Author Spotlight: Tonya Kappes
Bestselling Cozy Mystery Author
Tonya Kappes is the author of nearly 200 books.
Tonya Kappes is a bestselling author and Amazon All-Star. She has written more than a dozen cozy mystery series, including the wildly popular Camper and Criminal Mystery Series (currently being adapted for television by Hallmark), the beloved Killer Coffee Mysteries, and the new Bluegrass Ridge Ranch Mystery Series.
Altogether, she has penned nearly 200 books. You can see all of them on her website, TonyaKappes.com.
Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Tonya Kappes
What drew you to the cozy mystery genre?
When I first started writing seventeen years ago, I thought I was writing romance. But then a friend of mine, Melissa Bourbon (aka Winnie Archer), a cozy mystery author, read one of my early drafts and asked, “Are you sure this is a romance?” She pointed out there was barely any hand-holding... and a dead body. That’s when it clicked. I realized my natural writing voice had been cozy mystery all along, I just didn’t know it yet!
As a reader, what cozy elements do you love most?
I’m all about small-town charm and tight-knit communities. Give me a nosy sleuth, a gossip-loving neighbor, and a place where everybody knows everybody’s business, that’s my kind of cozy read!
Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?
If I’m being honest... I don’t actually read a lot of cozy mysteries. I know! I gravitate more toward women’s fiction. But I still love the structure, the community, and the character-driven heart of a good cozy.
Books 1-10 in the Camper and Criminals Mystery Series by Tonya Kappes
What inspired your first cozy mystery?
Once I embraced that cozy mysteries were my natural fit, I went back to the TV shows I loved as a kid, The Scarecrow and Mrs. King, I Dream of Jeannie, and Knight Rider. I loved the mix of mystery, adventure, and just a touch of the paranormal. So I leaned into that and wrote my first cozy with a paranormal twist.
How do you create those comforting, community-rich settings in your books?
Honestly? I don’t have to research much. I grew up in, and raised my kids in, the kind of communities I write about. They’re familiar. They’re home. Times may change, but that sense of community? That’s always stayed the same.
What’s one key step in your writing process that helps you go from idea to finished book?
I run with it. When I get an idea, I let it unfold. I keep asking “What if?” and just follow where the story takes me. I don’t overthink, I let the story lead.
What advice would you give to aspiring cozy mystery writers?
Write. Don’t compare. Don’t try to mimic what others are doing. And please, don’t let anyone talk you out of your voice. I was told “southern” didn’t sell. I was told not to write the way I talk. If I had listened? I wouldn’t be here today.
Where can readers connect with you online?
I’m on all the socials! Just type my name into Google and you’ll find me.
Tonya Kappes Cozy Mystery Bookshelf
Use the arrows on either side of the images below to see the books in Tonya Kappes’s cozy mystery series.
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