Why do you write the genre that you write?
I love cozies and always have, from the time I read Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie, and Sherlock Holmes as a teenager. For me, they’re about the characters. Cozies can make me laugh (sounds insensitive since the subject is murder, but only peripherally), make my heart race, and surprise me. When I started writing, the plot just came out as a cozy.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I always loved writing assignments in school but had never thought of writing professionally. I’d read oodles of cozies, and though I enjoy cozies set in quilting societies, small towns, or cooking environments, I’m not at all “crafty” or well-traveled. Cozies set in the orchestra, which is what I was familiar with, were extremely rare. When I got divorced, two days after my husband moved out, I saw that a local bookstore was starting a writing group. I decided on the spot to write a cozy and set it in the orchestra, since that is an enclosed environment where gossip and resentments thrive. Then I found that, for me, writing is one of the activities that stops the clock, so it was a great help as an escape activity during my divorce, and later, when my mother declined with dementia.

What’s next for you?
I will be editing the next two books in the Musical Murders series, Ballistics at the Ballet, and Fireworks on the Fourth, and thinking about a new series.

What are you reading now?
Fiction Can Be Murder by Becky Clark; A Big Fat Greek Murder by Kate Collins; and The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal.

Where can we find you?
Website: barbarabowenauthor.com
Facebook: BarbaraBowenAuthor
BookBub: b-j-bowen

Now, to have some fun. . .

Vanilla or chocolate
Vanilla

Pizza or burgers
Pizza

Broccoli or squash
Squash (If I have to pick one)

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Breakfast

Mountain or beach
Mountain

Introvert or Extrovert
Introvert

And even more fun. . .

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
A book that is SO good I won’t tire of reading it.
A puppy (with toys)
A satellite phone

My bio:
Barbara Bowen is a musician and free-lance writer whose love of music was awakened by her mother, who played the flute. At the age of eleven Ms. Bowen began studying oboe, and has since performed and recorded on both oboe and English horn with professional symphonies and chamber groups throughout Mexico and Colorado. Other experience includes working with various children’s organizations, teaching music to children and adults, editing newsletters, and writing grants for non-profits. Her inspirational articles have appeared in Unity Magazine and Daily Word, and she was a finalist who won Honorable Mention in the 2018 Focus: Eddy Awards for her article, “Letting Go with Grace,” published in Unity Magazine. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with two canine friends, and has a stock of musical puns, as well as a song for any occasion.