About:Nancy J. Cohen

Website: https://nancyjcohen.com Profile Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won a Readers' Favorite gold medal, placed first in the Chanticleer Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Nancy’s instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery, was nominated for an Agatha Award. A featured speaker at libraries, conferences, and community events, she is listed in Contemporary Authors, Poets & Writers, and Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, & Poets. When not busy writing, she enjoys fine dining, cruising, visiting Disney World, and shopping.

Posts by Nancy J. Cohen :

Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center is a great place to visit if you’re a space program fan, like to observe space launches, or merely want to learn about our space-age achievements. We’d been there years ago and wanted to see the new attractions. Plus, all the recent launches had piqued our interest in the space program.

It took us an hour to get there from the Orlando area. We parked by the Visitor Complex and entered through the turnstiles. It wasn’t crowded in the morning, so we could stand in awe to see the rockets poised in the Rocket Garden beyond the entrance.

We skipped the Heroes & Legends pavilion to our left and walked briefly through the Nature & Technology building. This housed museum-type exhibits of the local environment. Up ahead was Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex. Inside the dark building were multiple space capsules and other displays. Upstairs was Spaceport, an immersive ride experience with four itineraries. We bypassed the line and headed instead for the Observation Port to view the films. It’s a good way to have the experience without the jostling motion. This building also has an IMAX theater.

We didn’t really want to watch any other movies, so we skipped the Universe Theater. I dipped into the Journey to Mars to view the different land rovers. Again, I passed by various interactive displays so we could move on.

Inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis building, we viewed a 12-minute movie before being allowed into the exhibit area. This film shows how the Space Shuttle came into being. There are several floors with displays and interactive exhibits plus a huge slide. If you like thrill rides, there’s also the Shuttle Launch Experience.

Another building called Planet Play is an indoor playground. It’s way cool for kids and has a seating area for adults to order drinks. A large globe circulating in a plaza with cascading water also attracted young children as did a Lego section.

Re dining, we ate at the Orbit Café that has a good selection of menu items. Other venues offer bistro bowls, hot dogs, ice cream and movie snacks.

It’s not possible to do everything in a day, especially if you want to sign up for any of the special experiences such as a bus tour of the complex or Chat with an Astronaut. But it was enough for us and re-inspired our awe of the space program. Now all we need are anti-gravity engines and warp drive.

GIVEAWAY

Enter Here Aug 1-18 to win a free book from Booklovers Bench in our monthly giveaway!

The First Draft of Your Novel is Finished – Now What?

Your book is not done just because you typed The End. Now begins the hard work of taking your raw material and honing it into a page-turning story. This will mean several rounds of revisions, intense reading sessions, and submitting to editors and beta readers for additional input.

This work happens before you prepare the book for publication, especially if you are self-publishing your novel. Regardless of the route you choose, you’ll still need to prepare a marketing plan.

What are the steps you’ll need to take next?

Here are some ideas from my list:

Complete Chapter Outline.

Finish Synopsis.

Prepare a One-Page Synopsis (required by some writing contests).

Make critique group spot corrections.

Do at least one full read-through for continuity and repetitions.

Double check list of Loose Ends to make sure all are resolved.

Send to Professional Editor.

Hire Cover Artist.

Hire Blurb Writer. Assemble tag lines, log lines, long and short book descriptions.

Write blog posts.

Select excerpts for possible blog tour.

Create reader discussion guide.

Write launch party posts.

Search Royalty-Free Photo Sites for pictures that illustrate your Suspects. Purchase these photos. Use them for a Pinterest Story Board or for a book trailer.

Compose book trailer text and match photos. OR hire someone to do a trailer if desired.

Do edits from editor.

Do another full read-through for final editing.

Send to beta readers. Make their corrections.

Assign ISBNs and prepare copyright page if self-publishing.

Send to formatter.

Read through pdf for final corrections. Look for formatting issues.

Set Pub Date.

Book a Launch Party (See https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty/ for examples of posts).

Book a Blog Tour.

Prepare Metadata including Key Words, Book Descriptions, and Author Bio.

Upload to online distributors. Copy Buy Links.

Book NetGalley co-op dates.

Query reviewers and send arcs via BookFunnel.

Write a page of Tweets and FB Posts.

This may simplify the Revision phase and the subsequent Marketing push, but it gives a general outline of what needs to be done. Obviously, if you are traditionally publishing your work, some of these steps may be omitted.

You've Finished the First Draft of Your Novel - Now What? #amwriting #writetip Share on X

For more tips, read these previous posts:
12 Steps for Revising Your Novel
Preparing for a Book Launch

Transitions Can Be Tough

Transition scenes in a novel can be tough to write. These can serve your need to jump ahead in time, have your characters go from one place to another, or act as a bridge between action sequences.

It’s easy when you’re jumping ahead in time. You can leave a space break between paragraphs or start a new chapter to indicate that time has passed. To make things run smoother, you can include phrasing or a snippet of information from the previous section into the new one. Ditto when hopping from one place to the next. You can use a space or chapter break or try one of the techniques below.

Getting your hero from one piece of action to another can be trickier. You need to vary the pacing without boring the reader. Too many exciting scenes running together will become wearying as well as unrealistic. Think about what purpose you want this shift to serve. If you have difficulty, consider your sleuth’s Life Space. I talk about this in my guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery, which can help you plan your story’s structure.

To get inside your sleuth’s head, draw her Life Space. Start with a circle and write her name in it. Then add cartoon-like bubbles around her head. Inside of these bubbles, put her concerns at any given moment in time. This will provide insight into your character’s interests.

Use your character’s concerns to fill in the transitional pages. Here are some suggestions for your sleuth:

Mentally review the suspects
Catch up on phone calls
Visit with a friend or relative
Discuss progress with sidekick
Have a romantic interlude
Deal with personal issues
Bring in subplots
Reflect on goals
Do research related to case

Make sure your passage isn’t filled with mindless chatter, mundane chores, or a laundry list of to-do items. If your heroine is making her favorite slow cooker recipe, for example, have her stew over the suspects or talk about them to her friend over the phone. What happens in these scenes should lead fluidly into whatever comes next.

Writing Tip: Transitions Can Be Tough #writingcommunity #amwriting Share on X

How do you deal with transitional scenes in your work?

ON SALE

Perish by Pedicure is on sale for 99 cents during July only! Click Here to Order

July Mysteries on Sale – Click Here for List

GIVEAWAY

Enter Here to win a free book from Booklover’s Bench

Perish by Pedicure On Sale

Looking for a fun Beach Read or a new book for the holiday weekend? Grab a copy of PERISH BY PEDICURE on sale for only 99 cents! Limited time offer.

Salon owner Marla Shore finds herself fixing more than just hair at a Fort Lauderdale beauty show. When the much‑disliked director of Luxor Beauty Products is murdered, Marla jumps into sleuth mode. Suspects include her former college roommate, a pompous celebrity stylist, an ambitious company sales rep, and an aspiring hairdresser to the stars.

“Find your favorite beach chair and a tall glass of lemonade to enjoy another Marla Shore mystery amidst the fashionistas! The perfect read for a beach chair.” Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters mystery series

“Perish by Pedicure is filled with hair-splitting humor, unexpected nail-biting twists, and a bad hair week caused by former in‑laws while Marla cuts to the roots of the case.” Midwest Book Review

“Nancy J. Cohen leads readers into the world of beauty shows, where salon owner and amateur sleuth Marla Shore finds things more tangled than a model’s tresses.” Miami Herald

“Perish by Pedicure is a suspenseful and enjoyable read… the perfect gift for your hairdresser.” Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore

“If you want something lighthearted to pick up and just laugh, then this is great.” Fashionable Maven

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If you enjoy the story, please leave a review at your favorite online bookstore.

PERISH BY PEDICURE is on sale for 99 Cents. Get your copy now! #mystery #beachread Share on X

More July Mysteries on Sale!

Check out the full list here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/endsjuly31st_mtssales/1wnh2p92ik

Booklover’s Bench Giveaway

Enter Here July 1-18 to win a free book from Booklovers Bench in our monthly giveaway

Party with the Authors

Cross-promotion with other authors is one of the best ways to increase exposure to new readers for your books while supporting your fellow writers. This can occur via group blogs, websites, contests, social media shares, and special events.

Tonight’s party is an example of a Facebook event featuring several of our Booklover’s Bench members. We’ve each prepared a couple of posts with giveaways for our readers. We hope you’ll come and bring your friends.

Winning a book can introduce you to a whole new series. Look for these opportunities and jump in to participate when you see a multi-author event pop up on your screen. They’re fun to attend not only because of the giveaways, but also because you can learn about new authors who might interest you.

Meanwhile, join us TONIGHT at 7:00-8:00 pm EDT for a Summer Book Blast party with fun posts, prizes and giveaways at https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty

Korean Dramas on TV

Recently I’ve been exposed to an entirely new genre on television. K-Dramas apparently have been around a while, but I’d never heard of these Korean TV series until recently when my writer friends, Charlotte Hunter and Ruth Owen, clued me in. Now I am utterly addicted to this mesmerizing form of entertainment. These shows are made in South Korea with subtitles in different languages.

While the series may be contemporary or historical, I prefer the period dramas. There’s a whole list of them on Netflix. At the recommendation of my friends, I started with The King’s Affection. Oh, my. It had every trope I loved! And so do most of them. If you enjoy these recurrent themes, you should give these shows a chance: Person in disguise, hidden identity, twins, amnesia, royalty, court intrigue, secret baby, forbidden love, swordfights, murder and betrayal. These stories have it all. Moreover, many episodes end in a cliffhanger that compels you to keep watching.

At the heart of each one that I’ve seen so far is a classic romance. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl clash but are attracted to each other. We see them falling in love and gazing adoringly into each other’s eyes. Then the Big Black Moment follows where all seems lost and you wonder how these two will ever be together. The resolution and happy-ever-after ending come just like in a Hallmark movie, albeit after 16 to 20 episodes.

I’ve only seen three of these series so far. Because they’re so addicting, I need to get caught up on my other shows in between. It’s fun to figure out the types of characters in these period dramas that take place in the Joseon Dynasty. Here are some commonalities that I’ve noticed in the three series I have seen to date.

Common Recurrent Characters

Aristocrats or Royalty in the lead roles
Weak Ruler
Evil First Minister
Ambitious Stepmother as the Queen
Friends who are the Comic Relief characters
A secondary character who is in love with the hero/heroine who loves someone else
An assassin who serves the bad guys
Evil henchmen and loyal royalists

Storylines

The King’s Affection – When her twin brother is murdered, his sister steps in to assume his identity as crown prince. Her situation is complicated when she’s attracted to her tutor who thinks she’s a boy. Meanwhile, she tracks down her brother’s killer who is still at large.

100 Days My Prince – The crown prince is injured in an assassination attempt. He wakes up with no memory of his identity and in a strange home. The heroine’s father has restored him to health and claims he is their daughter’s fiancé. As his own loyal followers search for his whereabouts, so does the traitor who wants him dead. Meanwhile, the heroine is guarding a secret of her own that could put her in peril if exposed.

My Sassy Girl – This is a classic romance with a snippy princess attracted to a handsome tutor. He rescues the princess from a drunken bout and ends up falling for her. Danger surrounds them as the person responsible for her mother’s dethronement ten years ago is making a grab for power.

Watch Korean Dramas on TV #adventure #romance Share on X

Resources

https://www.preview.ph/culture/historical-korean-dramas-netflix-a00268-20200530
https://www.cbr.com/korean-historical-dramas-netflix-bridgerton/
https://reelrundown.com/tv/top-30-best-historical-korean-dramas-sageuks-you-must-watch
https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/2638104
https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/12123

Put K-Dramas or Korean period dramas into your search window and see what you get. These series may be available on other channels besides Netflix.

Kobo 30% off Box Set Sale!

Get a copy of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries Volume One: Books 1-3 for 30% off at Kobo – Use promo code JUNE30 at checkout. https://bit.ly/33fPpIi

June 28 Facebook Party

Save the Date! Tuesday, June 28, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm EDT Summer Book Blast 2022 with 4 Fabulous Cozy Authors! Fun & Prizes! https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty

New Cozy Mystery Award

MWA has announced the Lilian Jackson Braun Award for contemporary cozy mysteries. It’s gratifying that the cozy subgenre has finally been recognized by Mystery Writers of America. Ever since I’ve been a member, the Edgars have leaned toward serious crime fiction. Conferences such as Malice Domestic, Killer Nashville, and Left Coast Crime offered cozy writers a chance to win their own awards.

Books submitted for the Lilian Jackson Braun Award must be at least 65,000 words and be published by a traditional MWA-approved publisher in the year prior to the award. The story must feature an amateur sleuth in a setting with a sense of community, a lighthearted tone, and a crime to solve. Historical mysteries are not eligible.

While I applaud this recognition for the cozy mystery genre by our national organization, I yearn for the day that MWA also accepts indie published books into their contest. Fortunately, there are other competitions that indie authors can enter. Usually, these require an ISBN number and may ask for a publisher name, but they don’t distinguish between trad published and self-published titles. The Alliance of Independent Authors puts out a good list.

Do readers look for the publisher’s name when considering which book to buy? Or are peer reviews, the storyline, writing style, and price more important? How about contest wins? The well-known awards naturally garner more attention and respect, but how about first place wins at other sites? Do these influence readers in any way? What do you think?

Also see my previous post on Writing Contests for Published Authors.

Kobo 30% off Box Set Sale!

Get your copy now of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries Volume One: Books 1-3 for 30% off at Kobo – Use promo code JUNE30 at checkout. Valid June 16 – 27 in Canada, US, UK, Australia, & New Zealand.

A Writer’s Life by Mary Cunningham

Let’s welcome our guest, Author Mary Cunningham, who will share what inspired her to write the Andi Anna Jones mystery series featuring a travel agent sleuth.

A Writer’s Life by Mary Cunningham

I’ve written most my life, but until the ripe old age of fifty, I’d never ventured beyond family memoirs and very bad poetry. Then five crazy women got together and formed WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty. All of us had reached that magical milestone, or were about to, and weren’t all that thrilled with the ramifications. Hormones, hot flashes, hair loss, and weight gain were just a few of the complaints. We decided to become proactive and write a book that not only made light of our fate, but would honor our love of dogs, too. We embarked on the WOOF adventure.

From there, I moved on to middle-grade fantasy. Huh? Not a natural transition you say? When you have a recurring dream about a friend’s attic that served as your clubhouse on rainy days, you have to write about it. Write? Er…right? Cynthia’s Attic Series features best friends, ancestors, family stories, and time travel. While I, my family nor friends have admitted to time travel, writing about family stories passed down from great-grandparents, grandparents, and my mom and dad, gave me as much writing material as any Google search could generate.

I’ve now jumped into a totally different genre—a cozy mystery series about an inept travel agent whose real talent is amateur sleuthing. One of the first “writerly” pieces of advice I got was “Write what you know.” I was that inept travel agent in North Miami Beach. (Won’t mention the agency in case there are pending lawsuits against me) Seriously, I was awful. And hated it. I’m thrilled this new book and series has given me some sense of redemption and exorcised a ghost or two.

All those miserable days I spent, completely out of my element, led to one of the most satisfying journeys of my life. Writing about Andi, and her quirky cohorts, has been a freeing experience. Not only does writing give me a release from the past, I can draw on the good and the bad. For instance, Andi’s sidekick (and true agency manager) Ellie, is based on Ellen, the proficient agent who worked with me, and saved my backside on many occasions. She knew, instinctively, when I was struggling to make an airline reservation or book a trip, and would subtly step in and guide me through the process.

So many characters in Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder are written for the reader’s enjoyment and for the purpose of making lemonade from lemons. I can’t remember writing a story that made me laugh out loud. This one did.

Throughout my writing life, I’ve made fun of the aging process (WOOF), made up adventures about my ancestors, and written about a poor, but short-lived career choice; all with self-deprecating humor. If you have life-experiences you want to remember, or would rather forget, maybe writing will help.

Do you have any memories of quirky characters or mysterious family stories?

A Writer's Life by Mary Cunningham #amwriting #writetip Share on X

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Margaritas, Mayhem & Murder

Andi’s step-mother, Ruby, is a real piece of work, but is she a murderer?

Andi Anna Jones, so-so travel agent/amateur sleuth, puts aside her resentment of her father’s widow and books a 60th birthday cruise to Cancun for Ruby and three friends. Never does Andi imagine the cruise will include the murder of a has-been lounge singer—or that Ruby might be the main suspect.

Flirting with more than danger after arriving in Mexico, Andi connects with charming local sheriff, Manual Gonzales. An embarrassing night involving the sheriff, too many margaritas, and a Mariachi band, can’t quell her determination to clear the name of her ex-stepmother.

While gathering clues and interviewing witnesses, however, she suspects dear old step-mom isn’t the only one in jeopardy.

If you have as much fun reading Margaritas, Mayhem, & Murder: An Andi Anna Jones Mystery (# 1) as I had writing it, we’ll all be winners!

Order Your Copy Here or at your favorite online bookstore:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Biography

Author Mary Cunningham grew up on the northern side of the Ohio River in Corydon, Indiana. Her first memories are of her dad’s original bedtime stories that no doubt inspired her imagination and love of a well-spun “yarn.” Through the author’s horrifying stint as a travel agent, Andi Anna Jones sprang to life. This series gives extra meaning to the phrase, “Write what you know.” Cunningham has several other books published, including five books in the Cynthia’s Attic middle-grade fantasy series, the women’s lifestyle/humor book, WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty, Ghost Light and Christmas With Daisy.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Carrollton Writers Guild. When she gives her fingers a break from the keyboard, she enjoys golf, swimming, and exploring the mountains of West Georgia where she makes her home with her husband and adopted, four-legged, furry daughter, Lucy.

Find Mary on Social Media:

Website: https://www.marycunninghambooks.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/marycunninghambooks/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MaryCunningham
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BLNEK4
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-cunningham

Twitter Chat

Join me tonight for a Twitter Chat Q&A from 7pm to 8pm EDT sponsored by @cozymysteryclub. Use the hashtag #cozycornerchat and ask me questions. Or you can follow me at https://twitter.com/nancyjcohen

Ask anything you want about my books or publishing or the writing process. I’ll be available for the entire hour. And if you’re not familiar with Twitter Chats, we can learn together. This will be my first one, so I hope you’ll join in!

WATCH THE VIDEOS

If you missed my workshop on “Self-Publishing Made Simple” you can watch it here for a limited time: https://bit.ly/3Q2OthF

If you missed my interview by author Jennie Spallone, watch it now at https://bit.ly/3QhzbFM – Use this Passcode: #wu3zQbH

Bargain Books

Are your favorite author’s books being priced out of your range? Or maybe you’ve found a new series that interests you, but the backlist titles are too expensive. Where can you get them if not retail? And how can you find new authors at prices that won’t break the bank?

Check out my post at Booklover’s Bench for tips in filling your beach reads basket and enter our monthly giveaway while there. Also take a look at our group posts “On the Bench” for some entertaining responses. Go to: https://bookloversbench.com/lets-talks/bargain-and-backlist-books/