What is Cozy Apocalypse Fiction? And who's responsible for this new madness?

January 7, 2023

Cozy Apocalypse Fiction - For a while now...I've been receiving emails and other queries about the new sub-genre, Cozy Apocalypse Books.

Just like The China Pandemic... It's true. I started this. I'm the one responsible. The first book with that subtitle is Motel at the End of the World, Book 1 - The Coffee Killer, depicting a wild murder mystery amongst the survivors of a plant pandemic...coffee becomes the hot commodity amongst other toiletries and food items. Check-in with a can of beans and you get a night's stay. Money is worthless.

But what makes it a Cozy Apocalypse Fiction?

No gratuitous violence or sex scenes
No excessive swearing
No zombie gore
No catalogs of weaponry

Just an intriguing story at world's end involving the plight of the survivors and how they get along. I mean...it's more engaging than that description, but you get the idea.

Cozy Apocalypse Fiction

But why?

I'm the writer of The China Pandemic, published in 2013, 6 years before current events. And let me tell you...it's been tough. But not only for me...my readers. The urgent letter to cease and desist writing what might come true. The phone calls, the text messages, the line at the grocery store... Being blamed for the death of a loved one will get to a person, no matter how thick your professional writer skin is...trust me on this.

It's not that I believe these things, but people are hurting. And I write and produce what comes to me. I write and produce the stories that I find willing their way into existence. And I saw a need for a sub-genre in the post-apocalyptic realm. One that doesn't trigger past events in the scarred among us. And let's face it...there's some really tough stuff in a lot of these novels, mine included.

Some will say...well, read a cozy mystery or a romance... There's just something about post-apocalyptic stories that draw even nonreaders in. Stories of human survival intrigue us like no other.

But what if we earmarked a subcategory just for them? Stories that bypass the worst of the violence and instead showcase humanity moving on.

That's what this is about. There's plenty of nightmares out there...why not provide a beam of light at the end of the tunnel?

Since you created this sub-genre...can other authors write in this too?

Cozy Apocalypse Fiction

Absolutely! There's no copyright on a genre as far as I'm aware. This is about the readers. I saw a need and I filled the need. But you can certainly write here too!