File under: behind-the-scenes, writing life, cozy-mystery craft, fall books to read
Pull up a chair at the Bean Hive, darlin’. Today I’m pouring a big mug of story fuel and taking you behind the counter—er, behind the pages—of Brewing Up Bones, my newest Southern cozy mystery set in sweet Honey Springs, Kentucky. If you’ve ever wondered how a steaming idea turns into a finished book that smells faintly of pumpkin spice and trouble, this is your VIP tour.
Where Honey Springs Comes From (and why it’s always fall in my heart)
Honey Springs is a blend of so many small Kentucky towns that live rent-free in my memories: walkable squares, gossip that travels faster than a pecan pie vanishes from a church supper, and the kind of people who will bring you soup when you’re sick and also (with love) examine your recycling bin if they think you’re hiding a secret. I write small-town mysteries because community is the beating heart of a cozy: the crime is the problem, but the people are the point.
For Brewing Up Bones, I wanted the town to feel extra autumnal—fiddle music down Main Street, chilly mornings around Lake Honey Springs, and the scent of cinnamon sugar following you like a friendly ghost. The Neewollah Festival (Halloween spelled backward, of course) gave me the perfect canvas for jack-o’-lanterns, pet “paw-rades,” caramel apples, and… murder.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Tonya Kappes’s descriptive writing makes you feel the crunch of leaves and smell the pumpkin spice, all wrapped up in small-town charm.” — Amanda Reads Cozies
The “What If” that started it all
Every book begins with a curiosity itch. This one started when I thought about influencer culture—the glossy photos, the curated life, the pressure to perform—and asked: What happens when that shiny world collides with a town where nothing can be filtered?
Answer: sparks fly. And sometimes those sparks light the fuse of a very cozy crime.
So three social-media celebrities arrive to film at Neewollah and compete for a major tourism contract. Cameras roll. Smiles sparkle. And then—because we read cozies to watch calm waters ripple—one influencer is found dead. Suddenly the comments section is real life, stakes and all.
Casting the Bean Hive crew
Roxy Bloom is our anchor. She’s quick with a latte and quicker with a clue, and she keeps her sense of humor even when life throws pumpkin-spiced chaos at her. Roxy’s arc in this book is about responsibility and identity—how to be the protector of a community without losing yourself in the swirl.
Birdie Bebe, our fashion-forward barista, stepped right into the storm this time, and I loved writing her vulnerability under the sparkle. She’s the kind of friend who will beadazzle a tragedy if she thinks it’ll help you smile, but she’s also tender-hearted—and when suspicion lands on her, Roxy refuses to sit back and “wait for updates.”
Pepper the schnauzer? He continues to be the four-legged Watson of Honey Springs. If he could talk, the Bean Hive would close early because he’d solve the case by mid-afternoon.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This dynamic mystery series is appetizing in so many ways… I could almost smell the coffee and feel the autumn breeze.” — Tammy Lunsford, Escape to Books by Tammy
Building a mystery you can taste
My job is to braid three strands: setting, suspects, and snacks (it’s a Tonya book—we’re feeding you).
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Setting as character.
Lake mist at dawn. Screen doors thwacking. The scrape of metal café chairs on the sidewalk. I layer sound + scent + texture on the page until a place feels touchable. If you can hear the milk steamer hiss and taste a sugar-crusted muffin when you read, I’ve done my job. -
Suspects you’d chat with in line.
Cozy villains often look like neighbors: a too-helpful organizer, a brittle smile that never reaches the eyes, an outsider who learns your weak spots too fast. In Brewing Up Bones, every suspect has a public face and a private ache—ambition, envy, fear, need. That tension (and the lies it births) is the engine of a good whodunit. -
Snacks that belong to the story.
Honey Springs is delicious on purpose. Food is culture and comfort, yes, but it’s also clue delivery. People talk over pie. Secrets crack like brittle sugar. And when Roxy bakes Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, someone inevitably tastes guilt.
Research you can do in an apron
Cozy research isn’t a dusty library (though I love those). It’s phone calls with small-town festival coordinators, videos on latte art, and shadowing a friend behind a café counter to learn exactly how a steam wand feels in your hand. For the influencer angle, I studied content calendars, sponsorship decks, and the subtle ways a camera changes behavior—helpful when a suspect says one thing on-screen and another in a back-room whisper.
The whiteboard nobody sees
My office wall looks like a hen-party met a crime lab. I map motive webs, color-code alibis, and pin “red string” notes between people who would never admit how closely they’re connected. I track three arcs:
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Crime arc: what happened off-page before page one
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Investigation arc: what Roxy thinks happened, step by step
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Emotional arc: what the truth costs everyone who touches it
Only when those three braid tight do I know the ending will click for readers.
What makes a mystery “cozy” (to me)
There’s a gentle promise in this genre: yes, we’ll walk through the shadow; no, we won’t lose our light. You’ll laugh with familiar faces, pet the dog, sip something warm, and still get that delicious puzzle-solving satisfaction. Kindness is the superpower here; the big twist is often that community wins.
That’s why I place Roxy’s toughest choices right in public—on Main Street, in the Bean Hive, at the festival—so the town bears witness and participates. You help carry what you see. Honey Springs does, too.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “An awesome addition to the Killer Coffee series… secrets, betrayal, deception, lies, and more.” — Barbara, Goodreads Reviewer
My writing day, in case you’re nosy (I would be)
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5:30 AM: Coffee. (Obviously.) Candle lit. Phone away. I reread yesterday’s pages and make line edits until the story starts “breathing” again.
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7:00 AM: New words with a timer. I sprint in 25-minute chunks and don’t let myself “research the color of a late-October lake” until the sprint is over. (Answer: pewter with a stubborn glint.)
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10:30 AM: Plot check. I ask three questions: Did we earn today’s emotion? Did a clue move? Did someone reveal who they are?
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Afternoon: Business (hello, you delightful readers).
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Evening: Walk. I solve more plot knots on a trail than at a desk.
Easter eggs & series threads
If you’ve been with the Killer Coffee Mysteries from the start, you’ll spot a few winks: a cameo recipe card that wasn’t in the newsletter, a throwback to an early Bean Hive regular, and a tiny clue tucked into a pumpkin-spice garnish. I love rewarding longtime readers without confusing new ones. Every book stands alone, but the “Honey Springs feeling” grows if you read them all.
Why reviews matter (and make me misty)
In a big internet ocean, reviews are lighthouses. When you post a line or two on Amazon or Goodreads, you help the next cozy reader find a safe harbor. You also tell retailers, “Hey, keep showing this to people who like fall books, small-town mysteries, and dog sidekicks.” It’s practical magic—and I’m endlessly grateful.
Ready to sip and sleuth?
If you haven’t visited Honey Springs yet, I’d love to pour you a cup and hand you a clue.
Buy Brewing Up Bones on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0965KHXMW
Add & review on Goodreads: (search “Brewing Up Bones Tonya Kappes”)
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See you at the Bean Hive, friend. I’ll save you a seat by the window.
—xo, Tonya