Laurel Standley: Cozy Mysteries with a Dash of Chemistry and Quirky Characters

Laurel Standley, author of the Madeline McPhee Mystery series, brings a unique blend of chemistry and whimsy to the world of cozy mysteries. Inspired by her own experiences, Standley weaves tales set in Dunnett Village, Oregon, where amateur sleuth Professor Madeline McPhee tackles mysteries with Sherlockian flair. Join us as we uncover the secrets behind Standley’s cozy mysteries.

Could you share a little about yourself and the cozy mysteries you write?

I’m a retired environmental chemist and animal-lover, especially of cats. About seven years ago I submitted a light-hearted story about my cat Ellen to Chicken Soup for the Soul for their book “The Cat Really Did That?”. It was a big change from the serious and often depressing work that I usually did. When they accepted it, I realized that I’ve long enjoyed cozy mysteries and perhaps should give writing them a try. I decided to use a pen name, June Lucas, to distinguish the mysteries from my more serious work.

The titles of the mysteries are inspired by Longfellow’s poem, The Wreck of the Hesperus”. Many years ago, I had a wonderful tortoiseshell cat named Teacake, who was a bit grumpy and who my aunt nicknamed the Wreck of the Hiss Purr Hiss, since Teacake could never quite decide whether she was hissing or purring. That inspired the titles of the mysteries, which I create from lines in Longfellow’s poem, though with an added feline twist.

How do you develop your characters, particularly your amateur sleuth?

Inspiration for my amateur sleuth, Professor Madeline McPhee, comes from my own experience. Often in the stories I’ll have her use her chemistry skills to untangle aspects of the mystery – I refer to her as Sherlock Holmes with a mass spectrometer. It also helps explain why she gets drawn into murder investigations.

I’m also very fond of all things Scottish, which is a major theme of the stories. Being of English descent, I’m never far from a cuppa tea and a scone. Therefore, I have Madeline’s quirky aunt Fiona as a vital part of the stories. Fiona’s love of creating unique scones recipes inspired the companion cookbook, Aunt Fiona’s 50 Shades of Scones.

Cozy mysteries often feature unique settings or themes. Can you tell us about the setting/theme of your latest book and what drew you to it?

The main characters of the Madeline McPhee Mystery series live in Dunnett Village, a fictional place located southwest of Portland, Oregon, and near where I used to live. Many years ago, while on a post-doctoral fellowship at Indiana University, my friends Dave (nickname Larry), Carolyn (nickname Pink), and I joked about starting a café called Larry and Pink’s Atomic Cow Café, inspired by Dave’s nuclear hot chili and Carolyn’s yummy cheesecake. After reading my first mystery, Carolyn suggested that I include the café in the mysteries. Thus, Larry and Pink’s café joined other small businesses in Dunnett Village and became the center of the story in Book 3, “A Whiskered Storm”.

What do you find most challenging about writing cozy mysteries, and how do you overcome it?

I’m never without ideas and start scheming about stories for future books in advance. But making sure I’ve laid out the clues and red herrings without giving too much away is a challenge. I keep a detailed timeline but then run the completed novel draft past my wonderful editor, Jennifer Willis, who writes paranormal cozies and who has a keen eye for details that I miss.

Cozy mysteries often incorporate humor and wit. How do you balance the lighter elements with the seriousness of the mystery?

I’ve never had any trouble with humor and it’s fun to get to add that to my writing, which I couldn’t do in my more serious science work. It is important to be careful about humor in scenes related to when someone has been murdered. You must honor character’s grief over the loss of life and fear that they may be next without that taking over the story. It is also important to balance Professor McPhee’s presence in an ongoing investigation for the mysteries since she’s not a professional detective. Because cozies are light-hearted, I’m also careful to not have my characters curse, which is challenging when writing a detective’s dialogue.

Can you share any interesting research experiences or fun facts you discovered while researching for your books?

I’ve spent most of my career doing research for science projects but it’s quite fun to not have to worry about whether things are actually true when writing the mysteries. I get to research things like poisons and drugs (hoping no one looks too closely at my search history) instead of pollutants, which were the focus of my research career, and then create something from that research that may or may not be true but work for the story.

Do pets play a role in your cozy mysteries, and do they reflect any real-life pets or experiences?

Cats and the occasional dog are central to the stories, often being the basis for clues about the murderer. “Wreck of the Hiss Purr Hiss”, Book 1, opens with an adorable Maine Coon kitten found at the murder scene. Professor McPhee figures that his presence might help lead to the identity of the murderer. There’s also a shop dog brought to work by the owner of the bookstore where the murder victim was found because Pugs have so much personality, I couldn’t resist adding him as a character.

Book 2, “A Curious Corpse Was He”, has a vulture as the rather unconventional opening critter, though we soon return to cats and a sweet Golden Retriever to accompany the human characters for the rest of the story.

Book 3, “A Whiskered Storm”, returns to having a cat offering potential clues to the identity of the killer.

When I first started writing the mysteries, I had a wonderful 16-year-old cat named Ellen and one of my critique partners mentioned that my fictional kitten was unrealistic and boring. Not long after that, I adopted 5-month-old Wall-E, an orange tabby, from a shelter, and he contributed an abundance of crazy kitten behavior that inspired scenes with the kitten in the stories.

Is there anything else you’d like to share that I haven’t covered in the interview?

The side characters, especially the regulars, are a lot of fun to write. It’s important to have the amateur sleuth be something of the straight one in the comedy so neighbors, family, and other characters can have quirky personalities to lighten things up.

Finally, what advice do you have for aspiring cozy mystery writers?

Have fun, especially with your first draft but then hire a good editor who can make sure your story is tight and believable, as much as a cozy can be. As someone who’s read many mysteries and watched light-hearted whodunnits, I have an ample baseline for how to write the stories. Spend some time reading others’ works to get an idea for the tone and characters.