Author Archives: Peggy Jaeger

Mark your calendars, Kids, because I’m hitting the road next weekend, July 11 and 12. I’ll be at the Tanger Outlets in Tilton NH along with dozens of other authors for a fun, safe from the heat, indoor book event.

And for the first time at an event, I’m going to have two days of different books for sale. Since i have so any titles now, I can’t bring many of them to a one day event – but with two days? Yeah, I’m loading up. Christmas in July books, Wedding season books, steamy contemporaries – I’m gonna have them all. Different books each day, so….

Come on down to the outlets, do a little regular shopping, and then hit this fab event!

I talk a great deal on this blog about writing, my writing process, marketing, etc, all things book-related. I could wax prolific about books and bookish topics for days and probably never draw breath.

I love writing. I love creating. I love using words to draw visuals and talking about writing.

One thing I never talk about here is the emotional and mental toll certain aspects of writing have on my mental health, though, and today I’m going to attempt to explain how much it does.

I posted about my Barnes & Noble book signing last weekend, where no one came. Not even my friends. No one bought a book; I had a hard time getting anyone who did come into the store to talk to me, even though I engaged with everyone, saying hello, and other mundane things to draw attention.

In a word, it was demoralizing.

Look, I know I’m a good writer. I have no imposter syndrome and have never for a moment suffered from it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I started my writing career by winning a writing contest. That kind of solidified in my mind I was a decent storyteller. The 50-odd other wins and finals in contests have proven to me this is what I should be doing with my life, so that’s not what causes my anxiety and depression where writing is concerned.

It’s the lack of sales that gets to me and brings me down. In-person events are typically how an unknown writer such as myself makes connections and gets new-to-them readers to read their work and who then become fans. I’ve done close to 100 in-person events since I started writing full-time twelve years ago. That’s a lot of face-to-face meet-and-greets and book signings. And don’t get me wrong: I’ve made a ton of new readers who have since become friends. And believe it or not, I’ve enjoyed those events. I’ve enjoyed the people-ing with people who love books!

But at some point you have to consider the amount of money you are laying out for these events – table fees, buying your author copies, swag, travel – it all adds up and, again, at some point you would think I’d pull ahead and actually make money instead of always losing it.

I sound like I’m whining, and I hate that. I’m not. Really. Well…maybe a little.

The point is, there comes a time when all the smiling, attempts at interacting, and discussing your book – or trying to – becomes too much, and you have to either step away or suck it up and keep going.

Since I’m a Taurus, I am DNA-driven to choose option #2, even though I’m exhausted and could use a break to simply write without having to sell.

My father-in-law was a salesman, and he taught that the first rule of salesmanship starts when the customer says no. I wish I could be the type of author who was pushy ( in a good way) when it comes to people not buying books and walking past my table, even though I am always trying to get them to engage with me. I wonder if some readers think I am pushy.

And that thought just shot my anxiety up another notch.

Anyway… I have a two-day signing/sales event this upcoming weekend where I’ll be with dozens of other authors. Events like this are way easier for me to participate in because it’s not JUST ME trying to sell, but a gaggle of authors.

Is a group of authors called a gaggle? Or is it a guild?
No clue, but you get the thrust.

So, I’m going to shove my anxiety and depression back down into my soul and do my best to be upbeat and positive this weekend.

Sometime, kids, in the future, I’ll step away for a bit. Now, though, is not that time.

~ Peg

taking place July 11 and 12.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, I will be at the Tanger Outlets with dozens of other authors for a pop-up book sale!. I will have different titles on both days – FINALLY _ a place where I can bring as many different titles as I can!

Check the hours – Saturday 10-5 ( long day of shopping! YAY)

Sunday 12-4. Beat the heat. The sale is INSIDE one of the stores at TILTON – between RUE21 and Region Hair!!

Stop by and check out all the authors and their books and do a little book shopping to beat the heat, soothe your soul, and take you away from all the problems in the world for a few hours!

Can’t wait to see ya, kids

~ Peg

I’m starting off my Dickens Holiday Romance First Line Friday today. Each Friday from today until July 31, I’ll be posting the first line for a Dorrit’s diner edition of my additions to the Dickens Holiday romance series.

Up first today is the origin story, Santa Baby.

Amy Dorrit considered it one of life’s simple gifts that she didn’t have to commute to work each morning.

Book Blurb:

It’s Christmas Eve morning in the tiny New England town of Dickens. Santa’s arrival is imminent, and a hint of snow is in the air. Amy Dorrit is just about to open her popular diner for the breakfast rush when she discovers an abandoned baby on her back doorstep. Amy knows she should call the authorities and turn the infant over to them, but she just can’t. Thoughts of her own abandonment as a baby flood through her and she wants to keep the little one out of the hands of the authorities until the mother – hopefully –returns. But will the mom come back? And if she doesn’t, what is Amy prepared to do about the baby who has, already, claimed her heart?

And my titles are on sale, too!

Every July, SMASHWORDS runs an amazing sale on hundreds of thousands of book titles, including my own.

All my books listed with them are either 1/2 price or FREE until July 31. Check out my listing and the prices here: PEGGYJAEGER/SMASHWORDS and then add some to your Summer TBR.

Happy Reading, kids

~ Peg

is up for preorder!

So….way back when Amazon had Kindle Vella, I published — in serial form — a lot of my mystery/suspense works that had never seen the light of a reader’s day. One of them was The Jane Austen Murders, which I have updated and am releasing for the very first time in print on September 1, 2026.

Blurb:

Homicide Detectives Elizabeth Bennett and Frank Churchill are called to Longbourne College when the body of student Charlotte Lucas is found bludgeoned to death. Charlotte, a scholarship student, had a healthy supply of designer clothes, jewelry, and a safe deposit box loaded with cash. Where did she get them?

During Lizzy’s investigation into Charlotte’s life, she discovers the student had an antagonistic relationship with her English professor, Dr. Darcy. Word on the street is they couldn’t stand one another and the night before she was killed, the duo had a loud, contentious argument in front of the entire class.

When more clues start popping up about Charlotte’s extracurricular activities, Darcy becomes the primary suspect.

But did he do it?

So…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 by crime, true crime, and serial killers. 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

Happy Reading,

Peg

and how they can be so different.

So…

Last weekend I did an author event/booksignig at a brewery. Yes…where they make and sell beer. 8 other authors/vendors and I were at Litherman’s Limited Brewery on a Saturday afternoon, and I sold a ton of books.

Truly. In a brewery. The people were welcoming, the readers amazing.

Today, I did a solo book signing at my local Barnes & Noble, a bookstore I love, love, love.

Didn’t sell one book.

Not a single one.

I couldn’t get anyone to engage with me. I tried saying hello…people walked by with a fast semi-smile or ignored me altogether. It’s rare that I feel unseen, but I could have been invisible. I was supposed to stay until 4pm, but since no one — no one– who came into the store, despite my engaging – even spoke to me, I left early. It was demoralizing enough for 2 hours. 4? Yeah, I don’t have an ego, but that would have been too much for even me.

Comparing the two events. One was with other authors, in a non-bookstore type location on a Saturday afternoon. The other was a solo event in an actual bookstore on a Sunday afternoon.

Which, in theory, should I have sold more books at? Conventional wisdom says the bookstore.

I have never been what anyone would call conventional.

So… what have I learned from this?
Well, this is at least the sixth bookstore signing ( not all in B&N. The others were indie bookstores) where my sales were zilch. Zero. Zip. I think I can safely say bookstore signings are not for me, based on this empirical data. I don’t have a big enough name, and I am mostly indie-published now, so I don’t have a publisher’s backing to garner me bookshelf space and fight for me..

I do better at much smaller events with more than just me as the author.

Thankfully, I have several of those coming up this summer. Just take a look at the graphic below to find me in July and August.

Here’s hoping I make a few new readers and sell some books at those.

Honestly… this business isn’t for the faint of heart, kids.

~ Peg

People walk in and out of your life every day.

Every day.

And they’re meant to stay for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

I’ve met so many amazing people in my short 11 years as a published author. other authors who inspire me, readers who amaze me, publishers who gave me a chance when I didn’t think they would.

One of the people I’ve met is a woman who inspires me with her grit, determination, business savvy and just plain smarts, and that’s Carlie Emma Ballou.

My relationship with Carlie started as a reader (her) to an author (me). We met at a book event, she liked my stories, and we forged a bookish friendship from there that has grown into a real and lasting friendship.

You’re probably wondering why I’m singing Carlie’s praises in a blog post. Well, it goes back to the fact that she’s an amazing businesswoman. Carlie, because she loves reading and authors so much, has started a PA ( Personal Assistant) business for writers.

Her company is called. Book Lady Co. and she offers a variety of PA services and a wide range of pricing for everyone from pre-published authors to more seasoned authors, like me.

If you’re an author and hate traversing the social media world, or just don’t know where to put your advertising dollars, or even if you just need some help with a book launch or an event, go ahead and give Carlie a call.

You will not be disappointed.

#IYKYK

Award season isn’t only for actors. There are a plethora of writing contests that I enter every year and some of the winners have already been announced.

The most recent results are from NEST – The National Excellence in Story Telling contest sponsored by the Central Region Oklahoma Writers group.

I got the results back yesterday, and I came in 4th in the contemporary category. So again…not a win, but a mention…

for this book: A Chef’s Kiss Christmas

Successful Chef Anton Saparosa had the perfect life. Great marriage; beautiful and adoring wife; trendy, SoCal restaurant frequented by celebrities – many of them his friends.

Then Covid hit.

Anton’s perfect life dissolved before his eyes. With nothing left to keep him in California, he starts an itinerant cross-country journey searching for something to give his life meaning again.

Happenstance lands him in the tiny town of Dickens just as Dorrit’s Diner is thrown into chaos.

Literary Agent Portia Avon needs a rest. A messy divorce has her craving quiet and the company of her friend and client A.B. Cards, nee Abra Bree. She comes from the western heat of California to the eastern cold of Dickens and plans to do nothing but rest, relax, and read during her holiday stay.

When Portia spots a familiar face in Dorrit’s, she’s confused. Why is Anton Saparosa, one of the most recognizable chefs in California, working as a fry cook in Abra’s mom’s diner, and going by the name Tony Smith?

A question Portia wants an answer to, but one Tony isn’t willing to share, especially with a woman he can’t stop thinking about.

I have two more current contests where I am a finalist. Once those results are announced, it’s back to the writing board for me for next year’s releases and contests.

The fun never ends, kids ( LOL)

~Peg

A follow-up to yesterday’s post

As I said yesterday, if you know me, you know I love scrolling on TikTok. And what I’ve been loving watching recently are all the posts from people who have never been to this country before and are now here to watch the World Cup matches. I am tickled pink at seeing this country through the eyes of their experiences, what they’ve been told about America, and then experiencing our country through a new lens and mindset.

Yesterday was a bit of a snarky, backhanded Proud to be an American post because I lamented about the bigger, better, even bigger mentality of overconsumption America possesses. The visitors I’ve been watching have been in awe of the size of restaurant meals and the portions. They are thrilled about the free refill policy of so many eateries for drinks because they don’t have that where they live. They have gone into Walmarts and Costcos and been gobsmacked at not only the variety of items you can purchase, but the variation. One Brit was dumbfounded that Walmart had thirty-seven ( he counted) varieties of different cereals. Then he counted the brand variations, like Special K with strawberries as opposed to just Special K, and came up with over 75 varieties.

Yeah. Dumbstruck at something that I don’t even notice.

But what really got me thinking were the posts where the tourists were visiting our landmarks.

Sedona at sunset, the majestic oranges, reds, and yellows beautifully shining against the lowering sun backdrop.

Their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and all her majesty in New York Harbor.

The Golden Gate Bridge.

Mount Rushmore.

The US Capitol.

Boston Harbor exhibits.

The St Louis Gateway Arch.

The Grand Canyon.

They are all in awe at things I take for granted.

So today, I’m stopping that.

America the Beautiful is not only a song (which I feel should be our national anthem!) but also a truth. Our country is gorgeous from the natural beauty of our national parks, the functioning waterways and bodies of water, to the man-made structures erected to exemplify the glory of this land.

I am proud to be an American.

There is one South African guy who is in Alabama, and he came upon a city park that had an open-air gym in the center of it, where you could work out. He marvled that there was no graffiti; that the equipment was all working and not vandalized; that it was free and open to anyone who wanted to use it, including a humble visitor from South Africa. He said in his country, something like this wouldn’t survive a day. It would be vandalized and corrupted upon completion.

How sad.

But just another reminder about why I love this country.

And yes, I can love my country and despise the morons running it right now.

If you are on TikTok, do yourself a favor and find some of these posts. You won’t be sorry. You may even laugh or shed a grateful tear or two for living in such a magnificent country.