Outlining, Inspiration, and Murder - Robin Dives into Her First Cozy Mystery Novel
Have you ever wondered what it takes to transform a story swimming in your head into a published cozy mystery novel? What if keeping a two-year writing secret from your family could lead to seeing your book on Barnes & Noble's website? Join Ashley Grant as she chats with Robin Stephanie (aka Masshole Mommy) about her journey from blogger to published author of "The Deadly Garden," the first book in the Driftwood Cove mystery series. Robin reveals her meticulous outlining process, from creating detailed character profiles to building a "series bible" that keeps her fictional Massachusetts town consistent across books. Discover how a podcast about Charles Manson's use of belladonna sparked an entire murder mystery plot, why Robin chose to write family-friendly cozy mysteries instead of gritty crime fiction, and the surprising upfront costs of self-publishing that most new authors don't expect. Robin shares her promotional strategies, from local book signings to AI-generated social media images, plus why her Google search history ("how quickly can you die from belladonna poisoning?") would probably land her on an FBI watchlist. She also discusses her paranormal podcast "The Gen X Couple" and teases details about book two in her series. Whether you're an aspiring mystery writer, cozy fiction fan, or curious about the self-publishing journey, this episode offers practical insights into turning creative ideas into published reality. Get book links and episode resources at famousashleygrant.com/deadlygarden This podcast is supported by affiliate partnerships. Please check out a few of our partners below: – Start a podcast today here: https://rss.com?via=famous – Create content from your own voice with Castmagic's Suite of AI Tools: https://get.castmagic.io/dcjy15cirnts – Want to help support our show? Buy a girl a drink perhaps? https://ko-fi.com/famousashleygrant – Need content for your podcast or blog? Check out Tools for Motivation! The links above are affiliate links. This means my podcast will receive a small commission if you order through any of them at no additional cost to you. Affiliate commissions are one of the ways my podcast makes money so that I can create episodes free of charge. If you do purchase anything from my links, I sincerely would like to thank you for your support!
