Sparring reporters star in Comet Cove Mysteries
I love romantic comedies and mysteries, and I really love it when they get together. Think Castle or Moonlighting on TV. But some mystery readers really do not like their chocolate in their peanut butter. (Remember those Reese’s ads? I just went to look at a couple, and I don’t think I realized as a kid how hysterically weird they are.)
Now, cozy mystery readers might like a dab of romance in their whodunit as long as it doesn’t get in the way of the mystery. A little more romance, and you get a “romcozy.” More, maybe romantic suspense. In my Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries, which I think of as quasi-cozy, the mystery takes precedence. But there’s a slow-burn romance over several books, and my heroine is not the shy, retiring type, so she’s very clear about what she wants.
We all want different things out of our books. And my new book that’s publishing June 10 (which grew out of an old book—more on that in a minute) is very much a mystery and a romantic comedy.
First, Scoop and Scandal is a small-town newspaper mystery. It unfolds the way classic journalism movies do, where each clue leads to another as rival journalists Roz (the serious reporter) and Alden (the gossip chaser) try to figure out why a boat exploded in the Atlantic and killed a movie star. It’s not a conventional mystery in the sense of an obvious murder and several suspects, but they have a lot to figure out. And as pursuing the story gets more dangerous, they realize they’re inconveniently attracted to each other, making for a lot of fun banter and romantic tension. So the romance has just about equal time as the mystery, especially in this first book.
I say “first book” because I plan to write more books set in Comet Cove, a quirky town on the Atlantic coast of Florida filled with space-themed businesses, from Bean Me Up coffee shop to Big Bang Books. Its charming, beachy atmosphere has begun to draw celebrities to its shores, turning it into a new hideaway for the rich and famous. So there’s lots of fodder for entertaining mysteries. Roz and Alden will return, as I also continue to write the Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries.
The geography of Comet Cove
This fictional town grew up around an inlet, a cut in the barrier island. Because these can be kind of confusing to describe if you’re not familiar with the geography, I made a map of Comet Cove that you can see here. (It’s in the book, too.)
Barrier islands run along much of Florida’s east coast. My fictional Bohemia Beach is on a barrier island. So are plenty of real cities, such as Cocoa Beach and Miami Beach.
Comet Cove’s Star Inlet is a waterway that links the ocean to the lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon lies between the barrier island and the mainland. Town residents always refer to the north side or the south side of Comet Cove, based on which side of the inlet they’re talking about.
Where I live, on Florida’s Space Coast, you have to cross a lagoon (or two, depending) to get to the beach towns and the Atlantic. For instance, from Cocoa, you drive east across the State Road 520 bridge over the Indian River Lagoon, drive across Merritt Island and the causeway traversing the Banana River Lagoon, then reach Cocoa Beach. (We use “bridge” and “causeway” interchangeably around here. And the lagoon is often called “the river” even if it technically isn’t one.)
Geographically, my fictional Bohemia and Bohemia Beach are situated a bit farther south, around where Melbourne and Melbourne Beach are in real life, though my fictional cities are bigger towns and completely invented. Comet Cove is the (fictional) beach town just south of Bohemia Beach. In fact, Bohemia and Bohemia Beach appear in Scoop and Scandal.
The origins of SCOOP AND SCANDAL
Scoop and Scandal began as another book I wrote a long time ago in another author’s world. That book, Desire on Deadline, fit into that totally different setting, but the main characters, secondary characters and plot were mine. It always had a mystery at its heart, even if it was a hot romance. I classified it as a novel of light romantic suspense, given its comedic notes, and I really loved the characters and the story.
The story is similar in Scoop and Scandal, but its setting is entirely new, all the characters are my own, and elements have changed. I’ve expanded the book. I also took out all the hot stuff so that it would be a cozy-friendly romance (even if cozy readers don’t always like their chocolate in their peanut butter).
When I got the rights back to the old book, I wanted to give it new life. I hung onto it for a while before rewriting it. Now felt like the right time, especially because my heart is with the journalists who are working so hard to do the right thing and report the facts in the face of all odds. I came from a journalism career, and I understand and appreciate the “ink-stained wretches” to whom I’ve dedicated Scoop and Scandal.
Of course, journalism usually isn’t as wild or as fun as it is in Scoop and Scandal. I wanted the book to be an escape. I know it is for me. I hope you enjoy it.
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