Daryl Wood Gerber ~ About the Author

May’s featured author is Daryl Wood Gerber

I was introduced to Daryl Wood Gerber through a blog tour I did a few years back. I love her writing style and the vivid settings that she embraces in her stories. After living in northern California throughout my teen years, the places that Daryl references bring back happy memories. Daryl’s characters really resonate with me. I love the way that they embrace the challenges that are thrown at them in the form of dead bodies.

An example is this quote from Courtney Kelly

I hadn’t wanted to trust my eyes, either, but my mother had told me to believe. Meadows, rivers, and mountains, she said, were alive with spiritual beings who would give a helping hand to those who asked nicely. I stroked the silver locket that held my mother’s portrait. She’d given me the locket that Christmas. An image of a fairy was etched into the lid. The word Believe was engraved on the underside.

Daryl Wood Gerber. A Sprinkling of Murder (Kindle Locations 119-122). Kindle Edition.

Without further ado, here is Daryl Wood Gerber.

Tell us a little about yourself. Perhaps something, not many people know?

Well, it’s in my bio on my website, but I doubt many people read that. I have jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.  With an instructor.  I don’t think I could have ever done it by myself, but I’d always wanted to “fly.” It was an amazing experience.  Something else few know about me. I hitchhiked around Ireland by myself when I was in college.  It was quite an experience, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone do that nowadays. I met some wonderful people and some scary people that I had to dodge. Very eye-opening. My Euro Pass wouldn’t cover the British Isles, but I desperately wanted to see the country where my grandmother was born. I kissed the Blarney Stone. And I returned to my European college campus unscathed. Luckily.

Skydiving is exciting, but I don’t think I could do it. Visiting Ireland sounds like fun, yet I don’t see myself backpacking.

What made you want to become a writer?

I was an actress first, and I started writing screenplays. I thought if I crafted a bestseller screenplay, I could make it into a movie and become a star. That didn’t happen, but the writing process was so exciting for me. I felt like I was acting all the time . . . on the page.  I had written as a girl, but I had a teacher who dismissed my efforts and told me to choose another path. That set me back years, for sure.

Which author(s) do you read the most?

I love reading mysteries and thrillers.  I’m definitely a genre reader. I’ve read a wide scope of authors, however.  I read all the Agatha Christies featuring Hercule Poirot. I read all of the Sue Grafton alphabet series. I read many Daniel Silva thrillers. A few James Bond thrillers. All the Bourne novels. I’ve read all the Krista Davis cozy mysteries. Many by Ginger Bolton and Allison Brook. All of the Hannah Dennison mysteries. The list continues. I’m a reader. I can’t read as fast as most readers, and because I’m writing all day every day, I have to carve out time to read, but I try to read at least one hour every night.

So many of these authors I have read too. Mysteries are one of my favorite genres.

Do you play a musical instrument or sing?

I used to play the piano a lot. Now only occasionally. I do sing, and I love to sing. When I was an actress, I sang and danced on stage and pursued a career in musical theater as well as film.

What type of music do you listen to?

I like soft rock and jazz, and when writing, I like instrumental music. Something I can’t sing to. That would be too distracting.

What is the worst job that you have ever had?

I had to clean out a storage room filled with Library of Congress documents and magazines. The owner wanted the documents organized by date and dusted off. There were terrible spiders and no windows, and it was dirty, and I felt claustrophobic.  Not a terrible job, but one of the worst I can remember.

Where do you go to relax?

I love to swim and exercise. So if I need some down time, I will work out. If I can add in some reading, sitting by the water and reading is the most relaxing time for me.

Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or live in an un-haunted cottage?

As much as I’d like to meet a ghost (a friendly ghost), I think I’d prefer an un-haunted cottage. I’m a visceral reader and movie goer, and anything scary really scares me to my bones. I also don’t need a lot of space. I’ve lived in big houses. Smaller is better for me now. I like cozy.

What is your go to recipe or restaurant?

I love baking gluten-free sweets. I have a recipe for a blueberry coffee cake that is a no fail. I just made a pear coffee cake that is divine. Around 10:30 every morning, I need a cup of coffee and a sweet as a pick-me-up. I don’t eat sweets after lunch, so that’s my one time of day to really indulge.

Writing Style

Do you have a writing schedule?

I get to my desk by nine a.m. I play a few word games, and then I dig into my work. I try to work until lunch (around 1), take a half hour break, and come back to my desk until at least 5.

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym, or do you?

I did, for the Cheese Shop Mysteries. I wrote as Avery Aames.  It was my first series, and the publisher had come up with the series idea. Therefore, I couldn’t use my own name. I got paid the same as any other author, but the publisher said I had to have a pseudonym. Avery only wrote the one series.

What comes first for you, the plot, or the characters?

The question what if comes first.  Then I focus on the motives and secrets. Those create the plot.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story, or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

Actually, right now, one character is trying to get her own way.  And I’m sort of enjoying her bullying way. It’s making this story a tad different from others I’ve written.

Do you choose the character names based on how they sound or their meaning?

Sometimes on sound, sometimes on meaning. I often use an alphabet list to make sure I don’t have too many names starting with the same letter. That can be confusing for a reader.

How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?

I enjoy writing the story and I will insert emotional content, but it only works if, when I’m in the editing process it surprisingly affects me. You know, makes me laugh or brings me to tears. If that was my aim, I’m thrilled!

How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing?

I do a lot of research with locations, clothing, streets, towns. I have to give myself anchors so I know where my characters are at all times.  It’s like structuring a play and knowing where the actors are on stage.

Book/Series

What is your favorite character out of all your books? Why is he/she your favorite?

I have to admit that I adore Fiona, the sleuth fairy from the Fairy Garden Mysteries. She’s unique. There’s no character like her in fiction. And she’s just plain sassy.

I enjoy reading about Fiona so much. She literally steals the show every time with Courtney. She’s sassy, for sure.

How did you come up with the titles for your books?

For the Cheese Shop Mysteries, I thought of puns with cheese and they took off. For the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, we had to work on the first few titles before landing on a rhythm. I wish I could rename the first two in the series.  When we got to Stirring the Plot, the rhythm of the titles started to make sense.  For the Fairy Garden Mysteries, we decided we wanted “fairy magical” qualities to each of them using words like sprinkling, hint, glimmer, and twinkle.

What is something unique about Jenna Hart from the Cookbook Nook Mysteries?

Jenna worked in advertising before joining her aunt to run a culinary bookstore. She understands sales and perspective. But she couldn’t cook worth a lick. Always a foodie, she has learned over the course of the series how to cook thanks to people like Rhett and Katie in her life. She started with 5-ingredient recipes.

How did you decide to set the Cookbook Nook Mysteries in Crystal Cove, California?

I decided to make a town that reminded me of a number of coastal towns in California. I’m from the Bay Area and always enjoyed going to Carmel, Capitola, Santa Barbara, and beyond. Crystal Cove is an amalgam of all of them.

What is something unique about Courtney Kelly from the Fairy Garden Mysteries?

Courtney lost her mother when she was ten years old. With that loss, she lost the ability to see fairies. It wasn’t until she took the chance to open her own business that she was able to see fairies again. Believing can be empowering.

How did you decide to set the Fairy Garden Mysteries in Carmel by the Sea, California?

As above, I lived in the Bay Area and often visited Carmel. I love the town. Love the history and the magical aspect of it. It’s the perfect place for fairies to interact with humans.

You recently wrote a holiday romance, Hope for the Holidays. What inspired you to change genres?

This is a story that I simply had to tell. I’d written the beginnings of it as a screenplay and had set it aside. It kept calling to me. There might be one more in me. But when a story needs to find its voice, it will.

What project are you working on now?

I’m working on a new series that I can’t tell you about. It’s a secret. But I’m very excited about its prospects. It is another cozy mystery and set in North Carolina. I spent 10 years in Charlotte, NC., and really enjoyed the experience.

Do you have any other books coming out this year or next year?

As you mentioned above, Hope for the Holidays comes out on November 14. I’ll alert everyone. 2024 is going to be busy with a number of books. I don’t have all the timelines yet, but suffice it to say, I’ll be doing a lot of promotions.

Find Daryl on the web:

 

Cookbook Nook Mysteries

Fairy Garden Mysteries

French Bistro Mysteries

Cheese Shop Mysteries, written under the pen name Avery Aames

Giveaway

Prize: Your choice of a Fairy Garden Mysteries book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you, Daryl, for being here with us on Baroness Book Trove. We appreciate your openness and willingness to answer our questions. I can’t wait for your newest books to come out.

Until the next time,

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