LKBR: Hi, Daryl Wood
Gerber, it’s great to have you with us.
DWG: Thank
you for having me!
LKBR: Please
tell us a bit about yourself.
DWG: I’ve
been writing for a long time. My first book was published in 2010. Since that
time, I’ve written over 25 books, and I’m having a blast creating stories. When
I’m not writing, I like to bake, read, and golf. I have a goldendoodle named Sparky who likes
to take me on walks. J
LKBR:
Please tell us about your new book.
DWG: A
HINT OF MISCHIEF is the 3rd Fairy Garden Mystery.
Courtney has thrown a few
fairy garden parties—for kids. But if a local socialite is willing to dip into
her trust fund for an old sorority sister’s fortieth birthday bash, Courtney
will be there with bells on. To make the job even more appealing, a famous
actress, Farrah Lawson, is flying in for the occasion, and there’s nothing like
a celebrity cameo to raise a business’s profile.
Now Courtney has less than two weeks to paint a
mural, hang up tinkling windchimes, plan party games, and conjure up all the
details. While she works her magic, the hostess and her girlfriends head off
for an indulgent spa day—which leads to a fateful facial for Farrah, followed
by her mysterious death. Could the kindhearted eyebrow waxer who Farrah berated
in public really be the killer, as the police suspect? Courtney thinks
otherwise, and with the help of her imaginative sleuth fairy, sets out to dig
up the truth behind this puzzling murder . . .
LKBR: Do
you remember where you were/what you were doing when the idea of this
book/series came to you?
DWG: Yep.
It was right before Covid hit. I was at a writing conference talking to a woman
who does audio recordings for books. She
told me about her daughter’s fairy garden party. When I went home, I did a deep
dive on Pinterest looking for images of fairy garden parties. There were some
fabulous ones, but all were for children! While viewing them, I decided to write about an adult fairy garden
party. Now, a little bit of kismet, the
woman who gave me the idea—Sandra Murphy—is doing the audio recordings for the
Fairy Garden Mysteries.
LKBR: How
did you go about submitting your first idea for a book? Was that first book
published?
DWG: I
researched which agents were accepting submissions for mysteries, and I wrote
query letters. A LOT of query letters. And
I received a lot of rejections. I was
getting responses that said, “I enjoy your writing or the story or style, but I
can’t sell this book. Do you have
another?” So it went into a drawer. My second book also went into a drawer. So did my third. A few years later, when I was
about ready to give up, I lucked out and met an agent who liked my work. She,
like the others, couldn’t sell what I’d written, but we worked together coming
up with ideas, and then out of the blue, she offered me the opportunity to audition
for a work-for-hire cozy mystery at Berkley Prime Crime. I got the job and
started writing the Cheese Shop Mysteries under the pseudonym Avery
Aames. The first book launched my career. It won the Agatha Award for best
first novel. A couple years later, after proving myself, I pitched The
Cookbook Nook Mysteries to my editor and was granted another contract, this
time written under my own name, Daryl Wood Gerber.
LKBR: Is
writing your fulltime job? What’s your writing schedule like?
DWG: Yes.
I’m lucky enough to write fulltime. I’m at my desk by 9 a.m. I play a word game
or two, and then I dive in. I have a schedule every day listing what I want to
accomplish—how many pages I’ll write, or whether I need to work on my outline. I’m
usually done around 4 p.m. I walk my dog Sparky then. Some days, I go longer
(to 5 or 6 or 7 p.m.), particularly when I’m in final editing mode and the book
is due! I have PR responsibilities to promote my writing, as well, on social
media and for blogs. Last week, I was writing chapters for the 12th
Cookbook Nook and doing PR for A HINT OF MISCHIEF. It’s non-stop.
LKBR: No
matter where you are, do you write down ideas when inspiration strikes?
DWG: I
record them on my cell phone. Then I transcribe them and put them into a file
on my computer. I have notes for every book, every series. And I have a “new
ideas” file, too. I never know which idea will be the one that really captures
my imagination, so I don’t throw any of them out.
LKBR: Do
you write your book(s) from beginning to end or do you do you write scenes out
of order then pull them together?
DWG: I
have been known to write scenes out of order. I don’t like getting stuck, so if
there’s a scene that just isn’t working, I might write in my manuscript FIX
THIS SCENE, then skip it and move on. I’ve written the last scene first, too,
only because I know where I want the book to go, like a road map, so I get it down
on paper. As long as there is a complete book when I edit, I don’t care how it
comes together in the process. I do work with a basic outline. That really
helps me. I tweak the outline as I write the manuscript, but just having a
guide keeps me on track.
LKBR:
Have you ever killed off a series’ regular character (if you have a series)? If
yes, was it hard for you to do? What were your reader’s reactions to it?
DWG: I
have not. My publisher ended a series, and that bothered readers, but I
personally did not kill any regulars.
LKBR: Where
do you do most of your writing?
DWG: I do
most of it in my office. I do final editing in my dining room with pages spread
everywhere on the dining table. If I’m out and about doing errands, I often
take along my computer. I can write scenes at a coffee shop, in my car, and
elsewhere. I try not to let any environment limit my creativity.
LKBR: What
are three things always within reach when you’re writing?
DWG: Water,
my cell phone, my computer.
LKBR:
Please describe yourself in one sentence.
DWG: I’m
an energetic, positive, upbeat person who loves to tell stories, encourage
others, and laugh.
LKBR: Do
you have a message for your readers?
DWG: If
you have a dream, believe you can achieve it.
LKBR:
Thank you so much, Daryl, for spending time with us today. Can’t wait to chat
with you again!
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