Southern Wake communities have been frequently lauded as safe places to live, often ranking among the safest towns in North Carolina.
But according to author Simone Stier, Fuquay-Varina is rife with murders.
Okay, not Fuquay exactly — rather, its fictional counterpart, Magnolia Grove.
Simone and Peter Stier’s Cafe Crimes novels have all made Amazon’s Cozy Culinary Mysteries bestseller lists.
A small town in the foothills of North Carolina, inspired heavily by the Quay, Magnolia Grove serves as the setting for the Cafe Crimes series of cozy mystery books written by Simone and her husband, Peter.
“We set the whole series up in Fuquay-Varina, but we call it Magnolia Grove. A lot of the places in the books are inspired by Fuquay-Varina, as well as surrounding neighborhoods, towns, cities, and scenery,” Simone says.
A Fuquay resident since 2019, Simone always dreamed of living in a small town. She loves running into people she knows, loves working from local coffee shops, loves the calmer pace of life — especially compared to her former life in Los Angeles. So it was a natural setting for A Shot of Scandal and the five subsequent novels in the series.
“So the premise is — and it’s like a page out of real life for me — our heroine, Parker Hayes, is from the big city, and she’s a true crime podcaster. She decides to get away from all the noise and crime, so she moves to a small town called Magnolia Grove and opens up a coffee shop. … And funny enough, this town ends up having tons of murders and crimes. Because she’s a true crime podcaster, everybody looks to her for her expertise.
“I wanted to write this series in this way because I love Fuquay-Varina, and I’ve always wanted to open up a little café/bookstore,” Simone says.
Instead of borrowing millions of dollars to transform the former Elliotts Pharmacy building — Simone’s ideal location — into a café, she created one fictionally.
Peter and Simone Stier use real-life Fuquay-Varina as a muse for their fictional Magnolia Grove.
“The place the main character buys is Elliotts, basically, and she actually calls it that in the book. So people who know Fuquay, if they’re reading it, they’ll know that is the location.”
Life in Fuquay offers endless inspiration for the events in the Cafe Crimes series, says Peter. The town tree lighting, the Fuquay-Varina Police Department Polar Plunge, and even a park named Falcon Park turn up in the pages of the series.
For simplicity of branding, the pair chose to have only Simone’s name listed on the books’ covers, but they write, edit, and brainstorm as a team.
“It’s about the story, not my name. I’m happy to be the guy behind the scenes,” says Peter.
Familiar places, small towns, and found friends are central to cozy mystery stories, which Simone likens to a comforting cup of tea, albeit one with twists and turns.
“We know we’re doing something right when readers tell us they couldn’t figure out who (the murderer) was. We love to throw a wrench into (the story). It keeps you guessing until the end,” she says.
“Cozy mystery is my favorite. It’s just so much fun and it’s challenging. … They’re really fun mysteries to solve, like Agatha Christie would be. She’s probably one of the first cozy mystery authors. (The genre is) really sweet and lighthearted and humorous. They’re like a group of friends that you would want to hang out with and solve mysteries with.”
Mystery author Ellen Edwards Kennedy’s initials — fittingly — spell eek.
Ellen Edwards Kennedy — another Fuquay-Varina resident and cozy mystery author — adds, “These are stories that are set in a small town or a familiar place, and the characters all pretty much know each other. It usually has minimal sex and violence. But to me, the essence of a cozy mystery is the puzzle, is giving people the clues and then solving it — and hopefully solving for yourself.”
Ellen’s four-part series is set in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Champlain, modeled after her hometown of Plattsburgh, New York.
“It’s the town of my memories, fond memories. I even picture the high school building (in the novels) as the original high school building where I went,” Ellen says.
The Miss Prentice Cozy Mysteries by Ellen Edwards Kennedy take place in the Adirondack Mountains.
Ellen’s heroine, Amelia Prentice, is a high school English teacher who quite literally trips into a murder scene at a public library. She then endeavors to solve the case with her best friend, Lily, providing comic relief at her side. The series, called the Miss Prentice Cozy Mysteries, contains four volumes currently with one more still evolving in Ellen’s mind — we can neither confirm nor deny if the villainous high school principal will prove central to that story.
“I’ve been told that people can identify with the stories because they all know people who are like the characters in the town. Amelia and Lily are not exactly like Lucy and Ethel (of I Love Lucy fame), but they have their moments. I have a lot of fun with these characters,” says Ellen.
Despite creating in the same genre, the Stiers and Ellen approach their work with nearly opposite methods.
“Before we even start writing, we do an outline, blurb, and synopsis, so we know what the overall story is about,” explains Simone. “We come up with our murder victim, and then we’ll come up with our suspects and their backstories. … We do our chapter outline, and we break down our scenes per each chapter. Once a big picture is locked in, we’re able to figure out where the clues go and where the red herrings go. Sometimes our outlines are 30 pages before we even start writing.
“Once we get going, we might go away from the outline a little bit here and there, but that’s okay because that’s where real creativity comes in. As long as we have a roadmap, I feel comfortable going forward. I’m not a pantser.”
A pantser — yes, a legit industry term — “goes by the seat of their pants,” says Ellen. “I tend to be in that group.
“I tried my best to use those cards and outlines, and oh my goodness, it was so overwhelming,” Ellen admits. “When I write about a character, I really need to know my main character’s background and how she thinks. And then the characters, when you start writing, they almost start taking on a life of their own.”
Fuquay’s old Elliotts Pharmacy building finds new life in the Cafe Crimes cozy mystery novels by Simone and Peter Stier as a coffee shop. In real life, the building will soon house FRESH. Local Ice Cream.
Simone, Peter, and Ellen all published their first works after careers in advertising, video editing, and copy writing, respectively — proof that you can turn to writing anytime, anywhere.
“If anybody wants to write, they must be a reader. I think it’s absolutely important to read in the genre that you love, and if you’re interested in writing, write in the genre you love,” says Ellen.
From Simone:
Freida McFadden
“I actually do love psychological thrillers, but I don’t think I want to write them because it really can get dark. Hers are great and quick reads.”
Taylor Jenkins Reid
“She wrote Daisy Jones & the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. She has a new book coming out in June, and I’m really excited about that one.”
From Ellen:
Charles Dickens
“When I was in grade school, we had to read a few chapters of Great Expectations, and when you’re in junior high, who cares? I started reading it again, and it was great. Then I started reading Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, and I just love them.”
Mel Brooks’ Autobiography, All About Me!
“It was pretty hilarious, I gotta say. That was a lot of fun. I love to read biographies.”
“My advice is always to just keep writing, no matter what. The hardest part is to sit down and do it,” Simone says. “Then get somebody in your life who can be your mentor, and be willing to learn a lot and take classes. I still take classes and read books on the craft. I am always trying to get better at it.”
“I’ve learned that the best stories come from our own experience. And also that there’s inspiration everywhere. We just have to keep our eyes open and our ears open.”
Cafe Crimes and Miss Prentice cozy mystery series are both available on Amazon and free on Kindle Unlimited.
The Chicken Coop
Author Ellen Edwards Kennedy founded a weekly writers’ circle called NC Scribes that critiques, coaches, and encourages its members in the work of writing.
“It’s a very affirming group. We support each other and we give suggestions,” says Ellen.
NC Scribes has been meeting weekly for around 12 years. In recent years, the meetings have been held virtually, drawing participants from around the country.
The group earned the nickname The Chicken Coop because collectively they have published 63 pieces in Chicken Soup for the Soul books, including a recent entry by Ellen titled “Kindling Friendship” in the volume Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Ways to Think Positive.
“That’s a good way for writers to get a start,” says Ellen. “It’s a fun thing to go after and get your toe in the door of writing and publishing.”
