Author Spotlight: Kat LaGue
Author of the Good Scents Mystery Series
Killer Sillage is Kat LaGue's debut cozy mystery. Image credit: Kat LaGue
Kat Lague is the author of the Good Scents Mystery Series. This series features amateur sleuth Clare Buchowski, the owner of a perfume shop in the Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore.
Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Kat LaGue
What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?
I’m a BookBub subscriber and like to shake up my reading habits now and then. One day I added "mystery" to my list on a whim (I'd never really been a big mystery reader) and came across one of Meg Muldoon’s Christmas River books. I loved the strong character development and the fact that the protagonist was a female business owner. As I read more cozies, I realized those were hallmarks of the genre: smart, independent women in tight-knit communities. I also love that cozies usually come in series, so the setting starts to feel like home.
Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?
I have a few! Meg Muldoon’s Cinnamon Peters, Louise Stevens’ Millie Wentworth, and Nancy Warren’s Poppy Wilkinson are all favorites. They’re such well-rounded, kind, and capable women, people I genuinely enjoy spending time with, even if it’s just on the page. The other characters in these series have also started to feel like old friends to me.
What inspired your first cozy mystery?
Honestly? Boredom. I’ve written food-related non-fiction for years and was looking for a new challenge. My husband and I once tried writing a romcom together, but we lost steam after finishing the first draft. When I thought about revisiting that project, it just felt too daunting. So I switched gears. I already loved reading cozies and understood the rhythm of the genre, so I decided to try writing one myself. To my surprise, it wasn’t as hard as I expected, and it turned out to be a lot of fun.
How do you research and create the “cozy” elements in your books, like the settings and community?
I’ve always taken “write what you know” to heart. Many cozies take place in fictional towns, but I chose to set my series in Fells Point, the Baltimore neighborhood where I grew up. It’s a historic port area full of character and fascinating people. I already knew the streets and the vibe of the place, but Google Maps helps me with accuracy when needed.
That said, I’ve taken a few creative liberties, like setting my main location, a perfume shop called Good Scents, in a real part of town but inside a completely fictional building. As for community, when I was growing up, Fells Point had a strong Polish presence, with two Polish Catholic churches and lots of Polish-speaking residents. That’s changed over the years, but I wanted to preserve that sense of cultural pride and heritage through my main characters.
What is one key step in your writing process that helps you transform an idea into a finished book?
Since this was my first novel, I’m still discovering my process, but I found it helpful to write the key scenes first: introducing the characters, finding the body, revealing the murderer. Once I had those anchors, I filled in the spaces between.
Because my book is set in a perfume shop, I also leaned into that theme, making sure to include scenes about scent, how perfume is made, and how it ties to memory. Scent memory is incredibly powerful, and I wanted readers to feel that sensory connection as part of the story.
What advice would you give aspiring cozy mystery authors who want to start writing their first novel?
Don’t be afraid. If there’s a story in your head, go for it! And don’t hesitate to use the many tools and communities available online: Facebook groups, writing apps like ProWritingAid, and plenty of cozy mystery author forums full of encouragement and practical advice.
How can readers connect with you online?
I have a website at katlague.com. My mailing list is on Substack, katlague.substack.com, and I have an Instagram account as well, instagram.com/goodscentsbaltimore.
Killer Sillage
Killer Sillage is the first book in the Good Scents Mystery Series by Kat LaGue.
This cozy mystery features amateur sleuth Clare Buchowski, an aspiring perfumer who opens a perfume shop in her hometown of Baltimore after an accident alters her sense of smell.
When someone dies at a launch party for an independent perfumer, Clare picks up a killer scent trail of secrets and rivalries.
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