Meet Cathy Tully | Author of Cozy Mysteries and Chiropractor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cathy Tully and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cathy, how do you think about risk?
In my author business, sometimes it all feels like risk. If you’ve ever heard the concept that ‘thoughts are things’, this plays itself out in a big way while creating a written work. From short stories to full-length novels, you are creating something based only on your thoughts. Yes, we can go down rabbit holes with research, but in the end it all comes from the writer’s imagination. Putting your thoughts onto ‘paper’ and then sharing them with the world is the first big risk. Then you have to decide how to distribute your work. It takes a lot of self-confidence and determination to get a book out there, and then to find and agent or publisher (if you are traditionally published) you risk rejection and self-doubt. If you’re not ready for that, don’t go into writing. I’m self-published, so I took the addition risk to take it on faith that my work was good enough to see the light of day without an agent or publisher giving the okay. I’ve also had to invest in cover art and editors. I took these risks knowing that the financial reward would be greater. I think it helped that I’ve already run one business and know that you have to leap in, but have a budget and a timeframe for your production.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a cozy mystery author. Cozy mysteries are amateur sleuths, such as Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote. Like those examples, most cozies feature small towns with quirky characters such as friends and family of the sleuth. Because I moved to Georgia for chiropractic school, and then moved to the South Side of Atlanta to start a chiropractic practice, I decided to reflect those choices in my novels.

So, I write the only chiropractic sleuth featured in a cozy mystery. That sets me apart from just about any mystery as she’s probably the only chiropractic sleuth featured in any mystery. The doctor, Susannah Shine, must rely on her staff and friends to help her learn what is going on in the town. This reflects how my husband and I learned about all the personalities and goings on in our small town from behind the front desk of our office. Old timers who had grown up there and new arrivals to town alike would lean in and give us advice. It was eye-opening.

I also wanted to reflect the diversity I saw in the population around me. So many of these mysteries show a very one-note towns. I wanted to make my fictional town more realistic.

Also, I grew up in a very suburban area outside NYC, so living in a semi-rural environment was new to me. Even though there is so much growth here that it is no longer semi-rural, I keep that aspect alive in the books. The main character has an office across the street from a Peach orchard. Very small town Georgia.

There were many challenges in running a chiropractic practice in a small town, but those gave me a resiliency which led me to become an independent author. Both require a high degree of confidence and trust in your decision making. The good news is that if you make a mistake, you can always correct that mistake and learn from it. Being sucessful requires constant forward movement and missteps are part of the deal.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Here on the South Side of Altanta, we love the outdoor life. High Falls would be top on my list. There are many parks to hike or canoe in.

Depending on the time of year, there are outdoor attractions in Henry County, like strawberry picking and corn mazes and pumpkin patch for kids of all ages. In the spring there are many craft fairs, The Geranium Festival in McDonough probably being the biggest of them all on the south side. Or we could travel Calloway Gardens for a day of bonding with the butterflies in the butterly garden.

If they wanted to stay local, I could show them around Locust Grove which has a local shopping area with local some restaurants. We are minutes away from the Tanger Outlet Malls for some extended retail therapy. McDonough Square has more restaurants and an independent bookstore, Story on the Square for a capuccino and a browse.

Entertainment wise, we could see a cover band at Southern Roots Tavern or maybe take a trip to the Fox Theater.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thanks to Sisters In Crime for the support in my witing journey and especially to my husband who has taken on a big portion of our chiropractic business while I pound the keys part-time.

Website: ectully.com

Instagram: ECTullyAuthor

Facebook: Cathy Tully Cozy Author