Today the Chicks are pleased to host Charlotte Stuart, the award-winning author of a host of different mysteries, from laugh-out-loud, to cozy, to traditional, to PIs. And today, she’s giving away a copy of her new book, In$urance to Die For, to two lucky commenters (e-book or paperback, winner’s choice). Huzzah! Take it away, Charolotte!
EDITED ON 3/13: We have our winners of Charlotte’s books! Grant@Tame Your Book and Linda Herold! Congrats, you two!
From Laugh Out Loud to No Smiles Required
When I wrote my first mystery, I didn’t think about genres or branding. I had a title, a plot, a handful of characters, and started writing. It ended up a hybrid—the lighthearted humor and happy ending of a cozy combined with a female private detective protagonist. Since then, the humor in my books has ranged from comedic to none at all. My inner muse is sometimes confused, as are my readers. Although I believe that inside each writer there is a mix of potential sub genres, some authors are better at taming their writing impulses or at branding and marketing these differences. It’s something I struggle with.
The academic in me resurfaced when I started getting questions about my genre categories. In an attempt to clarify where my books fell on the humor continuum, I developed a matrix that I refer to as One Genre (humorous mysteries), Five Categories. At one end are the laugh out loud books of writers like Carl Hiaasen, and at the other end is the dark humor of writers like Caimh McDonnell and his Dublin Trilogy. In between you have what I’ve labeled the comic (most cozies), amusing, and edgy. Going through this exercise and writing articles and guest posts about it helped me see why I was having trouble with brand.
First of all, we don’t all laugh at the same things. Furthermore, although many readers enjoy humor in mysteries, not all do. For instance, if given the choice, not everyone would look at the comics page in the Sunday paper. And once there, most would only read those that appealed to their individual sense of humor.
giving a presentation on humor in mysteries
Perhaps I should have used pseudonyms for different series, but it’s a bit late for that option for me. Instead, I’m hoping to manage reader expectations through my book covers and Amazon descriptions. But even when I write a cozy, it’s more appropriate for a mug of coffee than a cup of tea.
Recently my husband and I published a legal thriller that we co-authored. Although some thrillers include a touch of humor, when you have a plot that features conspiracies, a hate crime, and a corrupt chain of command, the reader doesn’t expect many laugh lines.
Humor is a psychological tickle that may produce an open mouth laugh, a giggle, a chuckle, an occasional smile, or even a snicker at the incongruity of dark humor. Although I take life too seriously at times, and my brand remains cloudy, I will probably continue trying to bump a few funny bones in most of my mysteries. Perhaps I should create a warning meme for my non-humorous books, something that suggests “no smiles required.”
Readers: What authors bump your funny bone? (Two commenters will each win a copy of In$urance to Die For ! Please leave your email address so we can contact you.)
In$urance to Die For is the 2nd in the series I refer to as “Murder With a Laugh Track.” Although there is a serious plot, the humor is as important as the mystery.
At war with local crows, a terrorist kitten, and signed up for a dating app by prankster poker players, claims adjuster John Smith ends up with more enemies than Harry Potter when investigating an art scam that turns deadly.
Charlotte Stuart PhD writes mysteries that fall into a number of different sub genres: cozy mysteries, character-driven mysteries featuring a female PI, a laugh out loud comedic series, as well more traditional mysteries. She’s also co-authored a legal thriller with Don Stuart. In general, she favors twisty plots with a dollop of adventure. Her Discount Detective Mysteries won the Chanticleer International Mystery and Mayhem Series Award. Recently, she won a Firebird Quirky Award for “The Best Title to Say Out Loud”: Who, Me? Speluncaphobia, Secrets and Hidden Treasure.
Before she started writing full time, she left a tenured faculty position to go commercial salmon fishing in Alaska, spent a year sailing “around the world” in the Washington and Canadian San Juans, became a partner in a management consulting group and later a VP of HR and Training. After living on boats for over a decade, boating and forays into wilderness areas often find their way into her stories.
Charlotte lives on Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest and is the past president of the Puget Sound Sisters in Crime.
Chicks on the Case 
Thanks for the guest post, Charlotte. Within each of Raymond Chandler’s novels, a line or two never fails to tickle my funny bone. For example, here’s a line from Farewell, My Lovely. “It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.” Here’s a dialogue tag from The Lady in the Lake. “‘I don’t like your manner,’ Kingsley said in a voice you could have cracked a Brazil nut on.” From the Little Sister, this line may remind some of today’s politics. “California, the department-store state. The most of everything and the best of nothing.” Keep the humor coming!
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Wish I was that witty! Let’s keep laughing!
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Your humility reminds of the time the Lions Club nominated me for that same-named award. I stood up to accept the plaque, and they rescinded the honor. 😉 My best to you in your ongoing efforts, Charlotte!
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What a great story for a book – an in-person rescinded award. Love it.
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Word press discovered I was trying to write comments and decided to have a little fun with me – instead of using my name – Charlotte Stuart – they came up with a strange username fro who knows where. But being “agile” and “bold” isn’t all bad.
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Better agile and bold than the one they gave me: fragile and old.
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Janet Evanovich’s books are laugh out loud funny. Thank you so much for this chance at your giveaway. pgenest57 at aol com
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Good luck.
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Thanks for engaging in the giveaway. Good luck
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Charlotte,
this was an interesting read. I love a good funny, and like you, I have several different levels of humor.
I make jokes in stressful situations to deal with them, so I am inappropriately funny at times. therefore, there is no small list of authors I find humorous. I find humor in most things.
Currently reading a conspiracy thriller where I am sure many of my friends would frown on what I think is funny in it.
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Hestia – I find I get sarcastic when under pressure. In my past, this led to some interesting interviews!
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I’ve found a lot of funny moments in Diane Kelly’s books. Janet Evanovich also has several, though I think I like the earlier books best.
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Evanovich is an inspiration. I wonder if she has a method for tracking behaviors of ongoing characters from book to book.
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Your book series sounds wonderful. We all need to laugh more. Jana Deleon’s “Miss Fortune” series cracks me up, with a retired female assassin and 2 elderly Viet Nam era spies (also ladies), one of them a flamboyant dresser who has a purse so heave with weapons she tips over. The setting is the Louisiana Bayou. I’ve stopped reading that series at night so I don’t wake up my husband with my outbursts of laughter.
I am so looking forward to reading your series. Life today is way too serious. We need a break. Thank you!
Carol
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My earlier reply hasn’t been posted – hope you don’t get two of these. Anyway, I too am a “Miss Fortune” fan. But if my husband is asleep when I laugh out loud, that’s fine with me – ha.
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Welcome, Charlotte. Humor is indeed a funny thing. I definitely don’t write cozy and I don’t try to be funny. But people have told me some of my characters to bring out a chuckle.
Some of the Chicks, especially Ellen, are sure-fire laughs.
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Liz, thank you!!!
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I always have serious themes, but life sometimes requires a little laughter. So I’m not surprised you get chuckles without trying.
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I think personalities come through in our characters even when we think they are entirely separate from who we are. Of course, I’m not referring to the evil characters in our books!
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Why, the Chicks’ books, of course! 🙂
But other than them, I’m a big fan of Oscar Wilde, who never fails to make me laugh.
Thanks so much for visiting our blog today, Charlotte, and congrats on the new book!
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Watching “The Importance of Being Earnest” when I was in high school was so fun!
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I do remember books I read or movies or plays I saw when much younger if they had a little humor. And I love your books!
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I agree – I found the “Chicks” through reading your books. You are inspirational!
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I want to thank the chicks for this fun opportunity.
And, as Oscar Wilde said, “With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?”
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Yes to all the Chicks, and also Libby Klein. She’s a mistress of mirth!
Thanks for visiting today, Charlotte!
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Glad you’re here, Charlotte! Gotta love that funny bone graphic you drew! (And wait, there’s someone who doesn’t read the comics page?) But I’m with you about different levels and styles of humor. Besides the Chicks, I think Catriona McPherson is a hoot–on and off the page!
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I’m a Catriona fan – both of her books and her presentation style.
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Jamie Rutland Gillespie writes a fun series a Bobwhite Mountain Mystery it made me laugh out loud. Deborah deborahortega229@yahoo.com
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Thanks for the suggestion – I’m not familiar with her mysteries. But I soon will be.
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I love protagonists, especially women, who tend to stumple their way to solving a mystery. One set of favorites is Churchill and Pemberly, by Emily Organ, whose laugh-out-loud methods always seem to find a solution. A murder is always more fun with mirth!
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I refer to John Smith as “everyone’s inner klutz.” Not a female, but a lot of stumbling…
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I was just having lunch with a friend of mine who writes horror novels, but they always end up being funny. Sometimes, it’s just in your DNA! I don’t think I could write a serious novel if I tried — so I’m glad humorous mysteries are a thing! I’ll have to check out Caimh McDonnell… great reco!
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In my research on the brain and behavior, humor is definitely a “built-in” trait. And I can’t think of anyone I’ve known who has “developed” a sense of humor.
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I find I laugh at different things in a book than I do in TV or a movie. And there are times I am reading stuff that I know people find funny, but I find more amusing.
Outside of the chicks, Laura Levine was always a reliable laugh for me. And I recently found PJ Fitzsimmons. He made me laugh with the two books of his I’ve read so far.
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Thanks for the recommendations. When it’s all “in your head” you have more control over what you laugh at. I think the addition of a specific visual can either enhance or detract from the humor. One exception for me is Recipes for Love and Murder – the book and the TV series. I find them very consistent and equally amusing.
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I love reading mysteries. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
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Charlotte, thanks for hanging out today with the Chicks! We definitely like the humorous side of murder. Congrats on the new book!
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