Cosy Season

I’ve been reading for almost 30 years now – god, I feel old – and growing up, when I realised I wanted to write, I always thought the first novel I’d ever finish would be a fantasy one. It was my favourite genre, it was an escape, it was just fun in so many ways.

And yeah, over the years I grew more aware of internal biases and representation and the lack of it. I grew more aware of all of that in my own writing (and reframing some of that made something click in my writing that it hadn’t before), and I still thought I’d write a fantasy novel of the ages. Or maybe science-fiction. You know, attempt something with an abundance of world-building and plot twists and the like.

And yet here we are, all these years later with life changing around me. Changing me. I still love those genres, don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy a good fantasy or science-fiction story (or a mix of both). It may take me a little longer to get into it because of brain fog and just life in general, but it still holds a big part of my heart. And yet – the cosy. The soft, the warm, the kind and gentle stories are the ones that captivate.

It’s safe to say I’ve fallen in love with the cosy.

They’re the ones I find myself writing a little more these days. The ones that are easier to read, if only because the world tends to be a dumpster fire (and my health has it’s ups and downs, and saw me in isolation for months a few years ago) and it is just – nice. You know you’re getting a happy ending. You know you’re getting characters that will find themselves and their hearts by the end of the story.

There can still be some amazing world-building and plot twists, but there is a gentleness – a cosiness – to it that warms me something fierce. Sometimes it’s a little bittersweet, sometimes it’s just soft, but always, always it warms the heart and soul. I’ve enjoyed reading it, watching it (welcome back, Hallmark movie obsession!) and writing it.

You’ll find a lot more of those kinds of stories in my TBR and ‘read’ lists, a lot more of them written by me – and I hope you enjoy the ones I’m currently working on. And hey, maybe this year or early next year, I’ll do another Hallmark movie recommendation list?

We’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, what’s your current favourite cosy read, watch or game?

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