1--What is the title of your latest release?
MURDER ON THE PAGE, the first Literary Dining Mystery.
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Featuring twin hooks that cozy readers can’t get enough of—classic books and delicious food—this delectably intriguing new series features a caterer who crafts literary-themed dinner parties, and must ensure that a killer gets their just desserts.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I wanted to set it in a mountain town. My nephew lives in Asheville, NC, so I decided to visit him and see if that area would work. It’s perfect. I also spent nine years in Charlotte, NC, so I was pretty familiar with the state.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
A bibliophile caterer? You bet. We’d talk mysteries and eat treats. Yum. Plus, Allie is funny, and I adore people who can make me laugh.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Witty book-loving foodie.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
The themed book in Murder on the Page is Pride and Prejudice, so I did a deep dive into the story and then researched Jane Austen, the Regency Era, and more. I’ve gathered a wealth of information that I will never forget. Did you know Jane Austen’s favorite composer was Haydn?
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit chapter by chapter. I write one. Re-read and edit it. Move on to the next. When I’m done, I rewrite the whole manuscript about 3 more times, searching for often used words, looking for items I’ve marked with the words FIX THIS, and finally reading aloud. Then I compare the document to the previous version, just in case. It’s intense. But I love rewriting!
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Ice cream or gluten-free chocolate cake. I made a chocoholic trifle for Murder on the Page. Recipe included in the book. Yum!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My office is truly an office, with two desks and lots of bookshelves. It looks out onto a nook garden that I’ve turned into a fairy garden town, complete with fairy lights. There is a couch, often used by guests, a bed for Sparky, and a table prepared with lighting and a cell phone holder so I can do a live chat in an instant. The office is pretty organized but not “completely” organized. However - I don’t always write in my office. Sometimes I work at the kitchen table, dining table, outdoor table, or even my car or a coffee shop!
10--Who is an author you admire?
Krista Davis. She is a good friend and a prolific writer. Her ability to see the big picture is what drove me to start writing cozy mysteries. She is well read, dedicated, and all her books are a fun read.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
When I got the measles as a girl, my mother gave me her set of Nancy Drew books. Up until then, I was not enamored with reading. I devoured all 30+ books in less than a week and was hooked forevermore on mysteries, on reading, and on solving puzzles.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I had been writing for nearly 8 years. Numerous agents turned me down with the comment, “This is good. I like your style. But I can’t sell this book. Do you have another?” I wrote another and another. I was writing suspense at the time. As mentioned above, Krista Davis, a critique partner, suggested I try writing a cozy mystery. I met her agent at a writer’s conference and we hit it off. I asked if I could send her a cozy proposal. I did and she wrote, “This is good. I like your voice. But I can’t sell this theme. Do you have another?” Sigh. At the time, I had a suspense out to other agents and told my husband if it didn’t find representation, I’d hang up my pen. About a week later, I got a call from Krista’s agent. She said she had a work-for-hire project for Berkley Prime Crime. Would I like to audition to write a series about a cheese shop in Ohio? I said a resounding yes. Inside two weeks I wrote three chapters, came up with other plot ideas, and sent those off to her. She loved them and sent them to the publisher. Three weeks later, we had a three-book deal. I wrote the Cheese Shop Mystery series under the pseudonym Avery Aames. I took on my real name, Daryl Wood Gerber, when I sold the Cookbook Nook Mysteries.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read mysteries and thrillers. I enjoy them both. I occasionally read romance or paranormal or nonfiction.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Sorry, I can’t pick just one. Romancing the Stone, It Happened One Night, Vertigo and, forgive me, Mission Impossible. I love action films.
15--What is your favorite season?
Spring. I love seeing all the trees and flowers bud and bulbs pushing through the soil. There’s something magical and hopeful about it.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Ice cream . . . and I keep it a secret. Not the ice cream. The birthday.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I love Only Murders in the Building on TV. Recently I read A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian. So good. It’s a locked room murder mystery that is cleverly written.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I enjoy clean, simple foods like grilled salmon and broccoli or barbecued steak and string beans. Also, I’m celiac, so eating clean is the best way to avoid gluten. FYI, the best steak I ever had was one I made for my French Bistro Mysteries, steak au poivre! Decadent.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I walk Sparky, my adorable goldendoodle. I golf. I go to the movies by myself and immerse myself in the story. I read. And I garden. But free time? Um, what is that really? I’m always writing! LOL
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I have another new series next March, the Aroma Wellness mysteries, set in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The first title is Essence of Foul Play. You can learn more on my website, watch a trailer, find book club questions, and more.
By the way, there is a delicious recipe for Maids of Honor, a recipe from Murder on the Page, on my website.
Literary Dining #1
Featuring twin hooks that cozy readers can’t get enough of—classic books and delicious food—this new series from the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of several much loved series, including the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the French Bistro Mysteries, is a delicious treat for mystery lovers, especially fans of Ellery Adams, Krista Davis, and Lauren Elliott.
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients’ favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie’s cat, Darcy, approves), and it’s so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette’s Feast and more.
Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there’s a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie’s clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim’s sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend’s innocence, but how to prove it?
Once again, her love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues.
With a little luck—and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud—she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder . . .
Mystery Culinary | Mystery Cozy | Mystery Amateur Sleuth [Kensington Cozies, On Sale: October 22, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781496748171 / eISBN: 9781496748195]
Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling mysteries, including the Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense including the well received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, andthe popular Aspen Adams series. And now Daryl, who loves a challenge, has published a Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy