Spotlight on Korina Moss #spotlightsunday #Giveaway

Hello! I’m Korina Moss and this is my first time in the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen spotlight, so here's a bit about me and my road to writing. My journey to publishing the Cheese Shop Mystery series began when I started my own Eat, Pray, Love journey. In my press bio, I joke that I’ve stalled at the Eat phase, but upon further reflection, my writing life has allowed me to experience it all. 

My Eat, Pray, Love journey was precipitated by two major life events that happened within weeks of each other—turning 50 and becoming single for the first time in 27 years. If Elizabeth Gilbert could reinvent her life, so could I. However, I was a mom of a then 12-year-old son with ADD who was also on the spectrum, so running off to Italy by myself wasn’t in the cards. That didn’t stop me from my quest to finally live out my lifelong dream of becoming a published mystery novelist. 

The first thing I did was stop dreaming of becoming a published author. Let me explain. A dream is a “someday” thing, and at 50, my somedays were quickly becoming limited. I needed to change up my mindset and make the dream a goal. I put a five-year plan in motion, which basically consisted of prioritizing my writing, putting self-imposed deadlines in place (and holding myself to them), and pivoting when I wasn’t making traction.  

Within months, I finished a manuscript I’d been working on for literally eight years. And two years into my five-year plan, I had three offers of representation and signed with my terrific agent. That manuscript did not get published, however it led me to signing my first three-book deal with St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, for the Cheese Shop Mystery series. 

As you can guess, this is where the Eat phase of my journey began. Before writing the series, my only experience with cheese was eating it. Because my protagonist is a cheesemonger and cheese shop owner, my research has expanded my cheese knowledge significantly. It’s developed my appreciation for cheese, cheesemakers and cheesemongers, and the long history of cheese throughout the world. I also visited cheese shops for the first time and have tried dozens of cheeses that I’ve never had before. (Luckily for us, many grocery stores have expanded their cheese selection to include a wide variety of cheese now.) 

The owners & cheesemonger from Spread Cheese Co
at our Murder Mystery & Cheese Pairing event

Once the research was done, I began the writing. This is where the Pray phase of my journey began. With every book, I prayed I could finish it before the deadline. I prayed readers would like them. I prayed they’d sell enough. And it was a hallelujah moment when I was nominated for the Agatha Award twice and won Best First Novel for Cheddar Off Dead. 

The Love phase of my journey came into play when I started developing friendships with other writers in the mystery community. They’re my foundation and many have become close friends. The love has extended to the amazing readers, bloggers/booktubers, and FB group leaders I interact with, some of whom have also become cherished friends. I’ve been a cozy mystery reader for over twenty years, so I’m not just an author, I’m a fan of the genre too. 

It's been eight years since beginning my Eat, Pray, Love journey. Book 5, Fondue or Die, will be released on October 22nd, and I just finished writing book 6 of my series. My son is now twenty and is a junior in college on a full four-year academic scholarship, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. He just spent this past summer attending University College London’s international program. I’m still on my own in Connecticut, continuing my journey and eating copious amounts of cheese. 

*GIVEAWAY!

Readers: What would be the food you'd focus on for the Eat phase of your Eat, Pray, Love journey? One person who comments below will be randomly selected to receive a signed copy of Fondue or Die in October. Please include your first name and email address in the comments so I may contact you. U.S. only (sorry!)

PREORDER 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series set in Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner of the Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead and the finalist for Best Contemporary Novel, Case of the Bleus. Her books have been featured in USA Today, PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World Magazine, AARP Magazine, and Fresh Fiction. 

The Cheese Shop Mystery series is available wherever books are sold. To find out more and subscribe to my FREE monthly newsletter, visit my website and follow me on Facebook and Instagram.