New genre and marketing bit...

Just joined a new site for marketing my book to readers! check it out here!
http://www.thebooksmachine.com

On to my more pressing news which is learning how to  write in a new genre. For those of you who know me you are aware that I write fantasy/romance. But now I have dipped my toe into the waters of the 'cozy mystery' genre and have just completed a 65,000 word novel that in truth is not that cozy. I asked a friend (another cozy writer) to read it through for me and give me some feedback. Now I am revising.

A cozy mystery is on  the order of Agatha Christie and usually  revolves around a small town and a murder that takes place there. The protagonist is most often an amateur sleuth of some kind. A cozy mystery is not explicit about the murder, instead focusing on setting and characters and setting up red herrings that might or might not lead the reader on a wild goose chase. It can have a serial killer but none of the horror of what this serial killer has done or is doing. In other words it is toned down and lighter than a regular mystery. Unfortunately mine went over the top into a bit of horror and instead of making it more horrific and slipping into the horror genre, I decided to take out the nasty bits and bring it back to a cozy.

I already have a fantastic cover to go with my story--done by Valerie Howard. However, this wonderful cover will not do for a cozy mystery. I will save it in the hopes of another story that fits with my cover! Which means I will need to change the name as well. And so my work is cut out for me. I like the story and the characters and I have added my own brand of paranormal to spice it up. (can't leave out the paranormal realm!) All I need to do is take out creepy and add in more description of place and characters. I even have a link to where to find the right cover art. So don't be surprised when my new book comes out--don't have a name yet but....