Poaching Is Puzzling: A Cookbook Nook Mystery
Cozy Mystery
12th in Series
Setting – California
Beyond the Page Publishing (April 25, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 264 pages

Synopsis

In the cutthroat world of crossword solvers, Jenna Hart will have to decipher some puzzling clues to catch a killer . . .

The annual crossword puzzle contest has drawn contestants from near and far to Crystal Cove, and Jenna watches in amazement as puzzle-themed books fly off the shelves at the Cookbook Nook. Her aunt Vera is putting up a sizable cash prize, and no one is more surprised than Jenna to discover there’s bad blood between Vera and the prominent puzzle constructor who’s acting as master of ceremonies. And when the puzzle guru has his throat slit while he’s out hiking, the police instantly peg Aunt Vera as the culprit.

Jenna can’t stand by and watch her aunt take the fall. It’s been clear since the victim arrived that he had contentious relationships with a number of the contestants—even going so far as to steal puzzles from some of them and claim them as his own—and Jenna’s certain one of them is the killer. Trading puzzle solving for crime solving, she sorts through the convoluted clues and cryptic suspects, hoping to nab the guilty party before they decide she’s a problem they’ll solve with another murder . . .

Includes mouthwatering recipes!

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Guest Post

To Be Distracted or not to Be Distracted . . . That is the question.

Many people ask how I like to structure my day when writing. I must admit that I’m not a total creature of habit. I can write any time of the day. I can write in my office. I can write at a coffee shop or in an airplane. I don’t need a cup of coffee or tea by my side. I don’t need a special implement in my hand. I don’t even need to feel creative to write. I do need to have enough discipline to sit in the chair and get started, inspiration be danged.

That said, I do not need total silence, either. In fact, I often prefer noise. But not just any noise. When I write, I like to listen to music.  Not just any music. If it has words, I’ll sing to it. At the top of my lungs. I’ve always sung along with the radio. Whenever I did, a girlfriend of mine used to get upset with me. I sang on key, so her beef wasn’t with the quality of my voice, but she’d say if she’d wanted to hear me sing, she’d have asked me to sing a cappella.  To this day, I still love to sing at the top of my lungs, often while driving, but I certainly can’t sing the lyrics to songs if I want to create something on the page. That’s way too distracting.

So when I turn on music, it must be instrumental.

An author friend of mine listens to white noise—you know, the sound of a coffee shop or the hum or an airplane. I think I’d find that distracting, but I’m not sure, because as I wrote above, I do like writing on a plane or at a coffee shop. I don’t eavesdrop on conversations—unless I need to come up with a new character; coffee shops and airports are the best places to people watch—and I get a lot of writing done because I don’t go online and do distracting stuff like email or social media.

However, when at home, I like to turn on tried and true music. My favorite playlists include themes from movies as well as new-agey songs. When writing a thriller or suspense, I like to listen to big, bold movie themes like the ones from Top Gun or Pirates of the Caribbean.  I also enjoy Latin music, like Libertango, Lorca, or Gypsy Fusion. There’s something electric about the pulse of Latin music that helps drive the energy of my story. When writing my cozy mysteries, I go for new-agey songs like Song from a Secret Garden or Serenade to Spring, or the kind of music you might hear in a tea room, like Pathetique, Claire de Lune, or Liebesträume—very orchestral and lyrical.

One of my favorite orchestral performers is Yo-Yo Ma. I remember taking an airplane trip and getting frustrated because I couldn’t pull up the music on my cell phone. Resigned, I plugged into the airplane’s music list and discovered Yo-Yo Ma and a dozen other cellists. Instantly, the strains of a good cello put me in the mood to write. Ma’s version of Libertango is incredible.

For Poaching is Puzzling, I focused on the music of Henry Mancini. Lately, for a new series I’m crafting, I’ve been drinking in Regency music, the kind you might associate with the classic, Pride and Prejudice. The Regency Era music ran from 1811 to 1820 in Great Britain when the arts were flourishing. Composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn were popular. The music was characterized by its sophistication and elegance. Think sonatas and traditional Irish and Scottish airs, specifically written for parlor performances.

Last but not least, if I’m in the mood to write a funny scene, I might turn on jazz, like pieces written by Brubeck, Coltrane, or Davis, but never something as lively as a Joplin rag. Heavens. I might leap to my feet and start dancing! And if I start dancing, Sparky, my darling goldendoodle will want to get in on the act. Talk about distracting.

As you can see, a writer must choose her music—or distractions—wisely.

What music do you listen to? How does it make you feel?

*SBR here – I love all kinds of music. There are some I prefer more than others, but rarely is there music that I don’t enjoy. Being a band geek, I do love classical and, at one time, had season tickets to the symphony.

About the Author

Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries, and the French Bistro Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes the Aspen Adams novels of suspense as well as stand-alone suspense. Daryl loves to cook, fairy garden, and read, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle who keeps her in line!

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