In this engaging conversation, Carmela Dutra shares her journey from writing children's literature to finding her niche in cozy mysteries. She discusses the challenges of the writing process, the importance of critique partners, and the lessons learned during the querying process. Carmela emphasizes the value of plotting and how her agent's guidance helped refine her work. Balancing writing with family life, she also reflects on her inspirations and future aspirations as an author.

Pre-order Carmela’s debut cozy mystery from Crooked Lane books here. 

Out September 5th!

Carmela discussed her Agent Guide. You can find that here. 

If you’d like to contact Carmela you can find her at her website.

Or Instagram.

If you’d like to contact me please feel free to ⁠

⁠Website⁠. ⁠Instagram⁠. ⁠Threads.⁠ ⁠Patreon ⁠or my ⁠⁠Substack

Chapters

00:00 The Journey to Writing a Book

04:58 Finding the Right Genre

07:56 The Role of Critique Partners

11:12 The Importance of Plotting

14:05 Navigating the Query Process

17:09 The Experience of Getting an Agent

20:03 The Creative Process Behind Cozy Mysteries

22:59 Writing the Sequel and Evolving as a Writer

29:17 Feedback and Revisions in Writing

30:44 Crafting a Satisfying Mystery

35:09 Overcoming Writer's Block

38:45 Balancing Writing with Family Life

41:42 Exploring Future Writing Directions