Interview with Author – Peggy Jaeger

Author Bio:
I’m a contemporary romance writer who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

Family and food play huge roles in my stories because I believe there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, I bring all topics of daily life into my stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents I longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through my books, I’ve created the families I wanted as that lonely child.

I hold a master’s degree in Nursing Administration and first found publication with several articles I authored on Alzheimer’s Disease during my time running an Alzheimer’s in-patient care unit during the 1990s.

What inspires you to write?
I was a lonely only child of divorced parents who grew up in a time when divorce was not as common as it is today. Since my last name was different from my mother's, kids and adults were cruel and I found myself slipping into a fantasy world more times than not where I was liked, popular, and the princess in my own story. That sparked a love of reading and writing that has stayed with me for 50+ years.

Tell us about your writing process.
I'm a total plotter and I think it's because I'm a nurse. I was weaned on the scientific method in school and the linear, hypothetical process just appeals to me. I outline every book before I ever put a word on the page, in detail. I know my characters intimately before I ever describe them. For a physical depiction in my mind I usually troll thru Pinterest and find photos that I think look like my characters. When I have everything set, every complication I can think of fixed, I start to write. This enables me to write a rough draft from page one until the end in about 8 weeks.

For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Absolutely! In fact, I use Dragon speech whenever I write dialogue and put myself into the character's voice. My husband came home early from work once and thought I had someone in my office with me. I had been playing back a recent page of dialogue and he heard it and thought there were 2 people in with me. Love that!

Who are your favorite authors?
NORA ROBERTS and her doppleganger, JD ROBB. I can finish any new IN DEATH book in less than a day.
Jill Shalvis. She writes humor and snark and has a perfect ear for dialogue.
Sandra Brown – this woman can twist her readers up in knots with the plot twists she devises!
A three are masters at the writing craft.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
In 2014 and I entered a contest and won my division. The publisher of the WIld Rose Press, Rhonda Penders, sent me an email requesting the entire manuscript – which I sent along. Up until that time I wasn't even sure what I was writing was any good – hence the contest entry. Ms Penders liked the book, contracted it, and a new published author was born. I love traditional publishing because it frees me up to simply write. I don't have to worry about edits, copy edits, mistakes, book covers. The publisher does all that for me.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Digital is here to stay, for sure! And romance will always be king ( or in this case, queen!). Readers will continue to crave Happiliy ever after scenarios and with the advent of self publishing, they will be afforded more and more authors to choose from.

What genres do you write?
Contemporary Romance, Romantic humor, and Romantic suspense, lite

What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook

Website(s)
Peggy Jaeger Home Page Link
Follow Peggy Jaeger On Amazon

Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.