Author: Christine DeSmet

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop Mysteries series of cozies, and the Mischief in Moonstone series. Her latest book is When the Dead People Brought a Dish-to-Pass. Wisconsin’s autumn displays fiery reds, sunlit golds, and orange licks on trees and bushes. The publishing business worries about book cover colors because we want to appeal to readers. I have great covers for my autumn traditional mystery, Five-Alarm Fudge, and the romantic-mystery novella, When the Dead People Brought a Dish-to-Pass. My publisher chose a lot of brown with orange for the Halloween cover. Brown is considered trustworthy, the color…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop series of cozy mysteries. You can find out more about her on her websitge, www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, or buy her books here. Lighthouses have a special meaning for me. The cover of Hot-Fudge Frame-Up depicts the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, in Door County, Wisconsin, which I’ve toured. With its 11 lighthouses open for tours June 7-9, 2024, “the Door” as we call it has the most of any county in the United States. Tulips also have a special place in my heart and April/May festivals…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop Series of cozy mysteries. You can find out more about her on her website, www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and buy her books here. A character can be saved or energized instantly by giving her/him a collection habit or a yearning for certain unusual objects. A collection of something weird or a huge collection of something interesting can add value to both protagonists and antagonists. Some novels and movies have used art or museum collections in plots about heists, murder, or international intrigue. All kinds of…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop Mysteries, and the Mischief in Moonstone series. You can find out more about her at her website www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and buy her books here. Sometimes writers get into slumps, or don’t know what to write. Or, we know what to write but wait for motivation or some signal to shove us into the prose. New writers in particular may feel wobbly and need a helping hand or boost. My suggestion? Enter a contest or two or three. Contests hand you a deadline and…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop mystery series and the Mischief in Moonstone mystery series. You can find out more about her on her website at www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking on the Blackbirds page here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. The emotion of “joy” is key to the plot and three-dimensional characterization for the hitman in the new, short suspense novel, THE LEMON MAN by Keith Bruton. We humans are more prone to experiencing “happy” or “satisfying” moments. “Joy” is much bigger than “happiness,” more mysterious and harder to come by, according…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the cozy Fudge Shop Mystery Series. You can find out more about her on her website www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. Oasis:  “1. A fertile place in a desert, due to the presence of water; 2. any place or thing offering welcome relief in the midst of difficulty, dullness, etc.” ~ Webster’s New World Dictionary I always return from my writer’s oasis changed and uplifted. What I receive at the well is profound. This particular oasis is real, a four-day writers’ retreat I attend…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop mystery series and the Mischief in Moonstone series. You can find out more about her on her website www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking here, see her books here, and read her last post here. Scientists conclude rituals are part of our DNA and are used to deal with threats, particularly disease and danger.   That struck home with me—a cozy mystery writer and writing coach—when a reader online said reading cozy mysteries got her through the pandemic years.            Reading often comes with “rituals.”            Here are common reading rituals:           ~ Do you have to…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop Mysteries series and the Mischief in Moonstone Series. You can find out more about her here, see her books here, and read her last post here. I’m an author, and I’m also a professional writing coach with several years’ experience. In working with writers and published authors, my job is often about helping writers see “what’s missing.” That includes the usual things:  what’s missing in characterizations, plotting, setting, suspense, tension, dialogue, movement, hooks for readers, and much more. One simple thing I’ve found missing—even among my professional author friends in groups…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop Mystery Series set in Door County, and the Mischief in Moonstone Series set in northwest Wisconsin. You can find out more about her here, see her books here, and read her last post here. I’m seeing a few blogs and social media messages about “joy” because June is the month when school gets out, and of course we’re emerging from a winter’s pandemic nap. But it’s interesting the blogs don’t usually dig deep into the origins of the feeling of joy for the individual blogger.  How did you learn what “joy”…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop Mystery Series set in Door County, and the Mischief in Moonstone Series set in northwest Wisconsin. You can find out more about her here, see her books here, and see her last blog post here. Valentine’s Day candy hearts say “Be mine.”   That’s an implied question:  Will you be mine? It’s akin to Mister Rogers asking: “Won’t you be my neighbor?” Will you be my neighbor?  In writing, authors often begin plotting—and steer our stories and protagonist—with the “Will” question. We call it the story’s “Central Question.” In my forthcoming Fudge Shop…