Anna St. John joins us for this week’s The Cozy 52 interview. Read on to find out more about her books, her favourite authors, and check out her Nancy Drew collection and her gorgeous convertible!
Who or What is The Cozy 52? Each week I will be sharing an interview with someone involved with Cozy Mysteries – an author, blogger, Facebook Group host, podcaster, cover designer – so that we can showcase this amazing community! I hope you’ll discover some new authors, plus learn more about what goes on behind the scenes with the people who write, publish and promote cozy mysteries!
Introducing Anna St. John
NAME: Anna St. John
LIST ALL YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES:
- Josie Posey Mystery Series:
- Doomed by Blooms (Feb. 2023)
- Clocked Out (Feb. 2024)
HOW ARE YOUR COZY MYSTERIES PUBLISHED? Traditional
The Q&A
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF
I’m from a small town in Kansas. I owned an advertising agency for 40 years and began writing cozy mysteries in my 70’s. I’m married to my high school sweetheart. We have two sons, one grandson and a granddaughter – with two more granddaughters expected in 2024.
LIST THREE FUN FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WE WOULDN’T READ IN YOUR ‘OFFICIAL’ BIO.
- I still have my original collection of Nancy Drew mysteries.
- The book I loved most as a small child was Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans. I memorized it and could recite the entire book before I learned to read.
- In grade school, I read tons of books from our school library during the winter months. During summer vacations, before our little town had a library, I checked out books every week from the Bookmobile that brought a selection from the city library nearby.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START WRITING? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WRITE COZY MYSTERIES?
I was always an avid reader, and my dad encouraged me to consider writing as a career. After a few years as a journalist, I switched to public relations and then advertising. But I dreamed of being an author. It wasn’t until our boys were grown and COVID struck that I began to write my first book.
Cozies were a natural fit for me. I like clean stories with a quirky mystery and a happy ending. Plus, I’d researched the market and cozies were ranked among the most popular mystery genres.
WHAT SUBGENRE(S) OR THEMES OF COZY MYSTERIES DO YOU WRITE?
A Smart Older Woman Amateur Sleuth. Close Friendships. Pets. Recipes.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR COZY MYSTERY SERIES. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR SERIES?
The Josie Posey Mystery Series features a spunky former big city crime reporter turned amateur investigator who has retired to a picturesque village where she plays a weekly game of mahjong. She and her Mahjong Mavens are older women who have their noses in everything that happens in the small town.
Josie misses the action of her previous city life so she convinces the local newspaper to hire her for a weekly puff piece about some of the town’s most interesting characters. On her first assignment, she interviews a ballerina. That same afternoon, the ballerina’s husband dies, face-down in his flower bed. Since Josie was the last to see him alive, the police chief pulls her into his office. Suddenly, she and the ballerina are murder suspects.
Despite the chief’s orders to stick to reporting, Josie is determined to clear her own name, and that of the ballerina she has befriended. She and her posse of mahjong friends are also out to prove they aren’t too old to be of service.
Each book features a topic I want to learn more about: the ballet, luxury clock making, doll collecting, and others. Inspiration comes from my previous experience as a journalist, my enjoyment of the mahjong game I’ve played since childhood, and the admiration I have for intelligent, strong older women who support each other through life’s ups and downs.
WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LOVE TO READ COZY MYSTERIES?
Cozies are fun. They tend to be a short read with quirky characters and a sense of justice. Readers connect with the amateur sleuth and root for their success. It’s easy to escape the real world when you immerse yourself in a cozy, especially if you’re trying to solve the murder along with a main character you love.
ASIDE FROM BEING AN AUTHOR, ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE COZY COMMUNITY IN ANY OTHER WAY?
I participate in several Facebook groups and enjoy reading blogs about cozies. I served on a cozy mystery panel at Bouchercon in 2023 and loved it. So far, I haven’t led any workshops or book discussions but I hope to do that in the future.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS?
I always tell people my favourite writer is the one I’m currently reading, because I am always discovering someone new! Of course I enjoy the well-known cozy authors like Richard Osman, Kate Carlisle and Louise Penney. But my most recent favorites include Daphne Silver, Heather Weidner, Lori Roberts and J.C. Eaton.
IF YOU WERE MAROONED ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT 3 BOOKS WOULD YOU WANT WITH YOU?
I don’t know. It’s impossible to choose a favorite novel. I’d probably take the Bible to boost my spirits, an all-inclusive survival guide to keep me alive, and a manual on how to build a boat so I could get back to civilization.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS COMING UP THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
Yes! I just completed a nonfiction book about a Czechoslovakian family who immigrated to the United States after WWII. (Exciting to work in a different genre.)
On my cozy series, I’ve finished Clocked Out, to release in February. Now I’m writing book three of the Josie Posey series, titled Dolled Up for Murder.
The Quickie 5
- FAVOURITE FOOD: My mother’s potato soup. She’s gone now, and no matter how hard I try, mine never tastes quite like hers.
- BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: I love coffee with cream in the morning. A glass of white wine if we go out for dinner in the evening.
- MOST PRIZED POSSESSION: This is a tough one. Probably my wedding ring. It has been a symbol of our marriage for 53 years.
- FAVOURITE SEASON? Fall. I love our vivid blue October sky, the canopy of painted autumn trees along our drive, and the warmth of a cozy fire in our fireplace.
- FAVOURITE VACATION SPOT? The beach. Pretty much anywhere: California, Florida, Mexico, Thailand. One winter, we drove to Galveston, TX, with our Old English Sheepdog and spent a week walking the shoreline and enjoying the ocean air.
To keep up to date with Anna St. John online, you can connect with her on:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | X (TWITTER)
Great Cozy 52! I don’t know which is more adorable, Oliver or Anna’s Triumph!