Q&A with Beth Groundwater discussion

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What mstery subgenre does Deadly Currents fall in?

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message 1: by Beth (new)

Beth | 216 comments Mod
Since I haven't received a question here in a couple of days, I thought I'd share the answer to one I received at one of the blogs I'm visiting for my virtual book tour:

Deadly Currents debuts my new RM Outdoor Adventure Mystery series. My editor at Midnight Ink calls this new series a "softboiled" series versus a "cozy" series. It's still not as gritty, bloody, gory or sexy as a thriller can be, but it does push the boundaries of the tamer cozy genre. For example, we see Mandy and her boyfriend Rob engage in a little foreplay, but when they go in the bedroom, one of them kicks the door shut before we can go in there with them. :)

With my Claire Hanover gift basket designer cozy mystery series, I write about many emotions, but I hold back a little when it comes to exposing the raw underbelly of dark emotions. In this series, I have the leeway to dig deeper into those dark emotions and darker topics, and I do.

As for the force of nature, there's no force more powerful than that of rushing water, and the videos of the Japan tsunami attest to that. That's why whitewater rafting and rangering can be dangerous.


message 2: by Lisa (new)

Lisa (lisa_rd) Thanks for explaining what "softboiled" means. I've read some I thought were cozies but they were kind of racier. So I was wondering if they might be another subgenre. Thanks for clearing that up.


message 3: by Beth (new)

Beth | 216 comments Mod
Thanks for your comment, Scott and Lisa! There aren't any hard-and-fast criteria or lines between the subgenres, either, and some reviewers have called Deadly Currents a cozy. And books within a series can venture over that line, too, if the author decides to tackle a more serious or lighter subject.

If you want to avoid certain subjects, like sex scenes, or foul language, or in my case, torture or rape scenes, then relying on word-of-mouth recommendations and advice from friends and fellow Goodreads readers is the best way to go, I think.

What does everyone else think?


message 4: by Sheila (new)

Sheila | 21 comments Interesting. I'd wondered what soft-boiled meant.


message 5: by Beth (new)

Beth | 216 comments Mod
Hopefully, people won't equate it with a soft-boiled egg--gooey and mushy this book ain't! ;-)


message 6: by Chris (new)

Chris (chriswolak) I just requested a copy of Deadly Currents from my library. I don't read a lot of cozies, but I do like outdoorsy books, so this might be right up my alley. It was Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series that got me into reading mysteries in the first place. I like the distinction between softboiled and cozy. Thanks for this topic!


message 7: by Beth (new)

Beth | 216 comments Mod
Hi Chris,
Since you enjoy the Nevada Barr series, I think you'll like Deadly Currents, too. Please let me know what you think after you read it!


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