Cindy Goyette is…On the Writing Block!

Sherry Ickes
Jun 9
4 min read

This next author could not have a more cozy-sounding mystery series! Not to mention that her new release occurs at the Holidays! A win-win in my book (pun-intended)! Let’s say “hello” to Cindy Goyette…

Armed with a handgun and a word processor, Immigration Officer Cindy Goyette spent her nights creating fictional friends to help pass the lonely hours between border crossers. Cindy spent the ensuing years as a probation officer, where every day was an adventure. She survived by seeing humor in situations where she could find it. She joked about writing a book and then she did just that…called OBEY ALL LAWS.

Cindy also has a habit of adopting dogs who get into as much mischief as her probationers. A vet told her, Maya – a basic brown miscreant mixed breed – was lucky Cindy had taken her home because no one else would have put up with her antics. So why not give Maya her own series? Thus, Diamond in the Ruff: A Wiggle Butt Manor Mystery was born.

Born in New Jersey, Cindy lived in Phoenix for twenty years. She now makes her home in Washington state with her husband and two cocker spaniels.

Do you always know who the killer is, or do your characters surprise you in the end?

As much as I wish I could plot and outline my stories, I’m a true pantser, which means I fly by the seat of my pants. I only have a vague idea of what the storyline is when I write and never know who the killer is until they reveal themselves to me at the end. I don’t recommend this method, as I’ve written myself into a corner more times than I’d like to admit. But for me, on the rare occasion that I knew too much about the plot, I have a hard time finding the enthusiasm to write the story. I enjoy the journey as much as I hope my readers do.

How much is based on real life versus made up?

I write two series. My first, THE PROBATION CASE FILES MYSTERIES, is loosely based on my career as a probation officer. So, the bones of the series are based on real life, but what happens to the characters is what I call fiction based on experience. In my cozy mystery series, THE WIGGLE BUTT MANOR MYSTERIES, I made up most of it, including the town. But my love of dogs shines through. And Charlie, my main character, gets diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which happened to me several years ago. Also, like Charlie, I went through the police academy. So, I guess both my series are a mixture of real life and pure fiction.

Are there any animals in your book? If so, describe them and how involved they are in the investigation.

As I’m trying to write this, my cocker spaniel is putting his paw on my keyboard. Guess he wants to weigh in!

Both of my series have dogs. The probation books have Felony, a cocker spaniel mix, who police found in a dumpster. Felony is a faithful sidekick for Casey, my main character, but he doesn’t help solve the mystery. In the cozy series, I’ve used my actual dogs, Noah, a cocker spaniel, and Maya, a basic brown dog (at least that’s what the vet called her) who was the best bad dog I ever had. Both have gone over the rainbow bridge, but they will live on in my series. In the books, Noah isn’t that helpful, but he’s cute. When she’s not terrorizing the community, Maya does sometimes lead my sleuth to find clues.

Any advice for other authors?

Never give up! I started the probation series when I was in my early thirties, and it didn’t get picked up by a publisher until I was sixty! I didn’t write every day or even every year, but I knew I wanted to tell the story of a probation officer and kept coming back to it. That first book received three award nominations. And I didn’t even know what a cozy was when my agent recommended I write one. Now I can’t imagine a world without Wiggle Butt Manor and the characters in that series.

What is Dashing Through the Snow about?

Murder is under the mistletoe in the peaceful island community of Orca Cove. Holiday plans are put on hold to give attention to the grand opening of the Wiggle Butt Manor Agility Course. Special guest, Bently, is supposed to dazzle on the stage, but the locals have had enough of his snooty trainer, Miles Collins. So has his killer. When Charlie Calderbank finds Miles’ body in the back of her moving van, it becomes the season of giving…alibis, that is. Her hopes for a Christmas romance are dashed when the local hot cop is forced to pay more attention to the clues leading to her door than the chemistry that simmers between them.

Tainted treats, a widow who raises a toast along with a few eyebrows, a groomer with a grudge, an angry Santa Claus, a nosey reporter, and a canine custody hearing have Charlie spinning in every direction, juggling clues, dogs, and blizzards. She must identify the killer, or she’ll spend her Christmas behind bars.