Session Description
There’s more to writing a cozy mystery than meets the eye. Why? Because cozy mystery readers are a special breed. They rarely pick up a book unless it is part of a series. What does that mean for writers who are considering a cozy mystery? As they craft that first book, they must also lay the groundwork for engaging readers over the long term. Keeping it Cozy will provide tips for writing a successful series with a focus on characters, setting, plots and subplots.
Kathy Penn
Kathy Manos Penn lives in Sandy Springs, Georgia with her husband and her four-legged office assistants. When she dreamed of retiring, she envisioned indulging in her favorite pastimes—reading, traveling, and writing columns for her local paper. Taking her bucket list trip to England was a top priority.
A second career as an author was never part of the plan—until someone uttered the fateful words, “You should write a cozy mystery.”
Ten books later, readers can’t get enough of the Dickens & Christie mystery series. Kathy adheres to the adage to write what you know and populates her mysteries with well-read, witty senior women, a loyal dog, and a sassy cat.
Her pets inspire the personalities of Dickens & Christie. Why is Dickens a fiend for belly rubs? Because Kathy’s real-life dog is. The same goes for Christie’s finicky eating habits and penchant for lolling on top of the desk or in the file drawer. She gets it from the calico cat who rules the roost.
How does Kathy describe her life? “I’m living a dream I never knew I had. Publishing the first book was a thrill. Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself writing a cozy mystery series. Trust me, I’m still pinching myself.”
Cathy Tully
Cathy Tully is the USA Today Bestselling author of the ChiroCozy Mystery Series. Cathy is the pen name of E.C. Tully, a chiropractor and Silver Falchion Award nominated writer.
A graduate of Georgetown University in Washington DC, Cathy studied foreign languages and linguistics, lived abroad in Quito, Ecuador and worked for an international trademark and patent law firm in New York City, before changing careers and graduating from Life University, in Marietta, Georgia with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree.
Her award nominated novels, Dr. Shine Cracks the Case, and Fixation & Fraud, feature a chiropractor practicing in small town Georgia. She is also the winner of the Georgia Independent Author of the Year Award for Cozy Mystery for 2022 and 2023. Her newest series, the Molly Dishy Mystery series, features a massage therapist and her French Bulldog, Milo.
Cathy has six books in the ChiroCozy Mystery Series. Her newest book, Milo & Mistletoe is the first in her new Molly Dishy Mystery Series. Dr. Shine Cracks the Case, Misalignment and Murder and Fixation & Fraud are the best sellers in her ChiroCozy series. Cathy lives and gardens in a small Georgia town with her husband and rescue cats.
DL Mitchell
DL Mitchell is the author of the Coral Shores Veterinary Mystery series and a 2024 Nominee for Georgia Author of the Year. Trust the Terrier won the 2024 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion award for best cozy mystery and second runner-up for best overall mystery. The newly released Parrot Prose, Book 2 in the veterinary mystery series, was honored as a finalist for Killer Nashville Claymore Award. Marina Mews and Follow the Frenchy, Books 3 and 4 in the series, will be published by Black Rose Writing in February and November 2026, respectively.
She brings her unique perspective as a practicing small animal veterinarian to the world of mystery fiction. With experience in bustling, big-city hospitals, her transition to a house call concierge veterinary practice has enriched her storytelling with firsthand encounters and insights into the human-animal bond.
She loves spending time with her husband, daughter, and their menagerie of pets, planning the next travel adventure, and running nearby trails. She’s a scuba diver but gets seasick, and when she’s on the road, she travels with her espresso machine and her blow-up, stand up paddle board.
