Author Spotlight: Annie McEwen

Author of the Northwoods Mystery Series

Annie McEwen is the author of the Northwoods Mysteries. RESORT TO MURDER is the first book in the series. Image credit: Annie McEwen.

Annie McEwen is the author of the Northwoods Mystery Series. This series features an interior decorator named Emmy who moves from Chicago to her family’s lake cottage resort in the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods for a much-needed break. Not long after arriving, she finds herself smack dab in the middle of a mystery.

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Annie McEwen

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

I first started reading interior decorating and home restoration cozies that I accidentally found while browsing the mystery shelves at my library. I was a stay-at-home mom who did home décor sewing projects for extra money and was obsessed with HGTV, so they were right up my alley! I couldn’t get enough of them and branched out from there.

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

I love quirky, lovable characters that I can picture being friends with. I also enjoy a tight-knit community, even in a large city setting. Of course, I’m always a sucker for humor…you have to lighten to mood when there are murderers skulking around!

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth? How much space do we have?

I love Jules Capshaw from Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mysteries and Mia Carina from Maria DiRico’s (Ellen Byron) Catering Hall Series. But Dawna Carpenter from the Hometown Hardware Series and Callie Haybeck from the Zen Goat Mysteries by Paula Charles/Janna Rollins have a special place in my heart. Those ladies are funny, smart, and I’d definitely be friends with them!

What inspired your first cozy mystery?

I’d toyed around with a few ideas, but my heart kept coming back to the Wisconsin Northwoods. I’ve spent so much time there over the past forty (gulp!) years, and it’s such a beautiful place that holds memories all the way back to when my dad was a kid, with my own children, and now planning trips with my grandbabies. As for Emmy’s backstory, that was based on what seemed, at the time, like a horrible thing that happened to me, but ended up being one of the biggest blessings ever!

The first three books in the Northwoods Mystery Series

How do you research and create the "cozy" elements in your books, like the settings and community?

I didn’t have to do much research on the setting, as I mentioned, I’ve spent a lot of time there and still visit often since my sister and her family live in the area. I wanted to get the details of running a resort correct, so I reached out to the wonderful owners of Mogasheen Resort on Lake Namekagon in Northern Wisconsin. They became friends of my family’s back when we first started vacationing there, and they kindly answered all my questions. Of course, I still need to visit Bayfield County just to make sure I’m getting every detail perfect. Wink!

What is one key step in your writing process that helps you transform an idea into a finished book?

I LOVE a good murder board. I’m a very visual person, and I need to see how my characters look, what they drive, how my cottages are set up, and what new shop I’ve added to Covington… I could go on and on! I find celebrities online that I imagine my characters resembling, and then I can visualize how they look and sound, as well as their mannerisms. It makes it easier to write those little details that bring life to my characters. I also have special notecards for the red herrings and clues related to those characters, which I add to the board. My ADHD tends to kick in A LOT, so it helps keep me focused.

What advice would you give aspiring cozy mystery authors who want to start writing their first novel?

Go for it! Put that fear aside and put those words on paper, on the screen, however you have to do it! Your first draft will stink… everyone’s does. But that’s okay! The important part is, you took the first step.

Where can readers connect with you online?

I’m on Instagram and Facebook as Annie McEwen- Author. I also have a website: www.anniemcewenauthor.com.

I’m part of a wonderful private Facebook group that includes nine other cozy authors called Murder, They Write. We have a lot of fun and enjoy interacting with readers.

Annie McEwen Cozy Mystery Bookshelf

Use the arrows on either side of the images below to see the books in the Northwoods Mystery Series by Annie McEwen. Click on the images to see the books on Amazon.