Cozy Mystery Author in Residence: Jennifer S. Alderson

Chat with Jennifer in the Cozy Mystery Book Explorer Group on Facebook

Hello and thank you for welcoming me to the Cozy Mystery Book Explorer, Sarah!

My name is Jennifer S. Alderson and I have one series of amateur sleuth mysteries out (the Adventures of Zelda Richardson) and a second cozy mystery series is in the works!

The star of my first series is Zelda Richardson, an American art history student studying in Amsterdam who keeps getting entangled in art-related mysteries while working for Dutch museums, libraries and archives.

Reviewers call my amateur sleuth a cross between Nancy Drew and Robert Langdon. Her research provides the clues needed to solve the mystery, along with her drone flying friend-Fredrick and her forensic anthropologist boyfriend, Jacob. In my latest book, she gets help from a Dutch art detective, as well!

Amsterdam, Netherlands is Zelda's hometown and the main setting for my series. It's also my adopted home! I moved here 16 years ago to study art history and never left. I am now married to a Dutch man and we have a wonderful 7-year-old son.

The settings of my novels are extremely important to me; I want my readers to feel transported to the destination I've described. What's better than a vacation and mystery rolled into in one? :D
The Adventures of Zelda Richardson series are set in Nepal, Thailand, the Netherlands, Papua, Panama, Costa Rica, Italy, Croatia and Turkey.

Have any of you been to any of these wonderful countries?
Down and Out in Kathmandu: A Backpacker Mystery*** 
Holiday Gone Wrong: A Short Mystery Thriller
The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery
Rituals of the Dead: An Artifact Mystery
Marked for Revenge: An Art Heist Thriller [out in May 2019!]
(** cozy with an edge – Down and Out in Kathmandu is Pg-13 because of swearing backpackers, the rest of my novels are PG.)

Travel Agency for 50-plussers
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I also have a fun surprise to share with you – I’m currently developing a new series that will be more traditional cozies! This one features a travel-loving yoga instructor who gets roped into helping her cat-loving landlord (and owner of a travel agency for 50-plussers) out of a bind by helping guide an organized trip to Budapest. Things don’t quite work out as either hopes…

The early draft of book one had my beta readers rolling on the floor in laughter! If the stars align, the first two books will be out before the end of the year.

The setup is that my main character will work as a guide on trips around the world. Right now I have plans for these intrepid travelers to visit Budapest, Tuscany (Italy), Saint Petersburg, Costa Rica, Fiji, the French Riviera, and Normandy (France).

Whereas I try to tie the Zelda Richardson books to a current event in the art and museum world, this series will fall neatly into the ‘vacation cozy’ genre and focus on the interactions between the members of the group as they visit fascinating cities around the world.

Because this new series is still in development, I thought it would be fun to pick your brains about what you enjoy most about the cozy genre. I’ve got a few questions to post throughout the week and look forward to reading your answers!

Why don’t we start with one now? What are some of your favorite cozies (books or authors) that feature tour groups, vacations, cross-country trips, volunteer trips, bed and breakfasts, etc?

Thanks again for having me! My books are available as paperback, audiobook and Kindle Unlimited. If you want to learn more about me, you can check them out here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-S.-Alderson/e/B019H079RA/
Or signup for my newsletter to be kept up-to-date about the new series:http://eepurl.com/cWmc29

​You can also find me on social media:
Website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JSAauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsaauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferSAldersonAuthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JennifeSAlderson