/a><\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Craft & Hobby Cozies<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

I believe that two additional sub-genre categories are
\nlong overdue in the Kindle storefront:<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Paranormal Cozies<\/a><\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Historical Cozies<\/a><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Very few cozy mysteries fall into just<\/b> one of these major
\nsub-categories. Many cozy mystery novels combine at least two sub-genres: take the
\ntypical paranormal cat cozy set in a bakery and throw in the added complication
\nof it being 1927, and the sleuth knits, and you\u2019ve managed to shoe-horn all the
\nmajor sub-categories into a single series.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not suggesting we should all be aiming for a flapper\/baker\/cat-lady\/witch
\nwho knits as our protagonist, but when planning a new series, it can\u2019t hurt to
\nhave a solid grasp on the popular sub-genres within cozies and
\nconsider incorporating elements to place our stories in at least two widely-read
\nsub-categories.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s dive into the major sub-categories one by one.
\nNote: To view the books featured in this post, click on the cover images.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Animal Cozies<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n



<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The most popular animal cozies<\/a>, without a doubt, feature
\ncats and dogs. At least half of paranormal cozies have a cat as a supporting
\ncharacter, and cats-who-live-in-bookstores are a close second. There are also
\nthe cats who live in bakeries, cats who live on farms, cats in the library, and
\ncats who live a perfectly normal life in a domestic environment (if one
\ndiscounts that their owner keeps getting caught up in unsolved murder cases).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


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Animal cozies featuring farm animals (farm cozies being a
\nsub-sub-genre of their own) are quite popular. Much rarer are cozies featuring
\nbirds\/reptiles\/amphibians\/exotic mammals but written by someone with adequate
\nknowledge of their animal characters, there is no reason creatures besides cats\/dogs\/goats\/cows
\ncouldn\u2019t make for members of an intriguing supporting cast.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Sometimes, the sleuth is a pet-shop owner or vet, which
\nmeans animals are heavily featured but may or may not be included as recurring
\ncharacters in their own right.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

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Incorporating animals as permanent members of the supporting
\ncast is a topic of its own. Read more here (link coming soon.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Culinary Cozies<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/b><\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

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Culinary cozies<\/a> are nearly always set in a restaurant, food
\ntruck, or bakery, although there\u2019s the occasional diehard amateur baking
\nenthusiast, food blogger, or restaurant critic.<\/p>\n

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Frequently, the sleuth in
\nculinary cozies is the proprietress of a struggling foodservice establishment. Less
\noften, she\u2019s a culinary student or a restaurant employee.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Quite often, the sleuth in a culinary cozy has an animal sidekick
\nwith a large enough role to qualify the mystery for inclusion in the animal
\ncozy category. It is not uncommon for paranormal cozies to be set in a bakery
\nor tearoom.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Early on, in the evolution of the cozy genre, back when most
\nwere traditionally published, culinary cozies always included a recipe (or a
\nfew) that went along with the theme of the mystery. This is no longer an
\nexpectation, but if concocting recipes is your gift, including one or more at
\nthe end of the book is likely to please your readers.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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When it comes to featured cuisines, standard American or
\nEnglish fare predominates (think burgers, cupcakes, scones, etc.), but other
\ncuisines can be equally successful.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I suspect the lack of diversity amongst culinary cozies has
\nmore to do with the lack of diversity amongst the writers of them than it does
\nwith what culinary cozy readers are interested in reading about.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We write what we know, and food has deep ties to culture.
\nWriting characters from a culture not one\u2019s own is fraught with potential
\nproblems. Few writers want to get their portrayal of food culture and characters
\nwrong and end up disrespectfully co-opting someone else\u2019s culture to produce
\nlight entertainment. I suspect that\u2019s part of the reason we\u2019ve ended up with so
\nmany cupcake mysteries (I\u2019m looking at myself here. I wrote some<\/a>).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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So please, if you are a writer who has the culinary knowledge,
\nthe cultural background, and\/or the life experience to branch out from burgers,
\nplease do us all a favor and write about one of the many less-represented cuisines.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/div>\n
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When considering themes for culinary cozies, don\u2019t forget
\nbeverages: wine, tea, coffee, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Incorporating food into your cozies can be a bitter
\nbusiness. I did a whole post on it here<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Craft and Hobby Cozies<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/span><\/p>\n

Amazon has a \u201cCrafts & Hobbies\u201d sub-category within the
\ncozy mystery section on their Kindle store. Quilting cozies sit cheek-by-jowl
\nwith bookstore cozies. It\u2019s become a catch-all for anything that didn\u2019t quite fit
\nanywhere else, but there are a few reasonably popular sub-sub genres within it that
\nare legitimate crafts and hobbies and worth considering if they overlap with
\nyour own interests.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Some of the more popular stand-outs that qualify as crafts\/hobbies
\nare knitting, quilting, sewing, book clubs, and gardening.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This category also often contains travel cozies, camping
\ncozies, beach\/seaside cozies, antique shop cozies, English village cozies, farm
\ncozies, library\/bookstore\/book club cozies, regional cozies, etc.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Like all the other sub-sub genres, these cozies often
\noverlap with culinary cozies, animal cozies, historical cozies, and\/or paranormal
\ncozies.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Historical Cozies<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/p>\n

Historical cozies <\/a>are exactly what they sound like. They are
\ncozy mysteries set in some previous era. Historical cozies do veer toward the \u201ctraditional
\nmystery\u201d end of the spectrum. They adhere to cozy conventions like bloodless
\nmurders, mild if any sexual content, and no strong language. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Historical cozies are still
\nlight and bright in tone but are not generally as quirky and tongue-in-cheek as
\nmost other cozies. Historical cozies tend to take themselves a bit more
\nseriously. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, it\u2019s uncommon to see a historical cozy with an
\noutrageously tortured pun in the title. I love an outrageously tortured pun.
\nRead more about cozy titles here<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n



<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A few years back, roaring twenties cozies were all the rage,
\nand they still have a wide readership, but Regency, Victorian, and 1950s cozies
\nare making inroads in this sub-sub-category.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

More on historical cozies here (link coming soon).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Paranormal Cozies<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span>Although they\u2019ve been around for ages, paranormal cozies<\/a> have
\nhad a big surge in popularity in the last couple of years. Perhaps, we\u2019ve all
\nbeen yearning for a magical fix to our problems.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Paranormal cozies most often feature a sleuth who is a benign
\nwitch (and more often than not has a feline sidekick) but can be centered
\naround a \u201cnormal\u201d in a setting with paranormal activity, a clairvoyant sleuth,
\nor a fantasy setting filled with otherworldly creatures and a system of magic
\nthat governs the investigation into the crime and the administration of justice.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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<\/span><\/p>\n

Paranormal cozies often overlap with animal cozies, culinary
\ncozies, and library\/bookshop cozies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paranormal cozies have very specific tropes and reader expectations
\nattached to them. I\u2019ve compiled a helpful list of resources written by paranormal
\ncozy authors here<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Other Cozy Sub-Genres<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting-centric Cozies<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

In some cozies, the setting plays such a large role in the
\nstory that these books could be considered as having their own sub-genre
\ncategory. Examples: farm cozies, southern cozies, antique-store cozies,
\ncampground cozies, bed-and-breakfast cozies, pet store cozies, cruise ship
\ncozies, English village cozies, travel cozies, beach\/seaside cozies<\/b>\u2026I could go
\non.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

These setting-centric cozies almost always overlap with at least
\none other sub-genre, usually culinary, animal, or historical.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written a post on cozy settings here<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Humorous Cozies<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p>All cozies are light-hearted, but overtly humorous cozies are
\na sub-genre of their own.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written a post about writing comic cozies here (link
\ncoming soon).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Holiday Cozies<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Most often, these are centered around either Christmas or
\nHalloween and are usually bonus additions (often novellas or short stories) to
\naugment an established series.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They needn\u2019t be. Full-length, stand-alone Christmas or
\nHalloween-themed cozies have the potential to do well. Cozy readers love <\/b>holiday-themed
\nbooks. The problem is, they only love them seasonally. Many established cozy
\nauthors have figured out that it\u2019s a better use of their time to write
\nevergreen books that are read (and sold) all year long. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

New authors have an opportunity to satisfy a hungry
\nreadership by providing them with seasonal stories (and hopefully gain new
\nreaders who will go on to read their other books throughout the rest of the
\nyear). <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written a post about Christmas cozies here (link coming
\nsoon).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Christian Cozies<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Many cozy readers are women of faith (although not
\nnecessarily Christian) as the content of cozy mysteries is generally consistent
\nwith the scruples of a devout person, so Christian cozies are a natural sub-genre
\nto develop within the cozy category. There are not many authors writing these
\n(Hope Callaghan is by far the most prolific indie author in this sub-genre) but
\nbased on the popularity of the books that are available, this could be a good cozy
\nsub-genre for new or genre-hopping writers with a Christian background and genuine
\nrespect for that readership to pursue.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to conclude my list here. I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a
\nsub-genre I haven\u2019t mentioned. What did I miss?<\/b> Let me know in the comments.
\nWhat sub-genre are you thinking of writing in? Did you discover any new ones
\nyou hadn\u2019t encountered before? <\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Looking for what makes a cozy mystery? Read The 9 Essential Elements of a Cozy Mystery.<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: How many cozy mystery subcategories are there?  Answer: More than you think and increasing all the time.  There is a dizzying array of sub-genres within cozy mysteries (and sub-sub-genres within those). The Amazon Kindle store, where indie cozy mystery authors sell the majority of their books, lists three sub-genre categories under their cozy mystery […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-cozy-mystery-genre"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}