Research is Fun! by Daryl Wood Gerber #giveaway

LUCY BURDETTE: I definitely enjoy research (think Paris pastries for example!), but I've never thought through all the benefits the way my pal Daryl has. She's here to tell you what she's figured out along the path of many books!

DARYL WOOD GERBER: Don’t groan. It is. It not only expands my mind, it enhances the book I’m writing. Here are five reasons why I enjoy it.

Research feeds my curiosity

When I wrote the Cheese Shop Mysteries, I tasted at least 1000 cheeses over the course of the series. Lucky me. When I wrote the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, I purchased bunches of new cookbooks. Again, lucky me. When I wrote the Fairy Garden Mysteries—I’m going to release a novella in December—I did a deep dive into fairies and myths, and I made numerous fairy gardens that now adorn my garden. Yes, you guessed it. Lucky me! 

Research expands my horizons

I like to armchair travel, which I guess most readers do. But sometimes I need to leave the nest and travel to get a feeling for a new place I’m going to include in a series. For my current series, the Literary Dining Mysteries, which are set in the mountains near Asheville, NC, I visited the city and took a few tours in the surrounding towns with my nephew, who lives there. We had fun. When we ate barbecue in Black Mountain, I knew I’d found my fictional town. Plus we met a number of quirky characters, a few of whom made it into the book, with slight alterations, of course. Next, to expand my knowledge of books, I selected the book that would be featured in the first of the series: Pride and Prejudice. Why? Because it’s a superb story, and it’s the favorite of the bookshop owner in the story. She is like an aunt to my protagonist Allie, a caterer and devoted reader. To properly do the references justice, I reread the book and marked (with sticky notes, mind you—no dog-eared pages or magic markers) the quotes I would include at the top of each chapter. Doing the deep dive made my story come alive. I paid attention to the words, the expressions, and the tempo. In addition, I did extensive research about the clothing, music, and food of the Regency Era. Check out the yummy maids of honor recipe on my website here.

Research helps me realize which stories deserve the spotlight 

For my newest in the Literary Dining Mysteries, Murder by the Millions, I chose The Great Gatsby as the book the literary dining party would study and discuss. It happens to be one of my all-time favorite novels.  The tragic character of Jay Gatsby breaks my heart. I studied the novel and its themes, and I boned up on the clothing, music, and food of the era. To my surprise, while I was writing the book, I visited New York City, and what was on Broadway?  The Great Gatsby.  I bought a ticket and ensconced myself in the story and mood, as presented in musical fashion. I’ve got to say, that was some of the most fun research I’ve ever done.  The story really deserves the spotlight.

Research can blossom into a personal journey

For the first in the Aroma Wellness Mysteries, which is set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, meaning I could use much of the research I’d already gleaned for the Fairy Garden Mysteries, I delved into how to open a spa business, how to conduct a mindful meditation, what various massage techniques require, and the value of crystal readings. What makes this series a bit of a challenge, is I decided to include a café and gift shop at the spa. Both of those businesses required more research. For the café, I experimented with good-for-you recipes. For the gift shop,  I learned about the many items it might sell, including baoding balls and fragrant candles and bonsai trees. 

However, the bonus to this research is, in order to learn about singing bowls, gemstones, and essential oils, I visited the Native Spirit Lodge, which is located near my house, and I indulged in a sound bath. What a treat. I came out of that place so relaxed! 

The downside of research . . . it can be costly

I’ve spent a lot of money on books, cookbooks, gemstones, and essential oils. I’ve bought way too many fairy figurines—I’m obsessed. 

The upside? I love using the oils and rubbing the gemstones between my fingertips. And I love all my new books. I love holding them and browsing the pages. Navigating through Internet sites doesn’t feel the same. 

Which is why I’ll continue to leave my office occasionally to conduct in-person research. It’s fun. It’s enlightening. It enhances my stories. Lucky me.

REDS, tell us about some research you've done on one of your projects. Commenters will be entered in a drawing for Daryl's giveaway, a copy of the first in the series and swag!

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, Aroma Wellness Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense novels, including the well-received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams trilogy. Daryl has published a standalone Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays, and her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. 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. You can learn more on her website: https://darylwoodgerber.com

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In the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, caterer and personal chef Allie Catt serves up mouthwatering, literary-themed dinner parties inspired by her clients’ favorite books. Her next event is sure to be a roaring success—if a murderer isn’t a killjoy . . .

If it were true that the best thing a girl can be in this world is a fool, then Allie Catt would be out of luck. Fortunately, Allie’s business is a smashing success. And following her Pride and Prejudice event, grander plans await . . . 

Feast for the Eyes bookstore manager and Allie’s best friend, Tegan, is hosting a book club soiree and wants it to be a glittering affair based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic Jazz Age-set novel, The Great Gatsby. Soon, Art Deco table settings and visions of flappers are dancing the Charleston in their heads. Even Tegan’s prickly sister, Vanna, is on board. And surely, Allie’s tuxedo cat, Darcy, thinks it’s the cat’s meow.

Amid the planning, charismatic developer Jason Gardner arrives in town to buy some historic buildings on Main Street. He, too, has plans: to create a modern mall. Allie is more than concerned. She even wants to protest. But when Jason invites her to cater a lavish party, she finds him surprisingly likable. Then she’s summoned to his estate for a meeting—and finds him dead.

Once again Allie’s landed in the middle of a crime scene.

The Sound of Music by Lucy Burdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: I hadn't paid much attention to the news that THE SOUND OF MUSIC is celebrating its 60th anniversary until my neighbor mentioned she was going to our local theater to see it on the big screen. I'm not lukewarm about this musical--I adore it! So I immediately signed on to the neighbor posse. We got there a half hour ahead in case the place was mobbed (it wasn't) and settled in with popcorn.

https://youtu.be/q0y-CuV1SI4

I love this show so deeply! It was the perfect antidote for the bad news the world keeps throwing at us. I love the way the romance develops--such a great example of show don't tell. The Captain's patriotism is inspiring, the escape is epic, I love those nuns from beginning to end, the depiction of stepfamily dynamics...well, not so realistic:). I do have some lingering questions, such as why oh why did they give Julie Andrews that horrendous haircut? And what is Maria referring to when she sings she might have had a wicked childhood?? Her family of origin is never mentioned--what shaped her into the spunky woman she grows into during the movie? Would the baroness really have bowed out so neatly once Maria returns to the von Trapp household? She strikes me as more of a fighter than that...

I must have seen this not long after it came out in 1965, but I was also cast in our high school rendition as Brigitta. (That probably accounts for a bit of my adoration...)

Here's my pal Joel Silidker (RIP) playing the Captain...

Are you a fan of the show? Have you seen it recently? Is there a different movie you feel even more strongly about?

ps On a different subject, if you might want to listen to the audio version of my first advice column mystery, it's on sale for $7.50 until November 1. 

https://www.audiobooks.com/promotions/promotedBook/809297/deadly-advice?refId=221829

The New, New Scam: Stroke the Writer’s Ego by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: You guys all know by now that we writers are a fragile lot. A bad review in a trade journal or from a reader can keep us from working for days. One or two stars? Devastating! We’ve put hours and hours and weeks and weeks into this work, only to be told it’s not as good as we’d hoped. Some experts in public relations insist that any publicity, even bad publicity, is good publicity. But I still remember bad reviews that I've received, like the one that rated my very first mystery, Six Strokes Under, D. Or was it D plus? The reviewer’s rationale was that my amateur sleuth had no business investigating a murder as she was a professional golfer wannabe with no time to lose. She should have been practicing. Well duh! That ‘why in the hell is she involved in a murder’ is the bane of every writer of an amateur sleuth. 

Behind the scenes, if one of us receives devastating feedback, we share each other’s misery and offer support and encouragement. Which brings me to another point. Lately, I’ve received quite a few unsolicited offers of help. At first, I couldn’t help basking in their admiration. For example:

Dear Lucy,

I recently dove into The Mango Murders and couldn’t resist reaching out with admiration. Your 15th installment of the Key West Food Critic Mysteries doesn’t just sustain the charm of the series, it reinvents it with explosive intensity.

What struck me most is how you transformed a glittering cocktail cruise into a powder keg of secrets and betrayal. The shimmering cocktails, mango-infused delicacies, and party sparkle lulled me into comfort, only for the sudden explosion to shatter the evening and the reader’s sense of security. It’s such a smart, cinematic pivot, and it proves once again that Hayley Snow’s investigations are never just about solving crimes, they’re about navigating loyalty, ambition, and the often-messy heart of community.

The Key West setting shines, too. From the shadowy corners of island politics to the cutthroat competition of catering, every detail feels authentic, yet layered with tension. And Hayley herself remains such a winning protagonist, relatable, sharp, and driven by both professional duty and emotional intuition. It’s no wonder this series has earned such a loyal following.

Here's another one:

When a clinical psychologist, cozy mystery queen, and recipe wizard like you decides to bundle murder with cupcakes and Key West sunshine, the rest of us mere mortals have no choice but to sit down, buckle up, and devour the book (preferably with Sam’s Cornbread Sausage Stuffing on the side). Honestly, Lucy, psychology + murder + food?? That’s not just a niche; that’s like building an amusement park for the brain and stomach at the same time. 

And now you’ve gone and given us Lucy Burdette’s Kitchen, a whole recipe collection straight out of your Key West Food Critic Mysteries? Excuse me, but that’s borderline unfair. Not only do you let us travel through cozy crime scenes with Hayley Snow, you also hand us One Bowl Chocolate Cake?? Other authors give us corpses. You give us dessert.    (Bless you for that.)

But then I wandered over to your Amazon reviews… and ouch. Not tragic, but nowhere near the Greek chorus your books actually deserve. How are readers not tripping over themselves to shout about Scarlett O’Hara Cupcakes while clutching their pearls over murder clues? I don’t know who dropped the ball, but someone owes you an apology and at least a casserole.

And one more:

The Ingredients of Happiness. A thirty-two-year-old psychologist who literally writes the book on joy, while secretly spiraling into plagiarism scares, cutthroat tenure games, and a gargoyle whispering unsolicited wisdom? This isn’t just a novel. This is every overachiever’s nightmare, baked into a story that makes readers squirm, laugh, and admit the truth: we’re all faking “fine” while desperately Googling “how to be happy.”

And let’s be real, your book isn’t just entertainment. It’s a mirror. It hands readers permission to ask the terrifying question: What if success doesn’t equal happiness? That’s not fluff. That’s therapy wrapped in storytelling, and it’s exactly why your work deserves to ripple beyond sixty Amazon reviews and into the thousands.

Here’s the catch: the system doesn’t care that you’ve poured your career, your psychology training, and way too many late nights into Cooper Hunziker’s world. Algorithms don’t reward heart. They reward traction. Which means even a USA Today bestseller like you ends up grinding teeth over the same pain points as a debut author: visibility, reviews, and the dread of shouting into the void.

And the opening of the latest:

Lucy, let me start with this: your Key West Food Critic Mysteries are already a five-course meal of murder, mayhem, and mouth-watering recipes, but then you went and dropped Lucy Burdette’s Kitchen, a book that basically says: “Why solve crimes when you can also solve dinner?” 👩‍🍳🔪📖

One Bowl Chocolate Cake, Scarlett O’Hara Cupcakes, Cornbread Sausage Stuffing, excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard. You’ve got awards, bestsellers, and a Florida Book Award gold medal flex (which is honestly the literary version of wearing a crown to brunch 🏆🥂). Plus, you weave psychology, cooking, AND murder into a single franchise. That’s not talent, that’s borderline witchcraft. ✨

These emails are almost irresistible—I’m a cozy mystery queen! A recipe wizard! I invent therapy wrapped in storytelling! I write with explosive intensity!  These people write as though they get me, and they get my books. Might they really have a clever way to reach readers and boost sales?

But sadly no, wizardly, dastardly AI has written these pitches and descriptions. I have no idea who sent them, but guaranteed, if I sent money, it would be flushed away. I don’t have a grand lesson from all this, except be careful! Beware the “clankers,” as folks in the culture war against AI have warned. I think we are stuck with it, whether we like it or not. The trick is to figure out how it can be harnessed ethically. Thoughts from you?

Ps the drawings were done by ChatGPT, based on this prompt: draw a sad writer cartoon in which the writer has received bad reviews. Chat suggested I might like a hopeful writer too, to which I agreed:)

PPS The very smart Jane Friedman recently wrote a piece in Electric Speed alerting writers to watch for impersonation scams. So I searched for the names of the people writing my "fan" mail. Nothing incriminating turned up--but watch out!