Author Spotlight: Amelia Pine

Amelia Pine is the author of the Sea Glass Beach Mysteries featuring Paige Andrews, a milliner (hat maker) who solves mysteries in a quaint coastal town. Paige’s sidekicks include her rescue beagle, Lola, and her friends in the Beachside Dining Club. Each book in the series includes bonus recipes.

Amelia also writes the Northwoods Knitting Mystery, a crafty cozy mystery featuring Julia Holmes, a knitting enthusiast in Frosty Pines, Wisconsin who solves mysteries with the local knitting club and a charming log cabin architect.

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Amelia Pine

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

I read a ton of Nancy Drew books as a child. Then, I started playing the Nancy Drew computer games, which I still enjoy today!. I loved their adventures, puzzles, eccentric characters, fun settings, and a dash of romance. Later, I learned there was a name for this genre: cozy mystery. Once I knew this, I couldn't stop reading and watching cozy mystery books and TV shows. When I discovered there were many people who loved the same genre as me, I knew I had found my home. One day, I decided to try writing my own cozy, and I haven't looked back!

What are a few of the essential elements that make a cozy stand out to you as a reader?

I love a likable, relatable protagonist who has friends that I'd want to hang out with. Toss in an interesting, atmospheric setting, and an intriguing puzzle, and I'm sold.

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?

The classic, the OG, Miss Marple. She's silent, but deadly. No one sees her coming until it's too late!

What inspired your first cozy mystery?

My very first cozy mystery was never published. I wrote it during Covid lockdowns and it featured a hair stylist sleuth in a small Midwestern town during the 1920s. It was based on my time as a cosmetologist, including my job working in a historic salon in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I may resurrect it one day, after many edits.

My first published cozy mystery, Killer Brownies, was inspired by my home in San Diego, California. Paige, my protagonist, is a milliner; a profession which is inspired by my love (and need!) of sun hats. Lola, her beagle helper, is written as an homage to the beagles I had as a child. Many of the characters are inspired by real people, too. Since Southern California is rich in culture, I include many special local details in my books; from dog surfing to succulent nurseries, tiki bars to woodies and connections to weird and wonderful Hollywood.