Author Spotlight: Lynda Allen

Author of the Liv Wilde Mysteries

Flashes of Insight and Flashes of a Dying Hour are the first two books in the Liv Wilde Mysteries

Lynda Allen is the author of the Liv Wilde Mystery Series. This modern cozy mystery series is set in Fredericksburg, Virginia and includes a blend of history, mystery, humor, and female friendships. The amateur sleuth is Liv Wilde, a New Jersey transplant whose perimenopause unleashed hormone-fueled psychic visions that help her solve mysteries.

Read more about the Liv Wilde Mystery Series.

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Lynda Allen

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

I love reading cozy mysteries. I don’t like to read books with a lot of violence or gore on the page. So, when I decided to try writing a mystery I knew the kind of book I’d want to write would lean toward cozy. However, I call my books “Jersey Cozies” because there is some profanity in the books, which is not usual for a cozy, and because I grew up in South Jersey where I learned my salty language. 😊

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

I enjoy cozies with well-developed and authentic relationships, whether among friends or in romantic relationships. Any good, intelligent sleuth (or sleuth in training!) needs a support network, so a circle of friends who can work together to solve mysteries appeals to me. I also enjoy cozies with humor and paranormal elements.

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?

I don’t think I could choose just one. I recently discovered the Dr. Nell Ward Mysteries, which I already love. While Nell is an amateur sleuth, she’s a professional ecologist and I love how her knowledge of ecology plays into the stories.

Among others, I also love Callie Cassidy, Lori Roberts Herbst’s sleuth, Tempest Raj in Gigi Pandian’s Secret Staircase mysteries, and Dee Stern in Ellen Byron’s Golden Motel Mysteries.

What inspired your first cozy mystery?

History, mystery, and menopause! Being smack in the middle of dealing with menopause-related symptoms when I started writing Flashes of Insight inspired my main character’s unique gift – psychic visions during hot flashes. I wanted her to have a circle of friends she could commiserate with about the subject and who could talk about menopause with honesty and humor in the hopes that it would spark the kind of conversations among women I wished I’d had when I started experiencing the symptoms. The history element of the first book was inspired by my time working at the James Monroe Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia. While working there, I learned that James Monroe burned all the personal correspondence between himself and his wife Elizabeth after she died. The staff at the museum wished someone would find a secret cache of letters between the two of them that could help us better understand their relationship and home life. So, when I started writing the book, I decided to make that wish come true. I chose the mystery genre because I’ve loved reading mysteries since I was a child.

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

The setting for my series is the real city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. I’ve lived here for 29 years and love the sense of community, the thriving downtown district, and the historic elements. Even though I’ve lived here for so long, I’m still learning things about the history of the city with each book. I love featuring the things I learn in the stories. I hope Fredericksburg feels like an essential part of the stories and that the books will encourage people to visit our city. There are of course risks in using a real setting. You have to be careful to get all the streets and monuments right or someone will notice it. I also avoid having significant crimes happen in real businesses!

When it comes to community, I’m lucky to have several wonderful circles of women friends in my life. Because I have such incredible women in my life, I found writing about friendship, which is central to the books, easy to do. I wanted the women in Liv’s life to feel authentic and to feel like women you’d want to spend time with. My ladies’ night friends even got to choose the names for Liv’s friends! And really, what could be better than having to have ladies’ nights for research?

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

I’m not a planner, so I don’t create an outline. I’m a visual learner and thinker so for the third book I tried a planning method called Mind Mapping, which is a visual representation of the plot points. I found it very helpful as a place to begin, so I think I’ll use it again for future books. I have to give credit to author Misty Simon for introducing me and others to the concept at a session during the Malice Domestic conference this year.

One thing that’s essential for me, besides making sure I sit my butt down and write, is spending time with the story and characters in my imagination. When I’m really in the groove writing, I find I’m always thinking about the characters and what comes next. The third book, which I’m working on now, features a local minor league baseball team and when I went to a game recently I was disappointed to find the players I had written weren’t actually at the game! 😊 Now that’s my imagination in high gear!

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

I know it’s unoriginal, but the most important thing is to start writing and keep writing and remember, the first draft is rarely brilliant. So, remind yourself there will be plenty of opportunities to improve the story once you get the first draft written.

The other thing that was and still is invaluable to me and that I always recommend is writing organizations like Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. They have so many incredible presentations, conversations, support networks, local chapters, and online message boards. I learned a great deal through both organizations and am still learning with each presentation. They offer knowledgeable speakers who are professional fire fighters, police officers, DNA experts, AI experts, and more. Things I’ve learned in the presentations have directly informed my stories.

How can readers connect with you online?

On social media - Instagram @lyndaallenwrites and Facebook Lynda Allen - Author are where I post most frequently. You can also find me on BlueSky @lyndallen.bsky.social and TikTok @lyndaallen_author.

My website is www.lyndaallenwrites.com.

Lynda Allen Mystery Bookshelf

Use the arrows on each side of the book to see the books in Lynda Allen’s Liv Wilde Mystery Series. Click on the book to see a description and reviews on Amazon.