Author Archives: Peggy Jaeger

…and my inbox is loaded with them.

I receive dozens ( no lie!) of book scammer emails every day – mostly in my spam box, but many in my regular email box too.

Some of them are quick, impersonal notes that say, “Dear ( AUTHOR) I came across your book and feel a decent marketing plan is what you need to propel this book to a bestseller. I offer…. ” and then they go on to name the thousands of people that will follow me on social sites and buy my book if I just contact them and let them set up a plan for me.

Some are a little more personal: “Dear PEGGY JAEGER ( you just know this is from a cut-and-paste list!) Your book ( they name one from my list) is a (they detail the blurb using the same language, maybe add a few adjectives) and then state the book could be a bestseller if I’d do…. You get the idea.

The ones that kill me are the emails that are more like a chapter from a book, detailing every single thing about my books and including snippets of my bio and personal backstory. You can just tell the info was plugged into an AI generator, and this piece of crap was spit out.

But the ones that really piss me off are the emails that seem like they are from a fellow author. I’m putting one I just received minutes ago, here.

John Boyne

From:johnboyne231@gmail.com

Hello,

Your work recently came to my attention, and I became curious about the person and ideas behind the book. I haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet, so I’d rather be straight forward about that than offer the usual compliments without having earned them.

What interested me most was the story behind the book. I always enjoy connecting with fellow authors and hearing what sparked a particular project, because every book seems to have its own journey.

If you’re open to sharing, what first inspired you to write this book?

I’d be glad to hear a little about it and stay in touch.

Warmly,

John Boyne

I am sure if I replied to this email I would be taken down a scam rabbit hole where either my personal info is cloned or I will be asked to purchase something to make my writing life the best it can be.

Every single day I am deleting and blocking these bots, scammers, and frauds who use AI to junk up our email boxes and try to manipulate us into giving them money.

And every single day it takes time away from my writing life and personal time.

I hate AI. In every form. I WILL NEVER use it in my writing or my cover creation. This is a promise I can keep, too.

Honestly, I would rather NOT write than have to use AI just to sell a book.

We live in a weird age, kids. Never before has the phrase Caveat Emptor meant more.

Happy Labor Day to my US buddies,

~ Peg

Today’s first line Friday comes from book 2 inthe NYSocialites series, IT’S A TRUST THING.

“That old expression “if you want something done, give it to a busy person” describes my life to perfection.”

Nell Newbery has trust issues.

It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions. Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace. But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.

Is Charlie Churchill that guy? On the surface he seems perfect, all polished manners and quiet mirth. Nell’s convinced he knows nothing about her, other than she likes superhero movies and views junk food as a food group. Can she trust him to be what he appears to be? Or is he just pretending? For Nell, trust is everything in life…and in love.

It’s a Trust Thing is book 2 in the NY Socialites series.

So, I’m going to start doing this monthly for a while, just to keep myself accountable and on track with my writing goals for the year.

In August of 2026, I:

~wrote 17000 words in book 1 of a new romance series I started for release in 2028, PLAYING CUPID, book 1 in the LOVE SHACK Romance series

~edited 2 upcoming books- THE CHILDREN OF THE PROPHET (2027 release) and final edits on THE JANE AUSTEN MURDERS – released on 9.1.2026

~plotted 2 new books – book 3 in the FBI PROFILERS series and another mystery titled PUZZLEMAN ( or something close to that)

~Attended 1 book signing at the Bigelow Free Library on August 15 and sold a boatload of books!

~ I wrote 31 of 31 days.

~I blogged 12 of 31 days

~ I read and reviewed 11 books ( not my own!)’

~ I posted to my social media sites 31 of 31 days (some sites 2-3 times a day. YIKES)

~And I planned my September content and workload.

And my husband thinks I have too much time on my hands.

Let’s see what September brings!

~Peg

I’ve been obnoxious lately with all the posting about THE JANE AUSTEN MURDERS, but I’ve been so stoked that the book is finally available to everyone.

And that day is today!

It was so much fun modernizing Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. I always envisioned Lizzy as a badass feminist and making her a homicide cop seemed apropos. While she investigates the murder of Charlotte Lucas, the cast of suspects is large, with Darcy at the top of the list. Their attraction to one another aside, she needs to make sure he is either guilty or not before she can pursue a relationship with him.

Originally published on the Kindle Vella platform, when I decided to switch it to print, I changed a few things concerning the plot and made the chapters easier to dive into. The majority of the reviews on Goodreads are from the Kindle Vella publication, and I think their lower scores reflect how much work the book needed. It’s a much better story now if I do say so myself.

And I do, lol

I hope if you read it, you enjoy it, and if you enjoy it, maybe consider writing a review for Amazon or Goodreads. The easiest way to prop an author up is to give their work a good review. Just sayin’.

Happy reading, kids.

~ peg

I received this in an email this morning, totally unprompted and unpromoted by me. It’s scary to think there is a computer data base somewhere just spitting stuff like this out in AI.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18FW6QojtC

Peggy Jaeger upcoming book releases

3:57 AM

Contemporary romance and mystery author Peggy Jaeger has highly anticipated new releases scheduled for 2026, highlighted by a major shift into the murder mystery genre and new thrillers. [1, 2]

Latest & Upcoming Releases

• The Jane Austen Murders (Released September 1, 2026): Releasing today in ecopy on Amazon (and available on Kindle Unlimited), this novel marks her first major non-romance, classic-with-a-twist murder mystery. Originally featured on Kindle Vella, it follows Homicide Detectives Elizabeth Bennett and Frank Churchill as they investigate a bludgeoned student at Longbourne College, with English professor Dr. Darcy as the primary suspect. [1, 2, 3]
• Vendetta (Upcoming / Pre-Order): This new addition to her FBI Profilers series is currently available for pre-order. Described as a masterclass in how actions have consequences, the plot follows agents Tucker and Kella as they race against the clock to halt a killer’s intricate plan for revenge. [1, 2]
• “My love to you all.“: A daughter’s journey through grief (Recent – May 2026): A deeply personal, non-fiction release mapping her journey through grief. [1, 2]

Recent 2025 Series Additions

If you are catching up on her connected romance universes, she recently finalized key entries in her popular contemporary romance series: [1]

• You’re My Match (Heaven’s Matchmaker, Book 4) – Released November 2025.
• Perfect Match (Heaven’s Matchmaker, Book 3) – Released March 2025.
• A Pride of Brothers: Dylan – Released February 2025. [1, 2]

Are you looking to pre-order Vendetta, or would you like to explore the reading order for one of her romance series like Heaven’s Matchmaker or The MacQuire Women?Try without personalization

…For the Jane Austen Murders.

This was such a fun book to write for so many reasons, lol.

So…you may be asking, “why write a book using the entire cast of Jane Austen characters in this day and age?”

The idea came to me one day when I was re-reading Pride and Prejudice for what had to have been the fifteenth time. To say I love the story is too tame a descriptor.

I wondered, as an author will, what the characters would look like in modern times. Would the passion between Lizzy and Darcy hold up across the centuries? What scenario would force them together, because I didn’t think a woman on the hunt for a man to marry and take care of her would fly in these times.

Plus, Lizzy always reminded me of a woman born before her time – a badass; a feminist; a gal out to make her own way in the world, unapologetically.

Giving her the occupation of homicide detective seemed appropriate. Once I had that, the story unfolded itself.

This version was originally published under the Kindle Vella platform and it got such great traction there I decided to publish it as a standalone novel once the criteria and rules of Vella were completed.

Back in my 20s and 30s before I ever thought to write romance books, I was fascinated with crime, true crime, and serial murderers. I grew up in the era of Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and Son of Sam. All my books up on Kindle Vella show that fascination, this one included.

I hope you liked reading about Lizzy and Darcy in this format. Who knows? Maybe I’ll make them a crime-fighting duo in a series. Heehee

For a little character insight, here is how I envisioned Lizzy and Darcy in my mind as I’ve written them.

If you read the book, I’d like to know how you see them in your own imagination.

~ Peg

Be a Dolly Parton.

I’ve been sitting on this post for the week since Ms. Parton passed, because, truthfully, her death hit me hard.

No, I didn’t know her personally.

No, we’d never met.

No, I’d never seen her perform in person.

And still, her death at 80 hit me like a ton of bricks.

I know it’s a little weird to mourn when a celebrity dies as if we didn’t know them personally. But I, like billions of others around the world, feel as if I did, and her passing has extinguished one of the brightest lights that has ever shone in time.

Aside from being a huge talent with over 3000 songs ot her credit, Ms. Parton was a philanthropist. A real one, not the kind we often see from rich and powerful people who make a big show of donating to a cause and then you never hear from them again about it.

Dolly came from commercially impoverished beginnings and never forgot it. Because of that, she did everything she could to ensure the lives of others were the best she could make them.

Here are just a few of the ways Dolly gave back:

1. The Dollywood Foundation, launched in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, with the goal of decreasing high school dropout rates. She then started the Buddy Program, in which she awarded $500 to every seventh- and eighth-grader who finished high school. The dropout rate declined from 35 percent to just 6 percent.

2. Eagle Mountain Sanctuary. The 30,000-square-foot aviary managed by the American Eagle Foundation shelters the largest collection of “non-releasable” bald eagles. 

3. The Imagination Library. Because her father was illiterate, something he was always ashamed of, The Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library began sending one book per month to each enrolled child in the program from birth until their first year of school. To date, over 300 million books have been distributed. This is the one that always chokes me up when I read about it.

4. Following the release of her I Believe in You children’s album, Parton donated $1 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in honor of her niece, who was treated for leukemia at that hospital.

5. Parton donated $1 million to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

6. The Dollywood Co. announced in February 2022 that it will cover 100% of tuition, fees and books for any employee who is furthering their education.

7. Parton gave another million dollars to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville in June 2022, this time aimed at helping pediatric infectious disease research.

This woman never touted her philanthropy. She never called a press conference to say how wonderful she was at what she was doing for others. She did it quietly and successfully. When other celebrities would have jumped through hoops to be honored, she refused the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Biden and the current resident in the White House.

A defined Christian woman, she believed in LGBTQ+ rights, Gay marriage, and understood the struggles of trans people. One of her most famous quotes is that she wasn’t put on earth to judge others, but that was God’s job. She was put here to love everyone.

Losing someone so beloved, so treasured, so damn GOOD has left a huge void that will never be filled in our hearts or on the world’s stage.

I’m choosing to honor her by honoring how she walked through the world, a humble, genuine woman who never forgot where she came from or whose “child” she was.

Be like Dolly, people. The world will be better.

~Peg

From THE SHERIFF and THE PSYCHIC

“Well, well. Look what the wind blew back into town.”

Police Psychic Silvestra Coeltrain comes to Renewal, OK to visit with old friends and to heal. After a year in which she was tested physically, mentally, and psychically, all she wants to do is sleep, fish, and bask in the tranquility of the sleepy town.

Sheriff Caleb Blackbear doesn’t understand the feelings he’s quickly developing for Renewal’s newest visitor. She responds to his kisses with a passion that equals his own. But she’s an enigma, filled with secrets and evasions, and he’s a suspicious man.

When several of the local ranches begin losing cattle to a mysterious illness, it’s Silvestra who claims the animals are being methodically targeted and killed. As Cal’s investigation zeros in on who and what could be slaying the animals, the murder of a prominent rancher’s daughter – and Cal’s former lover – complicates things. With Silvestra’s life now in danger, Cal is determined to keep her safe at any cost.

But can he?

I am taking advantage of Goodreads current price cut for giveaways, and starting today, you can enter to win an e-copy of Vendetta, the second book in my FBI profilers series.

I’m giving away 100 e-copies, and the contest runs from today until September 7, so if you haven’t read it yet ( and you should!), here’s your chance to win a copy and read it for free.

This is the link to enter. Goodreads Giveaway

Put it on your WANT TO READ list, too, because it helps with exposure of the book to your followers.

A high-speed car accident and the bombing of his wife’s car convince FBI SSA Tucker Petrie that he is the target of a killer. Discovering who the person is before another attempt is made becomes the focus of Tucker’s life. With his former partner and best friend, Kella Calloway, by his side, Tucker and his team form a shadow investigation into a series of FBI agent killings no one in power has connected the dots to yet.
With the clock ticking and another agent killed, Tucker, Kella, and the team do everything in their power to put an end to the killer’s plan of revenge.

Goodreads review:

Perfect for fans of SVU, NCIS, BAU, and Mind Hunter!

Plot: 5
Overall: 5
Mystery: 5

“This isn’t maybe the gritty, “film noire” gumshoe detective story so many mystery novels but instead Vendetta is a master class in how actions have consequences, all victims of crimes cannot be overlooked, and a delicious deep dive into the criminal mind.

Like in the first book of the series (which doesn’t have to be read to follow this one, but definitely adds to the story!), initially we don’t know who the perpetrator is, just catch glimpses into their mind.

Even though I had my suspicions of who our final suspect would fall to a little earlier than I would have preferred, I had so much fun mentally catelogging details while reading to see if my hunch paid off!

And, reader be warned: those details matter!! Pay attention as you read because you don’t want to miss anything! Mrs. Jaeger has put together one fantastically organized front for you to solve!

Oh! And those consequences? Sometimes they fall like a house of cards… and sometimes like dominoes. Enjoy!”

Enter today, kids and Good Luck!

Today’s #Firstlinefriday is from my Deerbourne Inn book, HOPE’S DREAM frorm The Wild Rose Press.

“Quaint. A description Tyler Coleman had never used before.”

Hope Kildaire gave up her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner when a car accident killed her father and left her mother an invalid. Working two jobs and caring for her mother leaves the twenty-seven-year-old with no time for fun or relationships. When a law firm representing her paternal grandparents sends her several letters, Hope ignores them. She despises the family who disowned her father and wants nothing to do with them.

Lawyer Tyler Coleman’s job is simply to obtain Hope’s signature on a legal document. Getting it is harder than planned, though, when an unexpected attraction blossoms between them. If Ty is honest with Hope about why he’s in Willow Springs, he’ll fulfill his assignment but may risk hurting her.

The opportunity to have everything she’s ever desired is at Hope’s fingertips. Will her dream come true at the expense of Tyler’s love?