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Today, I am happy to have Gerri Lewis joining us to share her experience with her very first speaking engagement. She’s put together a list of the questions she was asked along with her answers, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to step into the spotlight.
Take it away, Gerri!
OH, THE PLACES YOU GO
By Gerri Lewis
I was nervously awaiting the questions—and there would be many judging from the hands shooting up from a crowd of about 100 members of the Ridgefield Men’s Club. Silly me. When it was announced that a cozy mystery writer would be the guest speaker, I imagined a handful of polite attendees trying to keep their eyes open long enough to get the promised luncheon afterwards.
We’ve all heard the horror stories—authors giving talks to a room filled with empty seats. Book signings where the stack in front of them is piled just as high at the end as it was at the start. I half expected that.
In this case, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The room was packed with a lively and engaged audience. And I was kicking myself. Why hadn’t I brought someone to help me sell the few books I had tossed in my bag—just in case. More importantly, I could have prepped for the kinds of questions these guys might ask, because in my experience men and women usually want to know different kinds of things.
Thankfully, I was able to answer them all. As I drove home, I reflected on what I might have done better. Next time I’d be ready—not just with books to sell, but with well thought out answers to the questions readers really care about.
So, I started an inventory. As I approach my next two speaking engagements, I now have a polished list of FAQs at the ready. See if you can pick out some “guy” favorites. (The answer can be found at the end.)
1. Where do you write?
Anywhere and everywhere. On a snowy day, you’ll find me curled up with my favorite quilt. In the heat of the summer, I might be sitting by the lake. Most of my fiction is written on my laptop and it travels with me wherever I go.
2. Are your characters based on real people?
Despite the fact that people swear they live next door to the gossipy Nosy Parkers, my characters are all fictional.
3. How long did it take you to write this book?
My first book took three years because it was during COVID and no-one seemed in a rush. This book stressful three months. Not something I recommend.
4. Do you know how the story will end before you start?
I think I do until my characters keep changing direction! Sometimes a book really does write itself.
5. Why didn’t you self-publish if you can make more money that way?
I wanted the validation an agent and a publisher would offer because while I’ve published over 1500 articles in my career, this was my first venture into fiction. I also needed the expertise of an agent to show me the ropes. As for making more money, I’m not sure that is true. I was content with my advance. I’m not sure I could have made that much on my own because my publisher offered many ways for me to get my book noticed and my name out there. They put it on Goodreads, Amazon, in bookstores. They had it reviewed and helped get blurbs by better-known authors. They got me guest posts on blogging sites and continue to offer advice and opportunities. Having my publisher’s name behind me has also opens some doors when I am marketing. So, on my own, I’d be without all those resources. Yes, I’d make more money on each sale, but would I have as many sales?
6. How much influence do you have over the cover?
Very little. When I asked to remove the dog from the cover because my husband thought it was too cutesy, the publisher said, the dog identifies the book as a cozy mystery. The dog stayed.
7. Do you use real life crimes for inspiration?
I read a lot so often a real-life crime will give me an idea which I usually change around by saying, What if?
8. How do you research forensic details, police procedures, or investigative work?
While cozies keep things light, the story still has to be believable. I have great resources and friends in the police and fire departments as well as in the Office of Emergency Management.
9. Have you thought about selling your books for the screen?
My agent would like nothing better and while he has pitched them, I don’t hear anyone knocking at my door.
10. What is a cozy?
An amateur sleuth, usually a small town and no graphic sex or blood guts and gore are the ingredients for a cozy.
If you guessed that questions 5,6,7 and 9 are popular with the guys, you’d be right!
Grave Words: A Deadly Deadlines Mystery
by Gerri Lewis
About Grave Words
Grave Words: A Deadly Deadlines Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher : Crooked Lane Books
Publication date : June 10, 2025
Print length : 336 pages
Hardcover ISBN-13 : 979-8892421133
Paperback ISBN-13 : 979-8892422482
Kindle ASIN : B0DGPF9R8P
Audiobook ASIN B0F97G3PP3
Winter Snow has had it! With her business in a death drought, her best friend Scoop implicated in a string of arsons, and an obituary listing Winter herself as deceased, her life is heating up. But just as she’s trying to cool things down, she receives her newest assignment: an obituary for Chester, a homeless man found in a burning building.
Promising the local funeral home manager that she will have the obituary by the deadline, Winter is stonewalled at every turn, failing to discover Chester’s last name, or where he came from. When it is discovered that Chester was murdered and that the fire was set to cover it up, all fingers immediately point to Scoop. Not only is Scoop a person of interest in the arsons, he was also the last person to see Chester alive.
As more nails are pounded into Scoop’s coffin, Winter’s uncle Richard hopes to help by inviting the notorious town gossips, The Nosy Parkers, to a neighborhood food fest. Unfortunately, the breadcrumbs they toss set murder in motion.
More determined than ever, Winter must figure out the twists and turns of the case to clear Scoop’s name, putting her on a deadly deadline to solve the murder and avoid meeting the same grave consequences.
About Gerri Lewis
GERRI LEWIS is the author of The Last Word (2024) and Grave Words (June 10, 2025), the first two books in her Deadly Deadlines Mystery series published by Crooked Lane Books. Set in her Hallmark-worthy hometown of Ridgefield, Connecticut, this cozy mystery is about obituary writer Winter Snow, who solves murders along with a cast of lovable characters. During her career as an award-winning reporter, columnist, and feature writer, Gerri has become a go-to person in her community for obituaries. When she is not helping her protagonist solve mysteries, she writes magazine features and is the Public Information Officer for the Ridgefield Office of Emergency Management. She lives with her husband in Ridgefield, Connecticut, the picture-perfect setting for her books.
Author Links- Website: https://gerrilewis.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gerri.lewis.author/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gerrilewisauthor/
- Purchase Links:
- October 2 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
- October 3 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
- October 3 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
- October 3 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW
- October 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW*
- October 4 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT
- October 5 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
- October 6 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
- October 6 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
- October 7 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST
- October 8 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
- October 9 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
- October 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
- October 10 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
- October 11 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
- October 11 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
- October 12 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT
- October 13 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
- October 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
- October 15 – Jane Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
- October 15 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
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A huge thank you to Gerri Lewis for stopping by and sharing her experience with us! We hope you enjoyed this peek behind the scenes of her first speaking engagement.
Don’t forget to look around Salty Inspirations for more author insights, reviews, and fun features. And if you’d like to stay up-to-date on our monthly lineup of guest authors, freebies, and exclusive content, be sure to sign up for my newsletter, it’s the best way to never miss a thing!
As always, thanks for stopping by for some Salty Inspirations.
