Tag Archives: #authorlife #writinglife

June 19, 2020 · 12:17 am

When you’ve got nothing, do you punt…or go home?

I’m chockfull of weird and wacky blog titles this week, eh?? Hee Hee

What it boils down to is that I’ve been living a very boring life of late, self isolating and writing/editing my next indie book, and reading other books for review on Netgalley. In addition to taking care of home and hearth and my parents. And their home and hearth.

I have no new news, no witty stories, no personal revelations with which to fill this blog up. I even missed the last two Long and Short Reviews Wednesday Blogging challenges because I was immersed in writing.

If you open the dictionary and find the definition for “pathetic lifestyle” you will see my picture.

Not kidding. Not even a little.

So…do I try and make something up that will delight and titillate you? Do I – once again – try to get you to buy any of my books by putting up snippets to intrigue you? Do I comment on current events? I am truly at a loss of what to write today.

I could tell you about the DIY wasp traps my husband discovered on the Internet to fight our growing wasp problem, and which he made all by himself. I’m truly happy all my empty liter Diet Mountain Dew bottles didn’t die in vain. Nothing in the traps yet, though.

I could tell you about my wonderful summer vacation plans….but I don’t have any.

I could share how I’ve started yet another diet in the attempt to fit into my dress for my daughters wedding – the one she has had to postpone twice now due to the pandemic – and how I’m literally starving most of the day. I might even admit that I bought two boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the grocery store yesterday and WHAM!!! Gained 6 pounds by the time I got home. But that seems too…depressing and self revelatory.

I could share how happy I was when I finally – after 12 weeks – got my hair colored last week. But then I wonder: did you know I color my hair? Did I just ruin your opinion of me??

Truthfully,  when I read all of those things back they are really pretty pathetic and boring….

Kinda like me.

So, I guess I’ll go do some more editing and then maybe take a walk…on the treadmill of course,  because…you know….social distancing and the pandemic.

Le sigh…

Until next time, peeps, when I sincerely hope I have something to write about  ~ Peg

 

3 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

June 3, 2020 · 4:08 am

#LongandShortReviews #Wednesdaybloggingchallenge 6.3.2020

Today’s prompt, THINGS I WISH I WERE BETTER AT, could have turned into a 1000 page tome. There is so much I’m just okay at, and wish I were better. I’ve narrowed the field down to just a few for space sake – and my ego’s sake, too!

  1. Singing. In my youth and up until my 20’s I sang. I was classically trained and had a first soprano voice that even I can say was strong  and good. But since my late twenties, when I developed vocal cord polyps, my voice is much weaker and has progressively gotten worse each year until now I sound like I’ve had a night on the town smoking and drinking whiskey. A herd of hungry cats sounds better than  I do when I now attempt to reach those notes I used to reach so effortlessly.
  2. Sewing.     When my daughter was little I used to make all her Halloween costumes. On her third birthday she had a Disney themed birthday and I made her a BELLE costume ( complete yellow gown) and a Minnie Mouse costume for me.I’ve made all the window treatments in my home and I used to sew pillows as gifts. Alas, the past twenty years have seen dust gather on my sewing machine and I fear if I now attempted to sew something my lack of skills would be apparent.
  3. Keeping my mouth shut. this one is self explanatory.
  4. Not being so judgmental. Like #3, this is self explanatory and something I really need to work on so I can be better~
  5. Writing. I know I have a little talent here ( 2o books and counting doesn’t lie) but I’d really like to be much better at the craft.

That’s enough for me, because truthfully, I could go on and on.

Let’s see what some of the other authors in this challenge could improve upon, here L&SR

Until next time, peeps ~ Peg

10 Comments

Filed under Long and SHort Reviews

Tagged as , , ,

May 31, 2020 · 12:01 am

#SundaySnippet 5.31.2020

This is from my upcoming release ( no date yet) for BAKED WITH LOVE, book 3 in my Match Made in Heaven Series. This one tells the love story of inn owner Maureen and the Chief of Police Lucas Alexander:

“Oh. My. God. Honestly, Maureen, you should have your own cooking show. This is insane.”

“Everything she makes is insane,” a male voice said from the doorway.

It was a voice I knew well, since its owner was a frequent inhabitant of my dreams. Husky and deep, with a dash of just woken gravel, it could cajole a lover into seduction or cut off a criminal at the knees.

Fortunately, I’d never been the later. But I’d fantasized about being the former for years.

“Truth,” Colleen said around a mouthful of salad. “Why are you here?” she asked Heaven’s Chief of Police, Lucas Alexander before I could. “Somebody call a cop?”

Lucas flicked his moss green, heavily hooded eyes from my sister to me, one corner of his mouth tilting up. I actually had to contract my pelvic floor muscles whenever he looked at me so I wouldn’t melt to the floor in a pool of want. My ninety-three year old grandmother, Nanny Fee, calls this girding your loins. As far as a descriptive phrase for the maneuver, it’s a good one.

“You got a minute?” he asked me.

The book has just been contracted and is in the editing phase right now. I do hope to have it out in 2020. This is a mock up of the cover – not the ral thing!!

You can read books 1 and 2 here:

DEARLY BELOVED 

TODAY, TOMORROW, ALWAYS

 

Enjoy your week.

Until next time ~ Peg

5 Comments

Filed under A Match Made in Heaven

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 26, 2020 · 12:04 am

A little pat on the back today….

Every now and then I have to pat myself on the back because something happens that truly amazes me.

I patted myself on the back yesterday when I received an email telling me that 2 of my 2019 books were FINALISTS in the Greater Detroit RWA Booksellers Best Contest.

Today, Tomorrow, Always is a finalist in the Long Contemporary Category

 

and Dirty Damsels is a finalist in the Mid-Length Contemporary Category.

I am sosososo excited about this!!!! This is a fabulous contest and even to be considered a finalist is a writer’s dream.

When the winners are announced I will be sure to write a followup piece to let you know how I fared.

Until next time, peeps ~ Peg

 

3 Comments

Filed under Contemporary Romance

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 20, 2020 · 3:20 am

#LongandShortReviews #bloggingchallenge 5.20.2020

I have to be honest: I wet my pants from laughing so hard when I read today’s topic/prompt: How I’d Fare in a zombie Apocalypse.

Pretty damn good, if I do say so.

First of all, I can shoot a gun,  and I can move faster than a zombie so I’d be able to shoot their heads of before they got to me.

Second, I’m already a hermit and I live in  the woods. My surrounding property would be boobytrapped so that any of the zombies stomping toward the light in my house would snap the trip wires and **BLAM** no more zombie.

Third, I’m smart. Scary smart. Zombies are…not.

Last, I’m a devotee of the Lara Croft school of defense.

Them zombies don’t stand a chance.

Let’s see what some of the other writers in this challenge think: L&SR

Until next time, zombie fighters ~ Peg

Hey, know what? My newest book released today!!!!!! Help me celebrate – and my celebrate I mean buy a copy ( heehee)

VANILLA WITH A TWIST is part of the One Scoop or Two summer series from the Wild Rose Press. All the books are stand-alones and involve ice cream in some way.

 

Tandy Blakemore spends her days running her New England ice cream parlor, single-parenting her teenage son, and trying to keep her head above financial water. No easy feat when the shop’s machinery is aging and her son is thinking about college. Tandy hasn’t had a day off in a decade and wonders if she’ll ever be able to live a worry-free life.

Engineer Deacon Withers is on an enforced vacation in the tiny seaside town of Beacher’s Cove. Overworked, stressed, and lonely, he walks into Tandy’s shop for a midday ice cream cone and gets embroiled in helping her fix a broken piece of equipment.

Can the budding friendship that follows lead to something everlasting?

Get your copy here:

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0868XXYQC

Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vanilla-with-a-twist-peggy-jaeger/1136710329?ean=294016268787

Applebooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/vanilla-with-a-twist/id1505095515

11 Comments

Filed under Long and SHort Reviews

Tagged as , , , , , ,

May 19, 2020 · 12:00 am

A visit with ROOT BREW FLOATS author Sydney Winward

Have you heard about the Wild Rose Press’ s newest novella series ONE SCOOP OR TWO?

One of the books in that series is by today’s guest author and fellow WRP sistah  SYDNEY WINWARD

Sydney agreed to share a little about what led to her submission ROOT BREW FLOAT for the series for you all, so take it away, Sydney….

When I heard of the call for submissions for The Wild Rose Press One Scoop or Two Series, I just couldn’t pass up such a fun opportunity! But what to write about? I drew a blank. When you think of ice cream, you think of contemporary, of beaches, of summer. Hmm…well…I’m not usually a contemporary writer, so this had me stumped.

When in doubt, ask the husband!

Who knew an engineer could actually have great, creative ideas for books? He helped me brainstorm, and we came up with a semi-satisfying idea about witches and ice cream. So I sat down and wrote my synopsis.

But when I took it back to him, he turned to me and said, “This is way too dark for a light-hearted beach read.”

Dejectedly, I went and pouted for a little while, and then back to the drawing board! Or rather, the clacking keyboard. I smoothed out the idea and set it aside for a week, letting my brain do its thing. I come up with most of my scene ideas at night when I finally climb in bed. I didn’t write for an entire week. Oh, what torture! But the novella came together nicely, all the kinks smoothed out of the twists and turns.

And finally, I started writing! My husband has yet to read my novella. And my first book too. And anything I’ve written, really. But I’m satisfied with my submission for the One Scoop or Two Series, and I’m so excited that it’s released!

Watch out, world! Josephine Brevil has landed in Massachusetts.

Blurb:

Josephine Brevil has lived hundreds of years haunted by the horrors she experienced during the Salem Witch Trials. She takes great care to hide her powers, though serving a Root Brew Float laced with a magic potion now and again never hurt anybody. The Order sends her to Massachusetts to deal with a paranormal threat, and she meets the young and handsome widower, Clarence Watts. However, being with him comes with a choice. How can she choose between the man she loves and the magic she holds dear?

Excerpt:

“There’s a reason we’re inside the circle. Nothing can touch us in here. Now close your eyes and listen to my voice.” She paused for a moment to take a deep breath, channeling the magic swirling within her core. “Clarence Watts, our task here is to send your deceased wife into the afterlife, beyond the door and into the next realm. If you have done as I previously instructed, you have gotten rid of many of Heidi’s earthly belongings, which is a crucial step to letting her go. Now, imagine a rope that connects you to Heidi. Cut it and sever the tie.”

“It can’t be that simple.”

“It’s not. It’s symbolic of freeing her, but the act of letting go is another story altogether.”

“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to let her go.”

“Cling onto something else you care about. It usually helps.”

His hands tightened around hers. She cracked her eyes open, her heart racing as she stared at their conjoined hands. The word home echoed in her mind again, and when she tried to push it away, it slammed back into her stronger than before.

Home is with the Order, she insisted.

Yet, her pounding heart didn’t believe her.

Book Trailer:

Buy Links:

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Applebooks

 

A little about Sydney…

Sydney Winward was born with an artistic brain and a love of discovery for new talents. From drawing to sewing to music, she has loved to explore every opportunity that comes her way. At a young age, Sydney discovered her love of writing and wrote her first book at twelve years old, and since then, she hasn’t been able to stop writing. Her active imagination and artistic mind take her away to different worlds and time periods, making every new story a fantastic adventure. When she is not writing (or fawning over animals in the neighborhood) she spends time with her husband and children at home in Utah.

You can connect with Sydney here:

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Instagram

 

2 Comments

Filed under WIld Rose Press AUthor

Tagged as , , , , , ,

May 13, 2020 · 4:02 am

#LongandShortReviews #bloggingchallenge 5.13.2020

So, this was a topic I couldn’t figure out a post for: A Villain that I wish could be redeemed and why.

In all honesty, I love reading about villains because they are able to say and do everything that I can’t. Hee hee. So I don’t want any of them redeemed. I want them to stay bad, angry, mean, and vindictive. We need the villain’s mean ying to oppose the hero’s heroic yang. It’s what makes people want to read and root for the hero/heroine.

I’ve got nothing to offer this week’s blog readers, so let’s see what some of the other writers think: L&SR

Until next time ~ Peg

16 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

April 26, 2020 · 12:46 am

#SundaySnippet 4.26.2020

In a little less than a month, my new romance novella VANILLA WITH A TWIST releases from The Wild Rose Press. It’s a sweet romance set in a seacoast town in New Hampshire and takes place in summer, after July 4th.

Here’s the set up:

Tandy Blakemore spends her days running her New England ice cream parlor, single-parenting her teenaged son, and trying to keep her head above financial water. No easy feat when the shop’s machinery is aging and her son is thinking about college. Tandy hasn’t had a day off in a decade and wonders if she’ll ever be able to live a worry-free life.

Engineer Deacon Withers is on an enforced vacation in the tiny seaside town of Beacher’s Cove. Overworked, stressed, and lonely, he walks into Tandy’s shop for a midday ice cream cone and gets embroiled in helping her fix a broken piece of equipment.

Can the budding friendship that follows help fix their broken spirits and lead to love?

And here’s a little something from Deacon’s viewpoint after he meets Tandy for the first time:

Deacon slept through the night for the first time in months. After glancing at the analogue clock next to his bed and realizing he’d been down for over ten hours, he stretched and couldn’t help the smile drifting across his face.

Yesterday had been…fun. His stroll along the boardwalk, the hour he’d sat in the sand watching kids playing in the water and teens tossing a Frisbee around, even the unexpected repair job he’d done at Vanilla with a Twist had all blended into one of the most enjoyable afternoons he’d had in years.

Thinking of the ice cream parlor had him conjuring the face of its enchanting owner.

Tandy Blakemore was an interesting mix of died-in-the-wool Yankee, old-world New Englander, and modern-day siren. Although she probably wouldn’t consider herself the latter. That thick tangle of coppery red hair bundled on top of her head had his fingers itching to yank it all down and see it drift about her face from the ocean breeze. His mother’s antique emerald necklace didn’t sparkle and shine as much as the green in Tandy’s eyes did. The little knock of awareness that hit him square in the stomach when she focused on him was surprising. It had been a long time since he’d felt anything akin to desire. Another consequence of working too hard and not enjoying the life he’d built.

From sharing a meal with her and listening to her views, she seemed the sort of woman who didn’t suffer fools, called a spade a spade, and understood the concept of a good day’s work. Her striking looks and coloring added to his desire to know her better.

A quick check of his barren cupboards and near- empty refrigerator told him breakfast would have to wait until he went into town and bought some provisions. While the lobster roll he’d had for dinner had been mouthwatering, the leftovers wouldn’t be as appealing for a morning meal. The memory of the shocked look on Tandy’s face when she’d spotted the amount of food he’d brought made him smile. He’d taken the remaining garlic knots into the shop before heading home and left them with one of Tandy’s servers to give to her. From the way she’d sighed and closed her eyes when she’d popped one, hot from the container, into her mouth, Deacon knew they were a favorite and he’d wanted her to have them.

Available for preorder now at the sale price of just #99cents here:VANILLA WITH A TWIST

Looking for me? Here I am:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me// Triber// Book Me

Until next time ~ Peg

5 Comments

Filed under Vanilla with a twist

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

April 25, 2020 · 4:47 am

A LoveRomanceReads Facebook party – part II! 4.25.2020

We had so much fun last Saturday, we’re doing it again today!

Games, free books, and fun!

Want a little escape? Join us for a Facebook Party TODAY, April 25th from 12 to 6 PM, California time. THAT’s PCT, folks. Three hours later on the East coast! I’ll be on livelivelive at 7:30 P.M. EST!! ( 4:30 Pacific time.)

Authors will stop by every half hour and host the event – a total of twelve different authors! This is your chance to interact with the people who make love come alive and create Happily Ever Afters for a living.

It’s the ultimate Escape Into Romance while staying at home.

Here’s the link to join us: Love Romance Reads Romp

I’ve got some fun things planned, plus I’ll be telling you all about my new release, dropping 5.20.2020 and there will be chances to win free ecopies of some of my books!!!
Pass this on to all your friends who love romance and need a feels-good boost during these trying times!!! See you late, peeps.
Here’s the schedule of participating authors: See your fav author? Then come and support her!!
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Welcome
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
Margaret Kay
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
CM Peters
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Elle Keaton
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Ellen Mint
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Miski Harris
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Kris Jacen
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
TL Travis
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Laura M. Baird

Leave a comment

Filed under Romance, Romance Books

Tagged as , , , , , ,

April 1, 2020 · 3:53 am

#LongandShortReviews #weeklybloggingchallenge 4.1.2020

I think any one who knows me could write my response to today’s topic for me: Favorite book series and why.

Most of the books I purchase now are on my kindle. Since I read sosososo much it makes sense from a storage capacity and cost issue. One series I still buy – not in kindle format – but in HARDBACK is J.D.Robb’s IN DEATH series.

Nora Robert’s doppelganger is 50 books in to the In Death series, the latest one, GOLDEN IN DEATH.

This series, a futuristic police procedural that is in reality a master class on writing a series romance, spoke to me from the very first book, NAKED IN DEATH, released in 1995 – that’s 25 years ago, peeps – and she’s 50 books in. That tells you she writes 2 of these massive tomes per year ( 300-400 pages each) and every one of them is a gem.

The heroine, EVE DALLAS, is an NYSPD cop who specializes in murder investigations. She has a terrible, dark past that includes rape, starvation, and torture, but she grew to a woman determined to a give a voice to the dead. In the first book she is a loner with nothing in her life but her job.

And then she meets gazillionaire Roarke.

Many writers can write heroes well. Robb, though, springs Roarke from the page.

He, too, has a terrible past so he recognizes a kindred spirit in Eve, and even though he is a murder suspect in a case she is working on, she is drawn to him. These two are opposites in every single way, and it is their differences that are so entertaining to read as they make their life together.

The first 20 books introduced new people in Eve and Roarke’s world, until now there is a fabulous cast of secondary characters that have become friends to me. I look forward to reading about the growing relationship of McNab and Peabody. I chuckle when I read about Feeney’s responses to the way Eve’s mind works. Summerset, the butler, is a man after my own OCD heart. And if they ever make a movie of this series, I’m going to petition to be cast as Dr. Charlotte Mira, the NYSPD psychiatrist and the women who is a mother figure for Eve.

Every couple of years I re-read the series from the the first book to the current one just so I can remember all the wonderful things that happens to this cast. I’m not kidding when I say reading this series is like taking a masterclass in how to write continuing books series. I highly recommend this series to everyone I know, too.

The 51st book SHADOWS IN DEATH releases in September 2020. I already have it preordered!
Let’s see what other series are favorites from the authors in this challenge: L&SR

And if you’re looking for me, I’m usually here: Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me// Triber// Book Me

12 Comments

Filed under Romance

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,