Last week, I was a guest on The Wickeds. When Sherry Harris invited me, I asked her what theme or topic would she like me to cover. I mentioned that my main character, Miriam, was a career woman and mother to a four-year-old. Would it be ok to talk about the need for quality childcare? The answer was a resounding yes.
Cozy mysteries are often stereotyped as soft and fluffy. And it is true that like romance novels, cozies often have a HEA or more likely an HFN. (Happily-Ever-After. Happy For Now.) And, yes the hallmark of a cozy (See what I did there?) is that the violence is off-page. But that does not mean that the story is all flowers and singing woodland creatures. The sub-genre that I love deals with righting wrongs and spotlighting social issues. Quality and affordable childcare is a social issue that affects our entire society. The commenters on my post at The Wickeds agree.
Mango, Mambo, and Murder is not solely about a career woman in need of childcare for her four-year-old. There are many social issues that intersect in Miriam’s life. The village within Miami that she has moved to has a history to it that is not pretty. It was a sundown town. And while the village has moved into the 21st century, some old guard and founding families wish it were still the 1950’s.
With cozies the reader can explore important social and historical issues knowing the story will end with the ills corrected and justice served. There will probably be a cute pet (in my series it is a cat) and a hot caffeinated (cafe in my story) beverage, too. Because community is such an important component to the cozy sub-genre, it is the perfect place to wrestel with the social issues that impact us in our real lives.
Think about one of your recent cozy reads. Was there a subplot or side story that dealt with a socail issue? I bet there was! Tell us about it in the comments section.
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Raquel V. Reyes can be found across social media platforms as LatinaSleuths. The first book in the Caribbean Kitchen series will be available on October 12th, 2021.
