Yay! I’m so excited to have Christa Nardi on the blog today! Christa is the author of multiple mystery series, including co-writing a young adult mystery series with Cassidy Salem.
Christa Nardi is an accomplished author of cozy mysteries. Christa’s background is in higher education and psychology, much as her protagonist, Sheridan Hendley in the Cold Creek mystery series. She has always loved mysteries – reading them, writing them, and solving them. Christa is a member of Sisters in Crime. When not writing or reading, Christa and her husband enjoy travel, three grandchildren, and their dogs.
Christa Nardi Biography
Eliza: Christa, thanks so much for joining me on my blog! I’m excited to be able to ask you some questions about all your cozy mysteries.
Christa: Thank you for having me today.
Eliza: You have written so many mystery books! Which book was your first to be published and what year was it released?
Christa: My first venture in publishing was with Murder at Cold Creek College in January 2014.
Eliza: So, almost 30 books later, what would you say is your biggest tip for authors that are writing in a series that hasn’t taken off yet? Maybe they have written two or three books in the series, but haven’t found traction. Do you have any advice for them?
Christa: My biggest tips are to have a good editor and have a professional cover that communicates the “brand” for that series or for the author. That sounds obvious, but those “little” things can make a big difference. I’d also suggest they join author groups for their genre. I learned a lot from my fellow authors and found most to be very supportive. Writing conferences can be a lot of fun and the workshops are very helpful.
Eliza: You have been able to keep multiple series going with some overlap between release dates (releasing in multiple series within the same year.) How do you stay so productive with your release schedule?
Christa: I’m more productive now that I’ve retired from my full-time job. With multiple series, I also try to come up with an idea for the plot for the next book once I’ve finished the latest draft for that series. Sometimes, it’s only a paragraph. Sometimes, it’s a draft of the first chapter. That helps me to switch gears between the series.
Eliza: I think any reader of mystery today has gone down the aisle of cozy mystery books and noticed that so many of them include adorable dogs or pleasant-looking sweet treats on their covers. It is somewhat of an unexpected cover for those who are unfamiliar with the genre because we don’t often mix murder and cupcakes in our minds. What are the origins of this genre and when did you get into it?
Christa: I think the idea of the cozy mystery has its roots in Agatha Christie novels and the idea that the protagonist didn’t have to be male or a PI, policeman, fireman, or more traditional mystery protagonist. Many people enjoy a good mystery, but they don’t want to deal with graphic violence, graphic sex, or profanity. As for when I got into it, I’ve been a mystery fan since high school as a reader. As an adult, I read cozy and traditional mysteries, particularly those with female protagonists. I’ve also dabbled in writing since high school. I only got into writing them for fun in 2010 or so.
Eliza: You co-write with Cassidy Salem for your Hannah and Tamar Mysteries. What would you say is the biggest benefit to a co-author relationship?
Christa: One of the wisdoms I’ve gained from other authors and workshops is that the main character, in particular, has to have a “voice.” The biggest benefit of having Cassidy as a co-author is that she provides the “voice” for Tamar while I provide the “voice” for Hannah. It also has been lots of fun as Cassidy is my younger sister.
Eliza: The Hannah and Tamar Mystery books are a bit different from your other cozy mysteries. To start, they don’t feature graphic murders or much dark material. I’ve seen lots of reviews that were grateful for the clean content for YA. What inspired you to take this route when so many YA books today have gone more toward NA with more graphic imagery?
Christa: Growing up with Nancy Drew, Dana Girls, Hardy Boys, and others, and already writing cozy mysteries that leave out the graphics, sticking to clean content for teens and YA was a given.
Eliza: Do you think you will “age-up” the material as the characters get older or will you keep them the same age throughout the series (similar to Nancy Drew)?
Christa: I think the content will remain clean. As of the last book, Hannah will be off to college and Tamar in her senior year. Cassidy and I both write cozy mysteries so I don’t see “cozy” going away. Obviously, some of the issues the teens will face may change with the times.
Eliza: What are your plans for future books? Are all of your series ongoing or are some of them completed?
Christa: The first series, Cold Creek Cozy Mysteries, morphed into a spin-off series, the Sheridan Hendley Cozy Mysteries, with the same protagonist, only she got married and moved from Cold Creek. The next in the Sheridan Hendley series will be released later this spring. The next in the Stacie Maroni Mysteries is planned for late this year. I started a new series in January 2022, the Izzie Di Sante Mysteries. The next in that series is planned mid-year. Both Cassidy and I are working on getting our books formatted for audiobooks right now as well. With all of that and Cassidy’s recent new release, Death Amid the Dogwoods, we haven’t planned for the next Hannah and Tamar.
Eliza: I want to thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. Please share with readers where they can find your books and where they can go to connect with you online!
Christa: Here is all of my contact information and Cassidy’s as well.
Christa Nardi:
Links for Cassidy Salem:
Thanks so much, Eliza!
It was so great talking with you! 🙂