Thank you, Debra, for hosting me!
I am one happy gal in the fall. Like many of you, I adore autumn—the leaves, the crisp air, the scent of spices in the air and in the pastries, sweaters and cozy socks… One of the additional things I love is seeing the trees being stripped bare.
Don’t get me wrong, I love leaves. I have leaf motifs all over my house. But I also love studying the way tree branches are formed, and that is easier done when the branches are bare.
The randomness of tree branches fascinates me. One goes here, separates into two here, then two more, stretching outward—or inward—in a completely random non-pattern, creating this beautiful botanical creature. I almost like trees better in this form. Another example of nature being amazing.
As I study the tree outside my window, I imagine that each branch is a different writer, with their own jagged path and moments of decision that could lead them this way or that way. Two authors could start in the exact same place, and end up with wildly different results. It is impossible to know where decisions will lead, and all branches are growing, stretching further.
Of course, the branches splitting into new ones can happen at any time. That’s one of the interesting things about the cozy mystery subgenre in particular. Writers of cozies can do all of the different options, even simultaneously. I know writers who have agents who land them with larger publishing houses, but choose to also use smaller publishers, or self-publish, and some unagented writers who work with multiple publishers. The landscape is wide open in this genre.
I am where I am based on my decisions. Now I just have to figure out which little idea bud—or buds—to follow next! Do I write a historical cozy, or a traditional mystery? Do I write a cozy set in a pie shop, or a paranormal? Or—the most exciting option—do I do all of them? Only time will tell which branches will sprout successfully, possibly leading to more intersections.
Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover
that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world. She writes cozy mysteries for the multi-author Aloha Lagoon mystery series and her own Hometown Mystery series, both with Gemma Halliday Publishing.
She currently lives in Maryland with her husband in a rapidly emptying nest. For more
information on her books or to subscribe to her newsletter, go to www.rosalie-spielman-author.com, follow her Facebook page (Rosalie Spielman author), or join her Facebook group, You know the Spiel! Rosalie strives to provide you a cozy escape...one page at a time.
Rosalie has two releases this fall:
7 November 2023: #3 in the Hometown Mysteries, Murder Comes Home
Preorder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9S126XG
**Gemma Halliday Publishing is donating a portion of the presales to a veterans' charity, the Disabled American Veterans, or DAV.
US Army retiree Tessa Treslow and her Aunt Edna put their auto restoration business on hold to host an "American Pickers"-style TV show, hoping their trash might be treasure to fund their new business. But not only do the pickers come with cameras and likeable stars, but a murderer…
3 October 2023: #20 in the Aloha Lagoon mystery series, Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery
https://bookshop.org/a/97908/9798862110265
Aloha Lagoon's own dive tour leader Kiki Hepburn investigates the untimely death of one of her landlady Auntie Akamai's oldest friends in between diving, attending a zombie wedding, and being stalked by a "monster"!
Rosalie,
Thanks for stopping by today. You’ve nailed the dilemma most authors have once they look to the future — from one project to another.
Thank you for having me over, Debra!
Rosalie, I share your fascination with trees. They adorn my website and my FB profile. 100+year-old oaks populate a park across the street from where I live. No matter which direction you choose next, I wish you much success!
Thank you, Gay! I wish the same for you. Thank you for stopping by.
The trees are a wonderful analogy , aren’t they?
Beautiful analogy! Thanks for sharing!
Charlene,
Thanks for stopping by today! A pleasure having you :).
Thank you for stopping by, Charlene!
Rosalie, your post made me want to go out on this chilly, breezy fall day and climb a tree. I’ve not had that urge for decades. Alas, I don’t expect I’ll act on it as I’m a bit older now, and the body is weaker and more prone to injury. But your post also inspires my urge to write a story, to follow along as some secret part of me discovers a new twist or branch here and there along the way. THANK YOU–this was lovely. Best of Luck with your latest branch–Hallo-waiian Murder Mystery.
Thank you, Pamela! I hope the branch takes you somewhere fun!
Love the tree motif. As I look at the oak tree in my front yard, I see a lot of the same things. Which is a lot of fun when you consider that the tree it probably over 100 year old.
I adore old trees. My sister has some 300 year old pines in her front yard! So much character, and I always imagine what history they have seen.