If you don’t know Gerri Lewis, you need to. Your life will be better. Guaranteed. She’s a giver. Funny. Smart. Kind. And, a gifted wordsmith who just penned her debut Mystery book, “The Last Word”.
Aptly named, Lewis has written many “last words” as an obituary writer. We caught Gerri just before her book tour in Florida. Don’t worry, she’ll be back in the Ridge in time for her March 19, Author Talk with Ira Joe Fisher at Ridgefield Library (mark your calendars)!
Gerri Lewis! You have penned your debut mystery! And.. the backdrop is Ridgefield! Congratulations!
Thank you. I’ve lived here most of my life. It was a great place to grow up and an even better place to set a mystery.
Let’s just get your bio out of the way. You are a longtime columnist, reporter and feature writer for the Ridgefield Press, Ridgefield Magazine and now 068 Magazine. And, a go to person for obituaries! You also volunteer as the Public Information Officer for the Town of Ridgefield Office of Emergency Management. And yes, a Ridgefield Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member, community advocate, nonprofit supporter and volunteer and now… author of your first book. Did I miss anything?
Wife, mother, grandma…maybe something else will come to me in the middle of the night but I promise not to call.
How? When? Was this always part of the Gerri Lewis life plan?
Wow, I wish I was one of those with a life plan. I’ve been telling stories since the time my brother and I were in adjoining cribs. I sold my first story to a New York newspaper when I was in the sixth grade. They had to ask my parents for permission to publish it. My friends know that I express myself better on paper or computer screen. Public speaking, yikes. Ira Joe has his hands full at the library event on March 19.
Let’s talk about the (not so morbid) subject of obituaries. Why the passion and are you still regularly writing obituaries for locals?
I’m serious here. I continue to write obituaries and I’ve had to write some pretty tough ones. I believe, however, that capturing a loved one in an obit is one of the greatest gifts you can give to the grieving. And it’s more than that. These are records that will live on the Internet for perpetuity.
The Last Word is a “Cozy Mystery”. What does that mean in literary terms?
A cozy mystery has an amateur sleuth, does not share all the blood guts and gore that come with murders and no illicit sexual scenes. The reader might be able to solve the mystery based on the clues. The setting and characters are important. Think Agatha Christie, Richard Osmond and the Murder She Wrote series.
I wanted my character to have a memorable name. I came up with Winter because –well, she often is writing about people in the winter stages of their lives. I have a friend whose last name is Snow and I just love that name. It has such a nice connotation. Who doesn’t love snow?
Any insight into how you came up with the storyline?
Which one? I’ve written the book about six times! You know how you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep? That’s when I work through my plot lines. Then I wake up and write them.
Let’s just dive into a “fun fact” you shared about your own grandchildren being inspired to write their own mystery stories (at the tender ages of 8, 9, and 10). How does that make you feel?
Successful. I wanted them to see that age doesn’t have to stand in the way of your dreams. I’m so excited about their mystery—The Cousin Crime Solvers—Mystery at Grandma Camp.
With so many authors self-publishing, you got a book deal! What was your biggest challenge?
Every step of the way was a challenge. From the first lottery winning moment of getting an agent to the moment he called to say he sold the book, I had a lot of encouragement from my family and friends so I just kept at it. Someday I’ll tell you all the funny stories that got me to this stage.
If we see you sitting outside of Tazza this spring deep in thought will we know there’s a sequel in the works?
The sequel is really fun. And I think about it in the middle of the night, while I’m walking the town loop. At Tazza I’m eating a shortbread cookie and having a cuppa.
Where can people buy it?
Books on the Common, of course. That was part of my dream to see my book in their window—and guess what, it’s there! You can purchase in all the other usual places like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Penguin Random House, etc. Go to my website https://gerrilewis.com/ for links.
Anything you wish I asked?
Yes! My website banner is based on the artwork of the very talented artist Tina Sturges. My social media banner depicting downtown is from another amazing talent, Annie Caravelli. These terrific women jumped in to make me look good.
Find out all you need to know at https://gerrilewis.com/ and head to Ridgefield Library on March 19 at 7pm!