Q: First things first. How did you feel when you found out your books were heading to Hallmark?
A: It was definitely surreal. I am a self published author and I’ve always heard rumors how it’s such a LONG shot for that to happen to independents. Initially it was a movie. Then it turned into a TV series and that’s when I literally melted and cried.
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Q: Your Camper & Criminals series spans 40 books. What makes this world so special to readers?
A: Initially it was the mystery and the fish out of water sleuth. No one was doing camping/camper sleuth. I’m a camper and have owned five different RVs from drivable to fifth wheels, so I have been around campers/campgrounds a lot. For me it’s the community in a campground that really is so special. I put that on the page and THAT is what the readers really love. As the series has evolved, they keep coming back for the community and the mystery has taken a back seat.
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Q: When did you realize cozy mysteries were your genre?
A: I thought I was writing women’s fiction back in 2010 but dead bodies continued to turn up. That was the big clue.
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Q: How do you balance humor with mystery?
A: I love humor so much. I grew up in a tiny small town in Kentucky. Everyday life brought something that I found to be strange or funny. For instance, how in the 70’s my daddy would pack us up in the old station wagon and drive us down to the Kentucky River where we’d meet an 80 year old woman moonshiner to get us some shine. That’s hilarious!!! I write the mystery and sprinkle in little funny things that really are just everyday life in Kentucky that I find funny. It has seemed to work.
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Q: What’s harder: starting a series or keeping it going?
A: Starting a series is definitely harder. It’s hard to come up with new characters and get to know them. It’s kinda like going on a first date. Me and the characters do this little dance until we finally click and that’s generally around book three when we commit to each other.
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Q: You’ve written over 180 cozy mysteries. Do you ever run out of ideas?
A: NO! Goodness…I have so many in this brain of mine. My husband tell folks that my mind is a scary place.
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Q: What excites you most about seeing this series on screen?
A: I really want to see the campground come to life. Isn’t that silly? But my settings in my books are as much of a character as the sleuth, and that I want to see in real life.
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Q: You’re an Amazon All-Star, USA Today bestselling author, and a Woman’s World Book Club Pick. Does any of that still surprise you?
A: I NEVER take any of that for granted each time it happens. I am surprised. I didn’t start reading until I was in my 30’s. I was a teacher, then a therapist, so this job came out of nowhere. When something amazing like these things happen, I am still flabbergasted.
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Q: What would you say to longtime readers who are nervous about adaptations?
A: YES! I get daily emails asking me or suggesting who they want to see in the TV show. No one will ever be happy with any books turned into film because they already have images in their heads which as a writer is my job.
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Q: How do you handle reader expectations after so many books?
A: I don’t. I don’t listen to the noise. I remind myself that this is my book, my series, and my characters. I write exactly how I’ve always written.
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Q: What advice do you give new writers who want to write cozy mysteries?
A: My advice has always been to be disciplined to write the book. Do not worry about getting it right or looking at other cozy mystery writer’s work because the new writer has a distinctive voice that no one can duplicate. NO one can duplicate my voice. They may be able to write a camping series but they will never be able to write it like me. This is what they will hang their career on. So they need to write the book and then another one to nail down their voice.
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Q: What does success look like to you now?
A: Success to me is and has been to have community with my readers. I have built a readership on that community and I feel like they are friends.
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Q: What’s on the horizon for you as a writer?
A: I will continue to get lost in all of my series. I have another series option I can’t talk about now, as well as a shopping agreement for another series, so I hope I’ll be writing all my next books on locations of film studios. I think that sounds like a lot of fun!
Tonya Kappes quick bio:
Tonya isn’t just prolific, she’s a force in the genre. An Amazon All-Star and USA Today bestselling author, she’s written over 180 Southern-set cozy mysteries packed with humor, heart, and the kind of small-town characters readers get attached to fast. Her work has also earned recognition as a Woman’s World Book Club Pick, a nod to just how widely her stories resonate.
She writes full-time from her camper, which feels almost too perfect given the world she’s built. Her stories blend mystery, friendship, and a touch of mischief, and now that world is making the jump from page to screen for a whole new audience of cozy mystery fans.
There’s something quietly fascinating here. Cozy mysteries, once considered niche comfort reads, are becoming reliable adaptation material. It suggests a shift in what audiences want: lower stakes, warmer tone, but still driven by curiosity and story. Not everything needs explosions when you’ve got a good mystery and a town full of secrets.
Follow Tonya Kappes
Website: tonyakappesbooks.com
Instagram: instagram.com/tonyakappesbooks
YouTube: youtube.com/@TonyaKappes
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Vincent Salera
Founder @ World's Best Story™ amplifier of creativity & fun!
