Authors In Conversation: RW Green and Ellie Alexander

Ellie: Rod, it’s no secret I’m a super fan of Agatha Raisin, so when asked whether I might be interested in having a conversation about our long-running cozy series, my immediate answer was yes! Agatha and her zany crew have captivated me and other readers for years. Killing Time is the 35^th book in the series. I’m curious how you keep the series fresh and engaging after so many books, and is there anything Agatha wouldn’t do to sleuth out a killer?

Rod: Hi Ellie – good to chat with you! Glad you’re an Agatha fan and continuing to enjoy the series. Keeping things fresh is a challenge but I have a small army of helpers in the shape of the cast of characters developed by M. C. Beaton over the years. They tend to take a greater or lesser role depending on the way they decide the story goes. I know that sounds weird, but I’ve not lost my marbles completely. The thing is, when regular characters are dropped into situations, there are things they can be expected to do or say, and things that would be out of character for them, just like real people. The interaction between the characters and any new protagonists always helps to keep the plot bubbling.

Funny you should ask about things that Agatha might or might not do in the course of an investigation, because that’s another key way to keep things fresh and fun. She will do practically anything. She goes out stalking quokkas (look them up – they’re so cute!) and lions in Down The Hatch; she takes up archery (briefly) in Dead On Target; and she even gets naked to infiltrate a nudist club in Devil’s Delight! In Killing Time, she spends a short time on the Spanish island of Mallorca, all in the line of duty.

Rod: So I’ve always loved the titles you come up with for Jules’s investigations in the Bakeshop Mysteries. M. C. Beaton’s first Agatha book was Quiche of Death, but you’ve turned the cookery puns into an art form. Muffin but the Truth is just brilliant and I think of Live and Let Pie every time the Wings/Guns ’n’ Roses tune comes on the radio! You’ve just released Sticks and Scones, which is the 19^th book in the series – how do you keep coming up with those titles and what comes first, the title or the plot? While you’re at it, I must know if you actually bake all of the recipes included in the books.

Ellie: The titles for these series are quintessentially cozy, aren’t they? I still have my well-worn copy of The Quiche of Death—it’s a classic! I think a clever title is important because it gives the reader a little clue about the book they’re about to crack open, and hopefully, the title gives them a good chuckle because, after all, cozy mysteries are meant to be light and fun. I tend to start with a working title and stay open during the writing process to see how the story develops and what Jules is baking at Torte. Once you get started down the path of a good pun, they begin to take on a life of their own. Titles have become a family affair—friends, readers, booksellers, librarians, my editorial team, and even strangers offer ideas and suggestions. I love that puns inspire such creativity. I read somewhere that people drawn to puns tend to be highly intelligent, so I’m sticking to that story.

In terms of the recipes, it’s true. I bake every recipe included in the books. Baking is my love language, so it doesn’t feel like work. The recipes are one of the final things I do when editing a manuscript. It’s such a sensory process to knead a sweet bread dough or whip up a chocolate souffle. I use my time in the kitchen to layer those details into the story. Although I will admit I’ve had my fair share of baking fails over the years, which I think both Jules and Agatha can relate to.

Ellie: I think the cozy is sometimes maligned and brushed off as fluffy. For any readers who aren’t familiar with the term—a cozy typically takes place in a small town or village (think the Cotswolds or charming Ashland, Oregon) and features an amateur sleuth where the focus is on piecing together the clues to figure out whodunit. They’re meant to be escapist reading, but plotting a mystery takes tremendous work. What are some of your challenges when it comes to writing, especially continuing such a beloved series?

Rod: I think that ‘cozy crime’ began as a term of convenience used by publishers to categorize books of a certain type. Because it so simply describes the genre, it soon reached the wider world. Some writers prefer to use the term ‘classic crime’ as they feel ‘cozy’ denigrates what we do. They believe their work is dismissed as having less value than other crime writing styles and I can see their point. It takes as much work to construct a cozy murder mystery as it does to create any other kind of detective story and we can’t rely on foul language, graphic violence or explicit sex scenes to shock our readers. Therein, however, lies the beauty of the term ‘cozy’. When readers see a book labelled in that way, they know just what to expect and, if they’re fans of that humorous, more gentle style, they can be confident they’re buying a book they’ll be comfortable reading.

When it comes to maintaining the style in a series that fans have enjoyed for years, I think that the established cast of well-loved characters is what drives everything forward. I’d include the setting as one of the most important ‘characters’ – Cotswolds for Agatha and Oregon for Jules – because local history, folklore and culture not only add flavour (quite literally in your Bakeshop series!) but can also provide inspiration and become integral to a new storyline.

Rod: Some things that characters do and the way they can influence the plot still surprise me during the writing process. What about you? How do you balance giving readers the familiar elements they love while introducing new characters, settings, or plot twists to keep things exciting? Are there secondary characters in your series that have unexpectedly become fan favorites or taken on a larger role than you initially planned?

Ellie: Yeah, I agree, it’s always a delight when characters take us in directions we didn’t see coming. That may be my very favorite part of writing. It feels like magic, and I don’t think a character has ever led me astray. The gift of writing a long-running series is having time and space to develop the secondary cast of characters. It’s not just Agatha’s antics that keep me coming back—it’s also Roy, Bill, Sarah… I could go on and on.

It’s a delicate balance to strike between not boring readers who have followed the series from the beginning and providing enough backstory for new readers. For me, I’ve tried to give each secondary character their own growth arc, rotating through who gets to take center stage (so to speak) for each book. Readers have their own favorites and email and message me often to share their thoughts. That’s the highest compliment I think we can receive. These fictional characters we’ve created in our heads resonate in real life. They feel like old friends to me, and I’m thrilled readers feel equally attached. Lance, the Artistic Director for the Shakespeare Festival, has certainly become a fan favorite, which is hilarious because originally I thought he was going to be a toss-away character, but he had other ideas!

Ellie: On the note of popularity, why do you think the cozy has passed the test of time and continues to remain beloved?

Rod: At the risk of sounding boring – and I’m brave enough to take that risk – the popularity of cozies all comes back, once again, to the characters. Readers like to be able to put themselves in the shoes of the investigator. In my case, that would mean male readers (I know of plenty blokes who read Agatha Raisin) squeezing into Agatha’s high heels but a little discomfort’s not going to put off the most dedicated fans. The point is that readers have a close affinity with the main character and will often see friends’ or relatives’ faces among the supporting cast. With so much invested in the characters, readers don’t then want to see any of their favourites doing anything darkly sinister, deeply disturbing or viscerally violent. They don’t want their characters giving them nightmares. That’s the sort of thing that might happen in other genres. Cozies are so popular because readers know they can be relied upon to provide an intriguing murder mystery that their main character will solve with the help of some familiar friends, wrapping things up in a satisfying manner without leaving anyone too traumatized. There’s a fun, feel-good factor to cozies that you simply don’t get elsewhere.

Rod: I guess all of that is what makes cozy mystery readers loyal to their favourites and so thoroughly engaged as fans. What’s the most memorable feedback or interaction you’ve had from a fan of your series?

Ellie: There’s nothing better than hearing from readers who enjoy our work. I’m sure you feel the same. I mean, I can’t even begin to count the hours of enjoyment Agatha has brought me. Over the years, I’ve made so many incredible connections and friendships because of the series. One standout is a reader who got a tattoo of the coffee mug from the cover of Mocha, She Wrote. I never would have imagined anyone getting a tattoo of my books when I started writing. For me, the most rewarding part of writing is hearing from readers who have sought solace in the pages of my books. Knowing that these stories provide a moment of escape during some of life’s hardest moments—grief, divorce, illness—and that our characters and stories are companions and sources of comfort fills my heart. It’s a testament to the power of storytelling to help us feel less alone, even when life feels overwhelming.

Ellie: I’m dying to know what’s next for Agatha. Can you give me a little insider info?

Rod: Well, despite the fact that it’s one of the most beautiful and peaceful areas of England, Jules can bet her bake shop on there being another murder or two in Agatha’s Cotswolds in the not-too-distant future . Following on from Killing Time, Agatha gets tangled up in the past lives of three women who have known each other since they were little girls. Sugar and Spite will be out in fall 2025.

Rod: What about for Jules?

Ellie: Sugar and Spite. Come on, that’s too good. I can’t wait! Jules is venturing out of Ashland in the next installment, Killing Me Souffle, which will be released in February. She and the team at Torte are heading to the southern Oregon Coast to help launch a new restaurant when they suddenly realize that murder is on the menu.