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Welcome to another ReaderCrate Author Interview! Replay Link
If we haven’t met yet, my name is Alyssa Granlund, founder and curator of ReaderCrate, a monthly cozy mystery subscription crate featuring wonderful mystery authors along with fun themed goodies designed to create the perfect reading night.
Each month we choose a theme and pair great cozy mysteries with unique items that bring the reading experience to life.
Our March ReaderCrate theme was Grounds for Suspicion — a coffee-inspired cozy mystery crate that readers absolutely loved. It included three delightful mysteries along with cozy treats perfect for a mystery night at home.
As part of our monthly celebration, we host live author interviews with the writers featured in the crate, and this month I had the pleasure of chatting with cozy mystery author Kathy Manos Penn.
Kathy Manos Penn is the author of the charming Dickens & Christie Mystery Series, a cozy mystery collection set in the picturesque villages of the Cotswolds in England.
The series follows Lita Parker, an American widow who relocates to England for a fresh start—only to discover that her quiet new village is full of secrets, suspects, and mysteries waiting to be solved.
Helping Lita navigate these mysteries are two unforgettable companions:
🐾 Dickens the dog
🐾 Christie the cat
The animals play a special role in the series because they can communicate with Lita—though to everyone else they appear to be simply barking and meowing.
Kathy’s first book in the series, Bells, Tails & Murder, won a Readers’ Favorite Gold Award, and she has also been nominated twice for Georgia Author of the Year.
She currently lives in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with her husband and her real-life four-legged companions who inspired the personalities of Dickens and Christie.
During our interview she even introduced us to Puddin, the cat who inspired the character Christie!
Before becoming a full-time cozy mystery author, Kathy spent 30 years working in banking, primarily in corporate communications and leadership training.
Writing was always part of her career, but fiction came later.
After retiring, she began writing weekly columns for a small local newspaper. What started as a fun side project eventually led to something much bigger.
A writing mentor encouraged Kathy to try writing a cozy mystery novel, even though she had never written fiction before.
Her reaction at the time?
“What’s a cozy mystery? I’ve never written fiction!”
But she gave it a try.
The result was the beginning of a series that has now grown to twelve books and counting.
One of the most charming elements of the Dickens & Christie series is its setting in the Cotswolds, one of the most picturesque regions of England.
Kathy describes herself as a lifelong Anglophile, and in 2018 she finally took her dream trip to England with her husband.
During that trip they spent a week exploring the villages of the Cotswolds.
The experience left such an impression that Kathy chose it as the setting for her cozy mystery world.
She carefully documented the trip, taking detailed notes about the villages, landscapes, and culture—notes that later helped bring her fictional village to life.
During our conversation, we talked about why cozy mystery books are so popular with readers right now.
Cozy mysteries provide something many readers are looking for:
✔ engaging puzzles and clever twists
✔ memorable characters and friendships
✔ charming small-town settings
✔ mysteries without graphic violence
✔ satisfying resolutions
Kathy explained it perfectly:
“Sometimes the world is intense enough. It’s nice to spend time in a world where things get figured out.”
That comforting sense of community and resolution is exactly what makes cozy mysteries such a beloved genre.
After twelve books following Lita Parker’s journey, Kathy is now working on an exciting spinoff series set in the same cozy mystery world.
The new books will introduce fresh characters while still including familiar favorites.
And readers will be happy to know that Dickens and Christie will continue to play a role in the stories.
The first book in the new series is expected to release later this year.
Readers who want to learn more about Kathy and her books can connect with her here:
📚 Author Website:
https://kathymanospen.com
📘 Facebook:
Kathy Manos Penn Author
She also sends a newsletter where she shares writing updates, new releases, and stories from everyday life.
At ReaderCrate, our goal is to help readers discover wonderful cozy mystery authors like Kathy Manos Penn.
Each month we curate a themed crate filled with:
📚 cozy mystery books
🎁 fun themed goodies
☕ treats to enhance your reading experience
Our upcoming crate is:
🌸 Petals & Peril
Where everything is blooming… including the body count.
One special item in this crate is a beautiful hand-painted woodblock artwork created by an autistic artist as part of a meaningful give-back program.
If you’d like to discover new cozy mysteries and become part of our reader community, you can learn more here:
And thank you to Kathy Manos Penn for joining us and sharing the story behind her wonderful Dickens & Christie Mystery series.
