Author interview with cozy romance and mystery author, Iris Applewood

When she’s not mixing spices or spinning stories, she treasures her sleep, where she often dreams up her next big idea. Through her writing, Iris hopes to add a touch of enchantment to everyday life, inspiring readers to find magic in the most unexpected places—even in their own backyards.

Q: When did you first catch the writing bug? What drove you to persist?
A: I first caught the writing bug as a kid in elementary school! I even entered some writing and poetry contests. Sadly, I somehow got the idea that writing wasn’t a “real” career. I don’t remember anyone explicitly telling me this, but the notion just sort of seeped into my subconscious, like a social virus. I didn’t pick up writing again until quite recently, just after the pandemic – and that was for a YA fantasy story that is still unpublished. That story is full of demons and other occult references. I bit off more than I could chew with that first novel (dual timeline, dual POV), and eventually set it aside to write a Christmas cozy romance, sort of as a palette cleanser. And now I’m hooked on the cozies!

Q: Do you prefer to write stand-alone novels or series? Do you make connections between non-connected books?
A: My debut novel is a standalone in terms of the story itself, but it is set in a town that I plan to set many stories in. In fact, my current work-in-progress, the cozy mystery with the perfume protagonist, is set in the same town as Keeper of Lost Loves—Serenity Falls. That town, in turn, is based on the town I live in. And I love having crossover characters from Keeper of Lost Loves show up as cameos in this new book!

Q: What was the best money you ever spent on your writing career?
A: Getting a membership to Fictionary. It’s technically a software that helps you write – and boy howdy does it do that! But more than this, Fictionary has a fantastic community that has been soooo supportive of my writing journey. They were my biggest cheerleaders when I finally published! And, because I used Fictionary software to edit my novel, I was able to publish with confidence in the soundness of the story’s structure.

Q: What author’s work did you like at first but later realized wasn’t that good? What changed your opinion?
A: Oh…. I’m not going to name any names (that feels rude), but I will say that OMG this is probably my least favorite part of becoming more versed in the profession. Once I started really studying story, and getting involved in it as an author (and editor), I started to see all the things that go wrong in other books. Mine too! Reading as an educated author and editor is a whole ‘nother sort of skill, because sometimes you just have to put your critique brain aside and just enjoy the story, bumps and all.

Q: What is your favorite genre to read? Do you write in that genre? Has that always been your favorite genre, or has your taste evolved as you have grown as a writer?
A: Right, so I go back and forth between sweet, cozy, stories and dark horror. Nothing in the middle. I have no idea why! I love the cozy feel of sweet romance, mysteries, some of the lighter women’s fiction. I’m also a huge Hallmark Christmas movie fan. And then on the other extreme, I love horror. Especially the psychological thrillers, but also I love a good slasher story as well.

Both genres have their own kind of catharsis. Cozy stories reassure us that, despite life’s little bumps, things are ultimately good and people are kind. In horror, especially slashers, the catharsis is different but equally intense. Facing our deepest fears in a fictional setting gives us a rush, but once we’re done, we’re safe again. Both cozy and slasher stories allow us to explore vulnerability: in one, it’s the vulnerability of emotions and relationships; in the other, it’s physical and psychological vulnerability.

Here’s a fun irony: cozy mysteries and slashers even follow a similar pattern. There’s the inciting incident (a body discovered in a garden or a cabin in the woods), the gradual reveal of clues or potential suspects, a mounting sense of suspense, and finally, a big reveal or showdown. Cozy stories might reveal a village gossip as the culprit, while slashers… well, they usually reveal a masked psychopath. But in both, we start in safety, wander into danger, and end up (mostly) okay.

So maybe the appeal of both genres lies in this satisfying structure: the comforting cycle of safety, disruption, and return. In cozies, we wander into a quaint puzzle. In slashers, we bolt into sheer terror. But either way, we get a full, emotional adventure in bite-sized form.

Q: What kind of research do you do as part of your planning process, and how much time do you spend researching before beginning a new book project?
A: Well, as a PhD sociologist who spent a decade working as a research analyst, I think if you asked anyone else the answer to that would be “too much.” But I love research. I can go down so many rabbit holes. Honestly, I’m a tad worried about my browser search history with this cozy mystery novel. So many searches of poisons that can’t be detected easily in an autopsy, that wouldn’t raise suspicions based on the symptoms… how to hide a body. It’s for my book! I swear!

Q: How many hours a day do you write?
A: I set a goal of writing for two hours each morning. I can’t say that I always stick to that, but I try. Really. I try. Sort of.

Q: How do you select names for your characters?
A: Baby name websites! I like to find names that have a meaning that ties into the character somehow.

Q: If you didn’t write, what would you do for work? (Or what do you do “for a living” if you aren’t supporting yourself with your writing – yet?)
A: My writing does not support me (yet!). I also am an editor, and I teach editing and blog for Fictionary. But my main job is actually as a perfumer. I have had my perfume business for thirteen years, and this year we just opened our first physical storefront. It has been such an exciting—and terrifying—adventure. But the storefront is in a cozy little downtown that looks like it was plucked right out of Hallmark movie. I love it! And guess what? My next book is a cozy mystery with a protagonist who realizes that her perfumes are magic. I’m just trying to manifest that reality for myself, lol. Magic perfumes? Yes, please!

Q: Do you read your book reviews? How do you handle those reviews, whether good or bad?
A: I read them voraciously at first. And I probably will again for the first few months after my next release. But you gotta take those reviews with a grain of salt. For example, my negative review called my book flowery and I was accused of overusing adjectives and metaphors. I worked hard on my silly metaphors! And I love adjectives. I don’t care what the current, supposedly rational, and entirely uninspired industry standard is. You can pry my beloved, overly-specific, and defiantly clinging adjectives from my cold, dead, mildly clammy, and inexplicably twitching hands.

Q: What was your hardest scene to write?
A: The sexy scene in Keeper of Lost Loves. Ack! My novel is sweet, with no clothing removal, just kissing, but boy does it get steamy. Heck, even the first kiss was awkward for me to write. It’s like I’m a teenager all over again, bumbling through my first kiss… on page.

Q: Does your family support you as a writer?
A: Absolutely! But my family are not, by and large, readers, so most have not read my book. My mom did, and I was very proud of her for that!

Q: How did you become involved in the subject or theme of your book?
A: My debut novel is about a woman who discovers that when she kisses people under the mistletoe, she can see their lost loves. It came to me in a dream.

Q: What process did you go through to get your book published?
A: I self-published. My process was to do as much as I could by myself—with lots of support. So, I had alpha readers, beta readers, and I worked hard to put together an ARC team. I signed up for as many ARC reader websites as I could. This was my first book, so I also had to put together my website, start a newsletter, and figure out self-publishing. For that last bit, I took a course: Sarra Cannon’s Publish & Thrive. It was the best, most robust course I have taken on publishing. Highly recommend.

Q: What makes your book stand out from the crowd?
A: Well, mine is the only sweet cozy romance that has a bibliography in the back. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends a bit on how you feel about bibliographies. But the twist at the end—don’t worry, I won’t spoil it here—is based on United States history. One of my beta readers complained that it was not believable, and I balked. But that part was true! Dear, you blithely accept that someone can see people’s lost loves under the mistletoe but not that [redacted]. So I put in a bibliography to show my research. Did I mention I have a PhD in sociology?

Learn more about Iris Applegate on her website.

Now available in print and on Kindle!