[Today, we sit down with author Louisa West. Here, she discusses her new Sleepy Hollow Mysteries series, her previous Midlife in Mosswood series, and her upcoming projects.]

Forests Haunted By Holiness: You have published multiple volumes for the Midlife in Mosswood series and just started the Sleepy Hollow Mysteries series. First, congratulations! Second, what draws you to the cozy paranormal genre? What do you find so appealing about it?

Louisa West: I think people have been enjoying cozy mysteries for a really long time — think Murder, She Wrote, Clue, and Miss Marple, among others. Cozy mysteries feel safe — there is no gore or overly enthusiastic violence, no swearing, no open-door sex. The settings are usually small towns with cute book shops, antique stores, fun bakeries. It’s like stepping away from your life into an idyllic setting and having a twisty-turny mystery that needs solving. Who wouldn’t love that? Adding the romantic element really ups the ante for me. I love a slow burn romance and cozy mysteries really lend themselves to that trope.

FHBH: Midlife in Mosswood currently stands at thirteen books. Did you plan for the series to be that long when you started? Did you have it all plotted out or did you let the characters take you along for the ride?

LW: I always planned for the series to be twelve books long, because I was writing four per year and I had an overall plan for what I wanted to achieve. I also had all the titles set for each book from the very beginning, which really helped me stay on track. Each book was plotted individually, though, and there were lots of fun twists and surprises for me along the way! My characters definitely have a lot to say about what happens to them — I like to think of each book as a mutual hostage negotiation!

FHBH: You recently published Ghost Appeal, launching the Sleepy Hollow Mysteries series. What sort of research went into Ghost Appeal? Lots of books on mediums and ghosts and forensics? A walking tour around Savannah?

LW: I’m an Aussie and have unfortunately never been to the US (though I plan to change that just as soon as I can). For both my Mosswood and Sleepy Hollow series, using Google Street View has been invaluable. I also watch a lot of touristy-type Youtube videos to get a sense of location, and then I love watching movies that might add to that by way of atmosphere and ambience.

With respect to the ghostie stuff, I’m a pagan and have always been around woo-woo things. I also speak a lot to my friends who work as mediums about general questions I might have!

FHBH: You’ve also written one book in the Gwen Lee Adventures series. How did you decide what sort of treasure Gwen would hunt for, and can we look forward to more adventures?

LW: I love writing Gwen! I actually had the vision for the Trident long before I knew who was looking for it, but once Gwen materialized in my mind there was no getting her out! She is definitely still lurking in the back of my brain, and I am really keen to write more in her world. I do have a second book planned for her – Gwen Lee and the Sword of Camelot!

FHBH: You self-publish your books. For those who are considering that route, what advice can you offer? Mistakes to avoid? Things they absolutely must do?

LW: My best advice is to decide what you want to achieve up front. Are you writing for love (to be able to show your friends and family a book you wrote) — or money? While both are totally valid and just as important as each other, your purpose will help define your expectations. If you’re writing for love, then you can just go for it. Enjoy the process, impose a deadline — or don’t! Writing for money is an entirely different beast. You need to research and know your market, including the genre and reader expectations. You need to invest in cover design and professional editing. You will need to pay for advertising at some point. Essentially it’s a business, and you need to treat it as such. That isn’t to say you can’t write what you love — in fact, the opposite. For example, I’ve always been fascinated with the tale of Sleepy Hollow and the mysterious and fantastical setting of upstate New York — so I researched the cozy mystery market and made my love fit the market. I hope that helps!

FHBH: In addition to your own cozy paranormal books, which other books and authors in this genre do you recommend?

LW: I would highly recommend people read Polly Holmes, Jane Hinchey, Morgana Best, Lynn Morrison, Dionne Lister, Jenna Rivers, C.A. Phipps, and Jenna St. James!

FHBH: Where can readers find your books?

LW: You can find me on Amazon and read for free if you have Kindle Unlimited! All my books are available from here.

FHBH: What other projects are you working on?

LW: Alongside a plan to release three Sleepy Hollow books a year, I’ll also be starting a brand new series next year. I’ll also be concluding my fan-favourite My Celestial Midlife series, and continuing with the spicy why-choose Victorian Monsters of Whitechapel series I write under my Lucy Lark pen name!