Author Spotlight: Daryl Wood Gerber

Agatha Award-winning and national bestselling author Daryl Wood Gerber is known for her vivid settings, well-drawn characters, and expertly crafted plots. She has written dozens of well-reviewed cozy mysteries. Daryl Wood Gerber also writes romance novels, stand-alone thrillers, and the Aspen Adams novels of suspense (Desolate Shores, Fan Mail, and Cold Conviction). As an actress, Daryl appeared on Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, and other well-known TV series.

Daryl Wood Gerber's cozy mystery series include:

• Aroma Wellness Mysteries: This new cozy mystery series follows Emma Brennan as she gets caught up in a murder mystery while opening her new spa business, Aroma Wellness, in Carmel, California.

• Literary Dining Mysteries: In this cozy mystery, set in Ashville, North Carolina, bibliophile, caterer, and personal chef Allie Catt is forced to sift through clues when her best friend is accused of murder. This series includes lots of recipes. Read a review of Murder on the Page, the first Literary Dining Mystery.

• Fairy Garden Mysteries: Fairy garden store owner Courtney Kelly teaches garden design, sells fairy figurines, and uses her magic touch to solve mysteries in Carmel, California.

• Cookbook Nook Mysteries: This long-running cozy mystery series features former marketing expert Jenna Hart, amateur sleuth and owner of a culinary bookshop and café called the Cookbook Nook. The Cookbook Nook Mysteries include recipes.

• French Bistro Mysteries: This two-book mystery series stars Mimi Rousseau as runs a French bistro and solves mysteries in her hometown in Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley. This series includes recipes.

• Cheese Shop Mysteries: This culinary cozy mystery features Charlotte Bessette, a cheesemonger and the proprietor of Fromagerie Bessette, a cheese shop in small-town Providence, Ohio. This series includes recipes.

You can learn more about Daryl Wood Gerber's books, get recipes, see upcoming events, sign up for her newsletter, and find other fun extras on her website, DarylWoodGerber.com.

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Daryl Wood Gerber

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

I have always been a reader of mysteries and suspense, so when I started writing novels, I decided to try my hand at writing suspense first. I wrote a couple of them, and I heard from agents that they liked my work, but, alas, they couldn’t sell “that particular book.” A few years into this venture, a good friend and critique partner, Krista Davis (Domestic Diva Mysteries), suggested I try my hand at writing cozies. I read lots of them. I loved her books. Taking her suggestion to heart, I created a couple of pitches with chapters for an agent who liked my work. She represented a lot of cozy authors, including Krista. She loved what I wrote but didn’t think any of the “hooks” were right. Swell. Needless to say, I was growing frustrated and six months later vowed that if I didn’t find an agent for my latest suspense novel that was circulating, I’d give up writing. About a month later, the agent called and asked if I would like to write about a cheese shop. A publisher wanted a series with that “hook.” I knew cheese, so I said sure! I had to audition by writing three chapters. They provided a “bible” of what they expected in the series. A month later, I had a three-book deal. Why? It turned out that I had a voice for cozies. The light-hearted kind of voice, often humorous, that lets readers know everything will be all right in the end and justice will be served.

What essential elements make a cozy stand out to you as a reader?

Usually a cozy is set in a small town environment, like my Fairy Garden Mysteries which take place in Carmel, a cozy village-style town on the coast of California, or thought they might occur in a large city, most of the action takes place in a niche environment, like Cleo Coyle’s Coffeehouse Mysteries. The protagonist often has a skill that she can share with others. In The Cheese Shop Mysteries, my main character was a cheesemonger and shared her expertise with her customers. The main character often has friends that support her/him emotionally. The main character usually has a knack for discerning clues and seeing the truth where others fail. There’s rarely bad language in a cozy. There’s very little sex on the page. The mystery is almost always a whodunit.