taragwrites.com

2/8/2026

Since childhood, my inspiration has come from books. The books I’ve read. The books I’ve read about.

When i decided to write a cozy mystery, I knew it would mean a lot of reading. Cozy mysteries has not been a genre I’ve chosen to read. I’ve also not read many romances although I think one or two snuck in. I was going to have to dive into the world of cozy mysteries.

When I searched, the first one I found that was immediately available on Libby was The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood. I borrowed the audio version. The first of what will have to be many to really get the rhythm and feel. It’s delightful. Cozy mysteries incorporate some of the humor and playfulness that goes into my children’s books. I won’t leave them, but what if I crafted a cozy mystery series under a pseudonym?

I am always reading several books at once. There are three right now. The cozy mystery, The Gathering Storm (nearing the end of the Wheel of Time series), and The Lost Story. I can already tell The Lost Story is very much worth the read. It should fire up my imagination.

Now comes the dilemma of finding the time to write and submit short stories, job hunt (finances are grim), read for research purposes, and work on a book. A kid in a candy shop.