For as long as I can remember, stories have been part of who I am. I’ve always loved the mystery of not knowing what comes next, creating characters who seem to develop minds of their own, and watching an idea that started in my imagination slowly become a world on the page.

But life has a habit of taking us in unexpected directions.

I built a career, raised my daughter and got on with all the things that everyday life demanded. Writing remained with me, sometimes quietly in the background and sometimes refusing to leave me alone.

Then, at 58, something changed.

I decided it was time to stop treating writing as something I would get around to “one day.”

One day became today.

Books that had lived on my computer and in my imagination began becoming real books. Buried Secrets, The Intruder, Creatures, Otto and Jenny’s Adventure Down by the Lake, Wishes Do Come True and Café Cakes each have completely different personalities — which probably says something about the way my mind works! One minute I’m wandering through dark secrets and sinister mysteries, and the next I’m following children on an adventure or hoping a little cat finds her forever home.

And I love every bit of it.

Somewhere along the way, another idea began to grow.

Why stop at publishing my books?

That question became Cozyn House Publishing.

I wanted to create a home for my stories — somewhere mystery, suspense, adventure and children’s books could happily exist together. A place that didn't insist every story had to fit neatly into the same box.

There is still an enormous amount I want to do. There are more stories to write, more characters waiting impatiently for their turn, and plenty more for me to learn about publishing.

But this website marks something important.

I started.

Maybe that is the biggest lesson this journey has taught me so far: there isn't an age by which you're supposed to have achieved your dream. Sometimes the right time arrives much later than you expected.

And sometimes, starting later simply means you have more stories to tell.

Welcome to Cozyn House Publishing.

Amanda Cozyn ❤️

People sometimes ask me where I get the ideas for my stories.

I wish I could say I sit down at my desk with a perfectly organised plan, carefully map out every character and plot twist, and then calmly begin writing.

That would be a lie. 😂

My stories tend to arrive when they feel like it.

Sometimes an idea begins with a place. Sometimes it’s a single scene that appears in my head. Other times it’s a question: What if this happened? And before I know it, that one question has become characters, secrets, problems and an entire story that didn’t exist five minutes earlier.

My imagination also doesn't appear to understand the concept of choosing a genre.

One day I'm writing about buried secrets, danger and people who definitely should not be trusted. The next I'm following Otto and Jenny on an adventure by the lake. Then a little cat wants a forever home, or Alex and Bruno are dragging me into the strange world of Café Cakes.

Apparently, my brain has no intention of specialising. And I've decided to let it have its way.

That's one of the things I love most about writing.

There are no rules about where your imagination is allowed to take you.

I can walk into the darkness with Creatures, open a door I probably shouldn't in The Intruder, travel from Cape Town to Egypt with Buried Secrets, and then come back and write something gentle, funny or magical for children.

Very often, the characters surprise me too. I may create them, but once I start writing, they have an annoying habit of developing personalities of their own. They don't always behave the way I intended, and occasionally they take the story somewhere I hadn't planned at all.

Those moments are some of my favourites.

Because that's when writing stops feeling like I'm constructing a story and starts feeling like I'm discovering one.

I don't know where every future story will come from.

And I think that's exactly how I like it.

There are still plenty of strange ideas wandering around inside my head waiting for their turn.

You'll just have to wait and see which one escapes next.

Amanda Cozyn ✍️❤️

Every book has a story behind it. Sometimes, that story is just as personal as the one written on its pages.

For as long as I can remember, I've loved making up stories. I could look at an ordinary object and imagine where it had been, who had owned it and what secrets it might hold.

Writing came naturally to me. Finishing a book, however, was another matter entirely.

When my father passed away, something changed. I stopped writing, and for almost fifteen years, the stories that had once filled my imagination remained unwritten.

Life carried on, as it does. I worked, raised my daughter, Alexia, and dealt with everything that comes with being an adult. Apparently, nobody thought to mention how much paperwork adulthood involved.

But somewhere in the background, the stories were still there.

Eventually, with encouragement from friends, I found my way back to writing.

And that is how Buried Secrets finally became a finished novel.

I've always been fascinated by Egypt — its history, mysteries and the secrets buried beneath centuries of sand. Since I hadn't travelled there myself, I decided to do the next best thing.

I wrote my way there.

Through the characters, the settings and the twists and turns of Buried Secrets, I could explore a world that had captured my imagination for years.

There were moments when I wondered whether I would ever finish it. There were chapters that needed rewriting, characters who seemed determined to do their own thing, and more than a few occasions when I questioned my sanity.

But I kept going.

And eventually, I reached those two wonderful words:

The End.

Except, of course, it wasn't really the end.

It was the beginning of Cozyn House Publishing and a new chapter in my life as an author.

Today, I'm writing more stories, exploring different genres and discovering just how much I missed creating worlds of my own.

And the journey is far from over.

I'm already looking ahead to Book 2 of Buried Secrets.

The story doesn't end with the final page of the first novel. There are more mysteries to explore, more questions to answer and, of course, more secrets waiting to be uncovered.

I'm not giving anything away just yet. After all, where would the fun be in that?

Because some secrets refuse to stay buried…

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that sometimes the dreams we put aside are simply waiting for us to return to them.

And if you've ever wanted to write a book, my advice is simple.

Write it. Finish it. Your story deserves to be told.

Thank you for being part of my journey.

Amanda Cozyn

Cozyn House Publishing — Stories for Curious Minds

Join me on Sunday 25 October 2026 at 7 pm Melbourne time for the Buried Secrets Facebook Live launch.

Come along as I celebrate the novel, share a little about the journey behind it and reveal three special Buried Secrets envelopes.

I hope to see you there!

The Secrets We Take to the Grave

Some secrets are buried. Others refuse to stay dead.

Have you ever wondered how many secrets a person can carry throughout their lifetime?

The things we never say. The truths we hide from the people we love. The decisions we make in moments of fear, believing nobody will ever discover what really happened.

But what if those secrets don't stay buried?

What if the past has a way of finding us, no matter how far we run?

Every Family Has a Story

I've always been fascinated by the secrets people keep.

Sometimes they're harmless. A little white lie. A childhood embarrassment. Something we'd rather forget.

But other secrets have consequences that reach across generations.

A betrayal can destroy a friendship. A lie can tear a family apart. And sometimes, the truth is far more frightening than anything we could have imagined.

It's that fascination with hidden truths that helped inspire my mystery novel, Buried Secrets.

Characters Who Have Something to Hide

One of the things I enjoy most about writing is creating characters who aren't quite what they seem.

In Buried Secrets, Jesse finds herself caught in a mystery where the past and present are dangerously intertwined.

As the story unfolds, the people around her reveal different sides of themselves. Loyalties are questioned, relationships are tested, and the truth becomes increasingly difficult to separate from deception.

And just when you think you've worked everything out, another secret emerges.

That's what I love about a good mystery. The moment a reader thinks, Hang on a minute. Something isn't right here.

And Then There's the Ghost...

Now, I couldn't write about Buried Secrets without mentioning the supernatural element.

Because sometimes, even death isn't enough to silence a story.

The ghostly presence in the novel adds another layer to the mystery, raising questions about unfinished business, hidden truths and the things that refuse to be forgotten.

But is every mystery meant to be solved?

And what happens when discovering the truth comes at a terrible price?

I'll leave those questions for readers to explore.

Why We Love a Good Mystery

Perhaps the reason we love mysteries is that we're all a little curious about what happens behind closed doors.

We want to understand people's motives.

We want to know who's telling the truth.

And, of course, we want that wonderful moment when the pieces finally fall into place.

For me, writing Buried Secrets was about creating a world where every character has a story, every decision matters and nothing should be taken at face value.

Because sometimes, the most dangerous secrets aren't the ones we uncover.

They're the ones someone will do anything to protect.

Amanda Cozyn Author of Buried Secrets Cozyn House Publishing — Stories for Curious Minds

Every secret has a story.