Daryl Wood Gerber, author of Essence of Foul Play, an Aroma Wellness mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to share with us how she keeps it all straight.

Welcome, Daryl. I’ll turn the floor over to you –

I write a number of different mysteries as well as standalone suspense novels, plus now I’ve ventured into romance.  How do I keep all the stories straight?  Good question.

When I’m writing any of my novels, I work with an outline that is specific to the story and/or series.  I have a “cast list” so I know the names of all the characters and their professions or relationship to the protagonist. I create a complete description guide to all the characters’ personalities and, in most cases, what they look like, their age, what kind of car they drive, whether they have pets, and where they live.   It can be intense.  When I write a new book in a series, I add to this “character description guide.” After all, characters grow over the course of a series.

If I receive edits on another book I turned in months ago while I’m writing a new book, I set the current book aside and spend an entire week with the book to be edited.  Believe me, that’s when I really need my notes and outline.  I review them to refresh my memory, because, to be honest, after six months, I’ve put the story out of my head, and the new story is taking all of my concentration. Think of it like separating out your high school friends from college friends and your family from your in-laws.  You need to compartmentalize them or you’ll go bonkers. At least I know I will. 

I began writing when I was an actress. I wrote screenplays hoping to star in them. Yeah, that didn’t happen.  But the craft helped me understand how to construct three to five acts, how to amp up turning points, and more. One tool I learned while writing screenplays was establishing the location and time for each scene. Example: Interior – High School Class room – Day  This informs the director and crew where and when and what to set up for each shot.  I continue to use this format when creating an outline for my novels.  Here’s an example of how my outline begins:

As I write, I modify the outline. After all, a road map is only a road map. It’s not set in stone. One can take a different route to get to the same place.  In a screenplay, it was easy to lift a scene and move it forward or backward. I do that now in my novels. This scene belongs earlier . . . this one later.  All it requires is copying and pasting.

Yes, there are times I get confused. I have been known to write the wrong protagonist’s name in a book. Usually, I find these mistakes during edits. It’s a challenge for sure, but I’m blessed to have deadlines to meet and characters to craft.

I love the writing process. Love it.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Daryl, and good luck with Essence of Foul Play, the latest book in the Aroma Wellness mystery series. Readers can learn more about Daryl Wood Gerber by visiting the author’s website and. her Facebook, Bookbub, Instagram, YouTube and Goodreads pages. Readers can also follow her on BlueSky (@darylwoodgerber.bsky.social).

The book is available online at the following retailers:

AMAZON    BARNES AND NOBLE     BOOKSHOP.ORG    KOBO      MYSTERIOUS GALAXY

About Daryl Wood Gerber: 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, andthe 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.