tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post5533056846864284400..comments2023-08-14T05:16:27.634-07:00Comments on Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary Time: 6 Views on Avoiding the "Cabot Cove Syndrome"River Glynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-61476933248927451812016-02-26T06:06:37.626-08:002016-02-26T06:06:37.626-08:00I think one thing that is happening is that the de...I think one thing that is happening is that the definition of cozy is broadening beyond the small town settings. That makes it much easier to avoid the syndrome. Thanks for coming by again!River Glynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-44645445151372390482015-07-01T07:29:46.379-07:002015-07-01T07:29:46.379-07:00Hi, Sharon, I hope this isn't posting twice. A...Hi, Sharon, I hope this isn't posting twice. As usual I found your article fascinating and timely since I've been wondering the same thing. How many murder are too many in a small town? I'm setting the latest one in Miami (if I can ever get it finished) and then will go back to Palm Springs for fresh blood. seniors on the loosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05633253659777740117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-85011145434202001772015-04-22T17:17:57.048-07:002015-04-22T17:17:57.048-07:00Marja! What a treat to have you reading this! I ag...Marja! What a treat to have you reading this! I agree with you. I think the definition of cozy has changed since Miss Marple did her thing. I am set in Glendale, AZ, a community on the outskirts of Phoenix, and I don't think it hurts the "cozy" label a bit. Some cozies even have "language" and mild " adult situations" now, which is a bigger step. Most people don't live in tiny villages anymore and I think they are mature enough to realize we set our stories where it makes sense to have it. River Glynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-81153574679140171732015-04-22T17:12:51.948-07:002015-04-22T17:12:51.948-07:00Yep, Allan, that can work for a while to avoid the...Yep, Allan, that can work for a while to avoid the syndrome, but you nailed it. After a while, no one would go to even "the happiest place of Earth" if your odds of getting murdered there seemed likely! lol I also agree that most of our readers are there for the stories and will cut us some slack, but boy, book critics and authors (as attested to by the number of mentions on the Internet) worry a lot! Thanks so much for coming by. Are you part of the April A-Z Challenge?River Glynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-47862264681243882232015-04-21T09:31:04.081-07:002015-04-21T09:31:04.081-07:00My two series are based in Los Angeles. I don'...My two series are based in Los Angeles. I don't believe that a cozy has to take place in a small town, but that's just me. Traveling opens new doors and ideas, too -- that is, the characters traveling. Excellent post, Sharon, and it made me stop and think about what I've been reading. Some believable, some not. I think it's all in how the author handles it.Marjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09528164359512905392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-24619690191033475312015-04-20T19:11:58.488-07:002015-04-20T19:11:58.488-07:00I'm of the "set the series in a vacation ...I'm of the "set the series in a vacation area" persuasion. The regulars show up in each book, but the victim comes from outside. Still, if you think about it, as the murder count of visitors climbs, who'd want to come to the area? I think mystery readers are willing to suspend disbelief when they read a series (I know I am), since recurring murders in one place or involving one sleuth wouldn't be believable if the situation were analyzed.Allan J. Emersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06066540739977912609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-41711795632549434712015-04-08T12:18:11.481-07:002015-04-08T12:18:11.481-07:00Yeah, you shouldn't worry about the problem so...Yeah, you shouldn't worry about the problem some of us have! lol Thanks for coming by to read and comment.River Glynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-10289689048031539632015-04-08T08:38:46.922-07:002015-04-08T08:38:46.922-07:00Enjoyed your very interesting post, Sharon! I like...Enjoyed your very interesting post, Sharon! I like number 4 and number 5. Though, the Mojave Desert is vast, plenty of room for a few dead bodies. (smile) Now, to write enough books to even be considered a series...<br />M.M. Gornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05610211516010193111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-35665435302283261872015-04-08T08:27:00.094-07:002015-04-08T08:27:00.094-07:00One or two authors did say that they used past mur...One or two authors did say that they used past murders to cut down the CCS, but not enough to make it a trend. I am thinking of doing that, too. Any plans other than travel for Tempe to address CCS? Thanks for coming by to comment. I appreciate the visit.River Glynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-12759978493523959872015-04-08T06:44:20.434-07:002015-04-08T06:44:20.434-07:00In my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, there is a murder i...In my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, there is a murder in every book and Rocky Bluff is a small town--however it's near bigger cities. In my latest, Violent Departures, the murder happened years earlier. The Deputy Tempe Crabtree series does have a large number of murders for a small town. The one I'm writing now Tempe and her husband are away from home.<br />Marilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04179984154939161530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-48034469368603356402015-04-07T21:54:19.857-07:002015-04-07T21:54:19.857-07:00It doesn't matter, Ilene, whether she finds th...It doesn't matter, Ilene, whether she finds them or they find her. The Cabot Cove Syndrome is that there are more murders happening than the population can support reasonably. That is an issue with small towns and cozies. I don't know the population of your little town, so it might not be an issue in your books.River Glynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-35134147556766077382015-04-07T21:52:06.614-07:002015-04-07T21:52:06.614-07:00Thanks, Janet. I couldn't find a summary artic...Thanks, Janet. I couldn't find a summary article, just authors' individual strategies, so I decided to pull together what I found. I'm glad you enjoyed it.River Glynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-84942374018139839252015-04-07T21:50:27.829-07:002015-04-07T21:50:27.829-07:00Thanks, Sandy. There's a syndrome for everythi...Thanks, Sandy. There's a syndrome for everything, isn't there? lol Thanks for your comments!River Glynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17128604193981808617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-16474135104431339552015-04-07T19:29:28.457-07:002015-04-07T19:29:28.457-07:00My protagonist, being a rabbi, doesn't stumble...My protagonist, being a rabbi, doesn't stumble on bodies, but they come to her, as it were. People who disagree with the official findings of cause of death ask her to look into what may have really occurred. After her first success in making the police look like idiots (the secondary motive of every amateur sleuth worth the title), she is asked more often.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-39080370873151832522015-04-07T18:04:21.310-07:002015-04-07T18:04:21.310-07:00Liked your blog. I'd never seen the Cabot Cove...Liked your blog. I'd never seen the Cabot Cove Syndrome addressed so well before.J. L. Gregerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442307887725898087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8331564606184952496.post-35892241757820031672015-04-07T17:02:32.846-07:002015-04-07T17:02:32.846-07:00Although I have observed the phenomenon, I had no ...Although I have observed the phenomenon, I had no idea there was a syndrome for it, nor authors weighing in. Your article had a good list of ideas. BTW: Can't wait to read your next Alli & Gina mystery.<br /><br />Sandra Bremserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08042218961112070617noreply@blogger.com