Author Spotlight: Daphne Silver

Award-winning Author of the Rare Books Mystery Series

Author Daphne Silver and her book Crime and Parchment. Image credit: Daphne Silver

Daphne Silver is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Rare Books Mystery Series, a bookish cozy mystery series with a dash of history.

The Rare Books mystery books in order are:

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Daphne Silver

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

My mom. She read so many mysteries when I was growing up, but I didn’t connect with how amazing they are until I was a young adult. I think it was Kate Carlisle that I read first, and her bibliophile mysteries absolutely blew me away.

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

My favorite tropes involve not only a murder but something historic or artistic missing too. My main character Juniper Blume is a rare books librarian because I love stories involving old books, treasure maps, secret letters, codes and ciphers, artwork with hidden meanings, and anything else that uses history in an unusual way.

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?

Way too hard to choose. At the moment, I’m thrilled that Gigi Pandian will have more Jaya Jones mysteries, because that was another series I read early on and loved. But ask me tomorrow, and I may have a different answer.

What inspired your first cozy mystery?

In 2013, my husband and I visited Ireland, where we saw the Book of Kells. It’s a spectacular illuminated manuscript over a thousand years old. When I learned that it originally had a bejeweled cover that went missing, my mind started playing the “what if?” game. Since I’ve spent most of my career working in museums in Maryland, I knew there were some unexpected connections between Ireland and Maryland that I could use. Then it became an adventure to see where the story might go.

Rare Books Mysteries 1-3

How do you research and create the cozy elements in your books, such as the setting and community?

My stories take place in the fictional town of Rose Mallow, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay. It’s based on the real life sister towns of North Beach and Chesapeake Beach. I have visited there a few times for research and inspiration. They were former resort towns at their peak over a hundred years ago for people taking a vacation to escape the summer heat of Baltimore. Even today they are picturesque, backing up to the Chesapeake Bay, and sharing a public boardwalk. They have adorable shops, restaurants, parks, and a small beach. So it was easy to pull from the towns when developing my setting and discovering the people who lived there.

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

I have a somewhat unusual process. There’s a saying when you’re learning to write: “show, don’t tell.” But I start by doing the opposite. I’ll write a draft plot where all I do is tell. “Juniper went to the store. Juniper found some apples for a pie.” At this stage, all I know is the initial “what if” question, like “what if Juniper bought an abandoned storage unit filled with priceless goods… and a body?” Then we go exploring together. I can’t write a full novel this way, but by only telling, I can write a shortened version. Then, I start over and rewrite the entire story from the beginning. This time it’ll be all about showing: “The grocery store smelled like a pile of wet books. Familiar but unpleasant. Was it dark to keep us from seeing how bruised their apples were? I sniffed and felt each one, not trusting my eyes. I wished the farmer’s market was open, but my sister needed these today if we were going to bring an apple pie to the memorial.”

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

Writing anything isn’t easy, but it’s worthwhile. Read other cozies with your writer’s hat on. Note when the body is dropped, how the villain is revealed, and how order is restored. I also highly recommend meeting other cozy mystery writers. I’ve found that belonging to Sisters in Crime is invaluable - not only the national organization but the Guppies (Great UnPublished) and my local Chesapeake Chapter. Having a community of writers has been very powerful and rewarding for me! I also love going to Malice Domestic, the convention for traditional mysteries.

How can readers connect with you online?

Sign up for my newsletter to get the free short story ‘A Midsummer’s Night Scheme’ at www.daphnesilver.com! You can also follow me at www.facebook.com/daphnesilverbooks or www.instagram.com/daphnesilverbooks.