A Deathly Display Guest Post and Giveaway!

A Deathly Display By Kirsten Weiss
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Guest Post
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Did a Minor Character Ever Insist on a Bigger Role in a Cozy Mystery? (Spoiler: Yes, and She’s Still Bossing Me Around)

Writers talk a lot about characters “taking over” the story. Like they’re real people who show up in your head, cross their arms, and say, “Excuse me, but this plot needs more of me.” It sounds dramatic, but it happens more often than you’d think—especially in a long-running series like my Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum cozy mystery books.

In the beginning, Maddie’s mother was supposed to be a bit player. Comic relief, basically. The classic meddling mom who pops in to nag Maddie about her life choices, drop a casserole, and exit stage left. I pictured her as background noise—someone to highlight how Maddie was still finding her footing back in San Benedetto after years away. A quick scene here, a phone call there. Easy peasy. But nope. She had other plans. From the first book, The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, she started edging her way forward. She’d show up at the museum unannounced and somehow know exactly what Maddie was up to with her amateur sleuthing. Readers noticed her right away. They laughed at her blunt opinions and sharp one-liners. They wanted more.

By book two, Pressed to Death, she wasn’t just comic relief anymore. She became a foil—Maddie’s opposite in so many ways. Where Maddie tries to play it cool, her mom charges ahead with confidence (and a healthy dose of small-town entitlement). She pushes Maddie to investigate when Maddie would rather hide behind the ticket counter. And let’s be honest, she’s got that mom guilt down to an art form. “I didn’t raise you to let a murderer run loose in our town, young lady.” How do you argue with that? Then came the mentor vibes.

In later books, like Déjà Moo and beyond, she gets more involved in crime solving. She knows things—about the town, about people, about the weird history that keeps bleeding into the museum’s cursed collection. She’s not just interfering; she’s guiding. And Maddie, for all her eye-rolling, starts listening. Their relationship evolves from friction to something warmer, more layered. It’s one of those quiet character arcs that sneaks up on you (and on me, the writer).

But the real surprise? The Ladies Aid Society.

If you’ve read the series, you know them—the group of older, powerhouse women who run half the charity events in San Benedetto and have Opinions about everything, including whether a paranormal museum belongs in their quaint wine-country town. Maddie’s mom is deep in that circle. At first, they were just background antagonists—complaining about “tacky” exhibits or trying to shut the place down. But as the books went on, the Ladies Aid started feeling… off. In a fun way.

They’ve got secrets. Strange, paranormal-tinged artifacts are hinted at by their members. Their “good works” sometimes look a lot like covert operations. And Maddie’s mom is right in the middle of it, pulling strings with that sweet smile that hides a steel spine.

Now, I’m contemplating a spinoff. Picture it: the Ladies Aid Society cozy mystery series. A group of seemingly ordinary older women who solve crimes (and maybe cause a few) while organizing bake sales and haunted houses. Maddie’s mom could lead the charge—retired but restless, using her network to dig up clues no one else can. It would be all the small-town charm of the Paranormal Museum mysteries, plus that extra layer of “what are these ladies really up to?” intrigue.

I love when this happens in writing. It reminds me why I fell in love with cozy mystery novels in the first place—the characters feel alive. They grow beyond what you planned, dragging the story (and you) along for the ride. Maddie started as a reluctant museum manager; her mom started as a nag. Now they’re both essential, and the cozy mystery series is richer for it.

Has a character ever hijacked your favorite cozy mystery series? Or are you one of those writers whose side characters demand their own books? Tell me in the comments—I’m always up for hearing your stories (and plotting potential spin-offs).

If you haven’t met Maddie’s mom yet (or GD Cat, or the cursed grape press), the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series is waiting. Start with book one and watch the characters take over. It’s half the fun. And don’t miss the latest entry in the series—A Deathly Display!

Happy reading—and watch out for pushy minor characters!
Kirsten Weiss

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A killer stalks her sister.
A mysterious painting holds the key.
Can Maddie unravel the mystery before Melanie meets a deadly fate?
When Maddie and Herb attend a curation class at the upscale Domus Vinea museum, the mood turns darker than a gothic portrait after Maddie’s opera-singing sister, Melanie, discovers the museum director’s body. Now, with a cunning killer targeting Melanie next, Maddie must act fast.
Racing against time, Maddie and friends investigate a gallery of suspects, including a dashing vintner with a haunted painting that may hide a deadly secret. If Maddie can’t crack the case, and fast, her sister’s life could end in one fatal stroke.
A Deathly Display, the latest in the Paranormal Museum series, blends quirky sleuthing, small-town chills, and paranormal thrills with a dash of humor. Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries!
Grab A Deathly Display and start reading this hilarious whodunit!
For readers who crave a cozy mystery about a woman finding belonging through small-town wine-country sleuthing and the gentle absurdity of everyday hauntings. Perfect if you like breezy pacing, light supernatural quirks, and warm humor over gritty tension—think vintage charm, quirky neighbors, and just-enough chills to keep pages turning without losing sleep. Book 11 in the series.

Excerpt:

There are a few things in life you can be sure of. Death. Taxes. And divas being divas.
“Why?” Melanie sobbed. “Why is this happening to meeeee?”
I jogged to the fallen man and knelt beside him in the courtyard. Pressing a finger to his neck, I tried to find a pulse.
“Another body,” my sister hiccupped. “Why here?”
I sat back on my heel. The dead man faced the pristine marble fountain. And he was definitely dead. Though his skin was still warm, his eyes stared, as blank as the nearby statue of Hermes.
Yanking my phone from the rear pocket of my khakis, I called 9-1-1. The scent of orange blossoms billowed in the warm night air, but now the odor seemed sickening.
My mother appeared at my side. “Oh, my God. That’s—” She gripped my shoulder, her nails digging in. Just as suddenly, she released me and edged the toe of her low camel-colored shoes away from the pooling blood.
“I just f-found him there.” Melanie pointed.
“And it’s a terrible shock,” my mother said in a low voice. “Now, we need to pull ourselves together.” She looped one arm around Melanie’s hourglass waist.
“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”
“Murder, I think,” I said. “My sister found a dead man. His head is—” I swallowed and looked away. “There’s a lot of blood. We’re at the Domus Vinea Museum, in the smaller courtyard.”
“Are you in danger?” the operator asked.
“No. There’s a reception going on here. There are lots of people…” I glanced toward the opening to the courtyard. Guests had begun to gather, staring, in its arched entrance.
“Why does this always happen?” Melanie wailed. “First Sicily and now this. Am I cursed?”
“No, no,” my mother murmured, touching the squash blossom necklace beneath the collar of her denim shirt. “It’s just bad luck.”
“Help is on the way,” the dispatcher said. “Is the man you found breathing?”
“No. He’s dead.” I knew dead, and I knew what came after for the people left behind.

About the Author

Kirsten Weiss writes laugh-out-loud, page-turning mysteries, and now a Tarot guidebook that’s a work of experimental fiction. Her heroes and heroines aren’t perfect, but they’re smart, they struggle, and they succeed. Kirsten writes in a house high on a hill in the Colorado woods and occasionally ventures out for wine and chocolate. Or for a visit to the local pie shop.
Kirsten is best known for her Wits’ End, Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum, and Tea & Tarot cozy mystery books. So if you like funny, action-packed mysteries with complicated heroines, just turn the page…

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