Episode 21: Duffy Brown

Destination Mystery

It is such a delight this week to welcome cozy author Duffy Brown. I have been reading (and loving) Duffy since her first mystery, Iced Chiffon, number one in her Consignment Shop mystery series. Endearing characters, victims who richly deserve to be killed, and Southern charm, what more could I ask for? Oh, and funny! And a heroine to root for! And romance! OMG, they're catnip. You can learn more about Duffy at her website. She has two ongoing series, The Consignment Shop Mysteries (set in Savannah) and the Cycle Path Mysteries (set on Mackinac Island) and you can click on these links to find the books in order. She also gives a shout-out to two of her favorite writers, Janet Evanovich and Arthur Conan Doyle. Duffy also gives away a spoiler for her most recent book, Demise in Denim, but it is *not* a spoiler about the mystery. It has to do with heroine Reagan and the hunky lawyer, Walker Boone. Did I mention there was a little thread of romance? I will be giving away Iced Chiffon as part of the August book giveaway, so if you're not on my mailing list, join now to be entered. Every month, I give away three books and a $10 Amazon gift card. Everyone on the mailing list on the last day of the month is automatically entered to win, so you only have to join up once. As always, if you'd rather read than listen, here is a transcript. Enjoy! Transcript of interview with Duffy Brown Laura Brennan: My guest today is best-selling author Duffy Brown. I have been a fan of Duffy’s writing since her first cozy, Iced Chiffon. Both her Consignment Shop and Cycle Path mysteries are filled with humor, friendship, light romance, and victims who richly deserve what they got. Duffy, thank you for joining me today. Duffy Brown: It’s great being here. Thank you for asking me. LB: So, how did you get started writing? DB: I’ve been doing this for about twenty-five years now. I started in romance. And I think how I got started it, I was reading the romances, and I got to the point like, “This is the worst ending ever!” and I would mentally start rewriting the endings. And then eventually, I was rewriting the whole book, and I thought, maybe I should try and write my own book instead of correcting somebody else’s book. So I was kind of a closet writer to begin with, but I wrote for, actually, I wrote for nine years before getting published with Harlequin. Then I wrote for Harlequin for six years, then I transferred over to Kensington because I wanted to write the bigger books. And then from Kensington, which is kind of a hotter read, it was a Brava line -- you know, when Fifty Shades of Grey came on the scene, it started to kick all the romance stories up a notch. And I didn’t want to go that extra steam part. So I switched over to mystery, and now I write what I absolutely love. I probably should have been here all the time, but you kind of go where your heart takes you first of all. But I do love writing the mysteries. LB: Iced Chiffon is the first book in your first mystery series. DB: Correct. LB: And it hit all the notes. I was just pitch-perfect from the get-go. DB: Everything I watch is always mystery, I’ve read a lot of mysteries. And then I had some friends who were writing cozies, and they said, you know, you really should write the cozies. Because I’m used to that Happy Ever After ending, and in cozy mysteries, there’s always the Happy Ever After ending, meaning the bad guy gets caught. That part I kind of had nailed down. And then, in the cozy mysteries, as in a lot of mysteries, there’s always a little bit of romance thrown in just for the fun of it. But of course the thrust is on the mystery part of it. LB: How did you come up with the idea for the Consignment Shop mysteries? DB: Aw, that’s interesting. I work in a consignment shop! I have worked in a consignment shop for 25 years. I just work very part time, and you know how they say, write what you know.