We are excited to welcome Amy Vansant to Cozy Florida. She lives in Jupiter Florida and has over 20 books to her credit. Amy Vansant has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen. She was a freelance writer for many magazines and the East Coast Editor of SURFER Magazine, before starting a web development-advertising firm. She was so busy, she forgot what she was supposed to be doing…writing! When Amy finally returned to writing, one of the first series she started was the Pineapple Port Mysteries, after being inspired by her mother-in-law’s wacky retirement community. The Pineapple ..read more

Happy Spring! Tara here, and I have an amazing pit stop if you’re in the Tampa Bay area — and if you love tropical vibes and coffee. As the author of the Coffee Lover’s Mystery series, I’m always on the lookout for new coffee experiences. I researched many of my books’ details by taking a coffee tour, read about brewing techniques, and follow baristas on Instagram. I’m also fortunate to live in St. Petersburg, which has a thriving coffeehouse scene. There are cafes that have a bohemian feel, sleek modernist shops, cozy, out of the way nooks, and places that cater to gluten free vegans. But th ..read more

I’m so excited to attend my favorite writing groups in person. I belong to three professional writing organizations that support mystery readers and writers. Here in St. Petersburg, I’m a past president of the Florida Gulf Coast Sisters in Crime. We meet on the first Saturday of each month. During COVID, we held zoom meetings. At last, we’re meeting in libraries as far north as the Barbara S.Ponce Public library in Pinellas Park, FL, and to the south at the Fruitville Library in Sarasota. We extend our socialization at a nearby restaurant after our meetings.  On the third Saturday of the ..read more

Brick and mortar small businesses are what give a place its uniqueness. Think about visiting a little beach town and finding an all things nautical and beach store. Isn’t that the best? The Florida Keys have lots of little shops like that—which reminds me I need to take a day trip down there soon! Maybe I can arrange for a book signing at Books & Books @ The Studio. Photo by Anna Rye on Pexels.com Don’t you love finding a great coffee shop or bakery with a little sidewalk cafe? Miami has lots of little neighborhoods with great eats. Upper Buena Vista is one of those places. You can stroll ..read more

I’m so excited to return to the Cozy Florida blog today. I missed it. I hope you did, too. This is an exciting week for St. Petersburg, FL. St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching, and the bars, bistros, and eateries are getting ready. It wouldn’t be right if there wasn’t a bar crawl. In fact, there are a half-a-dozen of them starting on Saturday, March 12th and running through Sunday, March 20th. Let’s follow one that happens on the actual St. Patrick’s Day. It starts from Park & Rec DTSP with check-in from 3pm-7pm. Tickets are $25 per person for FREE Cover at all locations, five FREE welc ..read more

Tara here… I’m thrilled to welcome COZY FLORIDA back in 2022! Let’s just think of this as a New Year, even though it’s March. What is time right now, anyway? To kick this year off, I’d like to give you a snippet of my upcoming mystery, LIVE AND LET GRIND! This is book three in the Coffee Lover’s Mystery series, and it will be out Oct. 11 — you can pre-order now! Here’s a bit about the book:  Laid-off journalist Lana Lewis is thriving as the proprietor of Perkatory, a coffee shop on quirky Devil’s Beach island, Florida. She’s juggling a relationship with police chief Noah Garcia, enjoying ..read more

Cozy Florida is BACK! We took off the month of December. And— that turned into three months. Oops! What have I done in the last months? SO MUCH! But I’ll give you a few highlights. I turned in book two in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery Series. The first in the series—Mango, Mambo, and Murder—got nominated for TWO awards! (a Lefty & an Agatha) I did my first book club author chat for a lovely group in Jupiter, Florida. They threw the nicest Cuban-themed party for me. The cutest coasters! My favorite croquetas! These were so good. Dominoes In preparation for the book club, I made discussion q ..read more

Welcome to our November guest author, Marty Ambrose! Marty Ambrose lives on an island in SW Florida with her ex-news anchor husband, Jim, and their pandemic rescue pup, Luna.  Marty teaches creative writing at Florida SouthWestern State College and loves ushering her own students along the road to writing success.  Her next book, Forever Past, will be published by Severn House at the end of June, 2022 and Thomas Schluck in Germany during late fall.  I was delighted when Raquel asked me to pen a November guest posting for the Cozy Florida Blog because right now, after a long, lon ..read more

COLD BREW CORPSE, my second cozy mystery is just a few weeks away from publication, and I can’t wait for the book to be out in the world. I have a special, exclusive giveaway for the readers of Cozy Florida, so read on! When I started writing my debut book, GROUNDS FOR MURDER, I hoped it would extend into a long series, beyond that first book. I adored these characters so much: quirky ex-journalist Lana Lewis, handsome and kind police chief Noah Garcia, and Lana’s sidekick, the punk rock barista Erica Penmark. And don’t forget the star of the show: Stanley the Shih Tzu! When my publisher Croo ..read more