Rune Stroud is a lover of ghost tales, paranormal mysteries, especially if they have a touch of humor. And that’s what she writes. A veteran, a mom and a grandmom, she also is an animal lover-ask the neighborhood squirrels and stray cat. She has been a part of Cozy Mystery Tribe, adding her stories to five different anthologies. Her series includes the Tympest Tossed Mysteries and the Serenity Fyre series. Her newest series is the Mystic Mountain Wildlife Rescue, with a witch who is also a wildlife rescuer. You can follow Rune on Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon. Be sure to visit her Website and sign up for her newsletter.
Now let’s find out more about Rune’s Witchy Cozy…
What type of witch do you write (think Bewitch, Sabrina, Charmed, Hocus Pocus)?
I grew up watching Bewitched, and I’m so loving the idea that magic is there in the mundane world, just out of reach. I write secret witches in the real world. Their powers are limited and sometimes go wonky, but it adds a bit of fun to the world.
Tell us what time frame your stories are in and what setting or world?
They’re set in the modern day, but without the issues of pandemics and global politics. An idealized version of today, with magic.
Who is your protagonist?
Autumn Oufsdatter, a beast witch (she can speak to animals) with a mischievous raven sidekick. She’s pretty patient most of the time, but some of the characters around her can seriously test her.
Has she/he always known they were a witch? How did they discover their power?
Autumn grew up in a family of witches, each with different gifts, so she’s always known about her power. She does, however, discover more about her powers as the books and short stories go along. There hasn’t been a beast witch in the family for generations, so no one to teach her what she can do with her gifts.
What sets your mysteries apart from other paranormal cozies?
People get quite attached to my characters, probably because I’m so attached to them. They’re real to me, and I hope they become real to the readers as well. Also, who wouldn’t want to ask their pet why they did that goofy thing? It’s fun to get a glimpse into the thoughts of the animals.
How much research do you do to create your story, and how much do you include in your books? Or your story pure fantasy?
I do research on the animals as they’re rescued, and I follow local rescues to get a real feeling for how things work. It’s not exactly the same in my world, but you get a feeling of how urgently rescued animals need help and what rescues have to do day to day for their animals. I also visit the mountains where my stories are set to get a feel for the places they go.
Do you feel the crimes committed in paranormal cozy are very different from a contemporary cozy?
Most of the time, the crimes are the same, but sometimes, when you add magic into the mix, you get an odd crime that it took magic to pull off, and it’ll take magic to solve. Those are the most fun to figure out. I’ve got one of those in the third book in the series, the one I’m writing now. Armadillos and Arson.
A note from Rune
I’ve written several short stories in the same world, and they’ve gone out in the Cozy Mystery Tribe’s anthologies. Those are a fun place to discover new authors and get a bunch of bite-sized stories to enjoy. Not all of them are paranormal, but many are, and I believe we all love a good mystery, whether it’s paranormal or not. We’ve got a big one coming up, thirty of us are putting out a big anthology called A Bookworm of a Suspect and trying to hit the USA Today Bestseller’s list with it. There are going to be some great stories in that one, and it’s only 99 cents right now. You can find it on Apple Books, Amazon, Kobo, etc. (https://books2read.com/ABookwormofaSuspect)
Many thanks, Victoria. I’ve enjoyed this interview. You’ve asked some interesting questions that made me think.
Pen In Hand, Words on Page 