The NEW Definition of A Cozy Mystery!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Ruffles and flourishes and confetti! You know how much we adore debut authors here on Jungle Red, and today we celebrate the fabulous Mia P. Manansala, whose ARSENIC AND ADOBO is all the buzz.  It comes out May 4, but you are hearing about it here first!

And I have to say, she’s amazing. We met at Malice, where she was constantly surrounded by pals.  She has a big launch event May 6 with our own Jenn McKinlay! Info here.

And I’m hosting her in The Back Room on May 16 with Peter Swanson, Mary Kubica and CJ Box!  (Whoa.) Info here.

Very very exciting!

Here today on Jungle Red, Mia  reveals how she discovered something SO true and SO hilarious--and, I have to say, so wise. I never thought about it this way. And now I never won’t.

What do you think of Mia's realization, Reds and readers? And the generous Mia is giving away a copy of her new book!  (LOOK at that fab cover!)

Having Fun with Genre Tropes

by Mia P. Manansala

 

It all started with a conversation between me and Kellye Garrett.

 

I can’t remember how the topic even came up, but we were joking about how so many cozies followed basic rom-com tropes: girl from a small town moves to the big city and can’t hack it so has to return home and pick up the pieces in some way. They then get roped into the family’s small business (often having to save it) and become more involved with the townspeople, eventually falling in love, if not romantically then with the town itself. Or a similar variation on those themes.

 

“Omg, cozies are just rom-coms with dead bodies!” I remember saying.

 

Dear Readers, that’s where it all began for me. Soon after that conversation, I was riding the train to work when this line popped into my head fully formed:

 

“My name is Lila Macapagal and my life has become a rom-com cliche.”

 

I had no idea who Lila was or what her story was going to be, but I knew I wanted to find out. I whipped out my phone and started writing that line down in my Notes app (can’t trust myself to actually remember these things) and as I was typing, the second line came to me:

 

“Not many romantic comedies feature Asian-American leads (or dead bodies, but more on that later), but the trademarks are all there.”

 

And that was it. I immediately knew what my story was and what my protagonist’s general backstory was going to be.

 

I’m not gonna lie: I love a good trope. That’s one of the reasons I love cozies so much. They’re familiar. They’re comforting. I greatly enjoy opening a book and getting exactly what I expected.

 

Genre is a tricky beast though. Many people have VERY set expectations on what should and shouldn’t happen in certain (sub)genres.

 

For example, Romance = Happily Ever After or at least, Happy For Now. If the main couple doesn’t get together in the end, readers get upset. I can understand why. I specifically picked up a romance novel to get swept away in an idyllic love affair. If I wanted to be reminded that dating sucks, I could’ve looked back on a decade of disappointing experiences. I don’t need a book for that.

 

The same goes for cozies, in my opinion. We see real-life villains get away with terrible things every day—at least in fiction they get their just desserts.

 

But when do these elements become too predictable? Too unbelievable?

 

People often say there is no such thing as an original idea—it’s all in the execution. I agree. I would also add: have a little fun with it. For my debut, ARSENIC AND ADOBO, I acknowledged every cozy trope I threw in there and had a blast with it. Some people take themselves too seriously and miss out on half the fun of writing.

 

That being said, are there any mystery genre tropes that you love? Hate? I personally can’t stand protagonists that make ridiculous decisions solely meant to introduce more danger to the plot. I’m already giving you the benefit of the doubt that this cookie baker is also a world class sleuth—my suspension of disbelief can only go so far.

 

Please share your thoughts on this to be entered in a drawing for a signed copy of ARSENIC AND ADOBO!

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Isn’t that brilliant?  I am not fond of...twins.:-) In books, I mean. Or when a character ignores OBVIOUS danger. Even if it turns out not to be dangerous, a real person would at least notice that the Uber driver does not look like the person on the visor-flap license.

How about you, Reds and readers? And  Mia will pick a winner after midnight EST!

And yay Mia!

 

Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer and certified book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore  aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. Her debut novel, ARSENIC AND ADOBO, comes out May 4, 2021 with Berkley/Penguin Random House.

 Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @MPMtheWriter 

Or check out her website: www.miapmanansala.com

 

ARSENIC AND ADOBO

 

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer....

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she's the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila's left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

Coming Clean

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Things I have  learned about laundry, and things I still wonder about. 

First, each person in a household typically has a chore, in my experience. Not necessarily assigned, but just..logical. Jonathan takes out the trash. And I--do the laundry. On Sunday, usually.

It’s fine, it’s rewarding, even, and it’s an easy multitask. I can write at my desk and hear the ping from the washer and then the dryer when it’s time to change the loads, and I can fold the laundry watching TV at night so it doesn’t feel as if I am just wastefully watching TV.

When the pandemic started, I will confess, I stocked up on laundry detergent and stain removing stuff and color-brightening stuff and whitening stuff. I always use those so carefully.

We also got a new dryer mid-pandemic, what fun. And a washing machine about two years ago. (Our previous ones were from the 1930’s, I think.)

But--couple of things. My clothing seems to be wearing out way more quickly than it was before.  Why is that? My t-shirts are suddenly fraying around the neck. They never did before.

And all the laundry gets really tightly twisty in the washing machine. Thing I never thought of: is a front loading machine better because it uses gravity instead of torque? I have to untwist everything before I put it in the dryer or it will never unwrinkle. 

And striped and flowered sheets with a white background but say, navy flowers--are those whites? Or colors?

And if I put colors into the white load, what would REALLY happen? (Not counting a red thing.  I am terrified to wash red things.)

Do I need all those colorboost and whitening things?

What say you, Reds and readers?

JENN McKINLAY: Sunday is laundry day here, too. Except everyone does their own. Amen! It takes all of my self control not to give in and do the Hooligans’ laundry. Now that one of them has moved out, he comes by to use the washer/dryer, but the other kid, well, I just close the door to his bedroom and pretend I don’t see the piles and piles of clean-dirty-smells okay clothing that covers every surface. Mercy! As for detergent, we’re a Tide family. Dryer sheets are about as fancy as we get. 

RHYS BOWEN: I write about the past and am reminded of my grandmother’s generation washing everything in a big tub, putting it through a mangle and then hanging it out on a line. It was a whole day’s work. It makes me feel guilty just to toss it into the machine and press the start button.

With only two of us at home laundry is no big deal. Even though we only have enough for one load I do one load of whites and one of coloreds. Habit, I suppose. We bought a new washer about three years ago (when the 20 year old model died) and we got a new-fangled top loader, not the type that rotates but rather like a front loader that uses very little water and gets things super-clean. It’s only drawback--it is HUGE. When I try to retrieve the last sock from the bottom I’m always scared of falling in, headfirst. And I am not a small person. 

I’ve always used Tide until I started getting skin that breaks out easily and my dermatologist told me Tide was the worst and I should use ALL. Actually then I researched and now use organic, bio-degradable laundry sheets. I’ve only just started using them so I can’t report on the improvement yet but they did get the first loads really clean.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It hasn’t been that many years since I was literally doing a load of laundry EVERY day, so running the machine every 8-10 days now feels like an incredible luxury. (When summer arrives, the pace will pick up, because clothing gets dirtier when I’m outdoors a lot and I do the sheets every week instead of every fortnight.) The Maine Millennial and I kind of roughly split the chores - I’m usually the one to load the washing machine, we split hanging the wet things up 50/50, and she frequently folds. NObody irons, because I ain’t got time for that nonsense.

Perfume-free, dye-free, non-allergenic detergent here for years and years. Most of the family has sensitive skin, and once you get used to your clothing smelling like sunlight, you don’t want to add anything else!

Oh, and Hank, your story about hearing the machine “ping” made me think of an exchange I saw recently on Twitter, about someone’s smart washer not properly pushing notifications on his phone. I thought, who the heck needs a text letting you know your clothes are ready to come out? Do you live in Buckingham Palace?

HALLIE EPHRON: Laundry is not my strong suit. I need lessons. After I turned our underwear pink and ran the dryer with a black crayon in it, my husband took over doing his own laundry. And our sheets and towels. I do my own, for better or for worse. And though I use “brightener” powder it just clumps up and does, as far as I can tell, nothing. I got hooked on GAIN a few years ago. It smells best. And I’m so glad we don’t have to wash by hand and mangle. 

I consider my great laundry achievement was cloth diapers. For both girls. I still love the feel of them. And bleach is the world’s greatest cleaner, assuming what you’re laundering started out white. 

LUCY BURDETTE: I’ve gotten very lazy about laundry. I don’t even sort whites from colors anymore. None of our pandemic clothes are new enough to worry about--they’ve been washed so many times! Both Lottie and Tbone like to help “fold” when the laundry is just out of the dryer--they roll around in the clean, warm clothes, and one of them drags pieces off. It’s hard to say who’s better at the job!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Lucy, so funny! I have to declare a dog and cat free zone on the bed before I fold laundry! I do the washing, Rick does some of the folding, as he’s better at it than I am.  I do still separate whites/lights from darks, but the clothes we’ve been wearing for the last year are so ratty that I doubt it matters.

No dyes or perfumes in the detergent--I can’t stand the smelly stuff--so it’s Kirkland brand eco liquid. 

Echoing Rhys on the deep washing machine! We had to replace ours a few months ago, and I was afraid I was going to need a ladder to reach the bottom of the tub! I’ve managed, but I have to stand on my tip-tip-tippytoes!

HANK: Oh, this is hilarious. I truly thought it was me--I CANNOT reach all the way to the back of the new dryer. Hmm. My first thought was "they designed them for men." But huh. I bet that's wrong.

So how about you, Reds and readers? Do I really need to separate the clothing? I love Persil--do you know about it? And still, after all these years, I am grateful that I no longer have to lug to the laundromat.

Tell us your laundry secrets--and your questions!

Now they tell us...

Congratulations! The winner of Alicia Beckman's BITTERROOT LAKE is KAREN IN OHIO! Karen, email Leslie at leslie@lesliebudewitz.com to collect your win!! 

Congratulations too! The winner of Edith Maxwell's A CHANGING LIGHT is PAT D. Pat, email Edith at Edith@EdithMaxwell.com

HALLIE EPHRON: Since March, 2020, I’ve been in a cleaning frenzy. Wiping down packages with disinfectant before bringing them into the house. Wiping down park benches before sitting on them. Using my sleeve to open doorknobs. Pressing elevator buttons with my knuckle. 

Stockpiling cleaning supplies. Here's a fraction of my stash...

Now, experts tell us, “There’s really no evidence that anyone has ever gotten Covid-19 by touching a contaminated surface.” That’s Linsey Marr, an expert on airborne viruses at Virginia Tech. Quoted in the New York Times.

More good/bad news: Researchers are tell us that the virus spreads primarily through the air in both large and small droplets hanging in the air, and scouring door handles and railings and subway seats does little to keep us safe.

As of April 5, the CDC caved and updated its cleaning guidelines:

The principal mode by which people are infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus. It is possible for people to be infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered to be low.

So, in most everyday scenarios and environments, according to the CDC, people do not need to use chemical disinfectants. The best prevention is to wash your hands, wear a mask, and give the rest of humanity a wide berth.

So why have we been so focused for so long on surface cleaning when there’s no evidence that anyone has ever gotten COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface? I’d argue that it’s the same reason we knock on wood. Because it’s something we can do in the face of something big and scary and that we barely understand and certainly cannot control.

So I suppose it’s a good sign that alcohol wipes and toilet paper are no longer in short supply. Ketchup is. We the people – we have our priorities.

How’s the cleaning going in your neck of the woods and do you have enough ketchup?