Interview with Peggy Jaeger

 

Interview with Peggy Jaeger

Affaire de Coeur's March Calendar Girl

 

 

Spotlight On Peggy Jaeger

 

Peggy Jaeger is 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 Peggy’s stories because she believes 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, Peggy brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after.

 

When did you start writing? 

I’ve always been a journal-er, what most people call a diarist, ever since I was a kid. And I wrote stories in my journals all the time about girls who weren’t like me, who led amazing lives, and had adventures. I still write in my diary every day, but now I actually get to publish the fiction stories!

 

What have you learned about writing since you started?

That it’s my oxygen. My drug of choice. The thing I need to do every day in order to feel total joy and remain happy.

 

Tell us about your new book or series.  

CAN’T STAND THE HEAT is the third book in my Will Cook for Love series from Lyrical Shine. CSTH tells Stacy Peter’s story. She’s a television producer who’s developed a show she thinks will be perfect for her network. Before the programming chief will give her the green light for the show though, he asks her to do one more programming favor for him and executive produce an upcoming cooking competition called Beef Battles for the network. She’ll need to deal with famed director Dominick Stamp who is no fan of producers, or anyone else who interferes with his directing style. Dominick and Stacy are about as opposite as opposite can get in every way – physically, emotionally, the way the treat the staff, you name it. But you know what they say about opposites and attraction!

 

 What is your idea of a perfect writing day?

Basically, I have the perfect writing day everyday! I write for 3-4 hours in the morning, then go to the gym and do all the adult stuff I need to do like laundry, grocery shop, etc. Then after lunch I write for another 4-5 hours until my hubby comes home from work, I cook dinner, and then we relax for the rest of the evening. Yup, that’s my life. Don’t hate me!

 

 How/where do you get your plot ideas?

I am a world-class people watcher. And eavesdropper. All my plots start out with the characters. I see a person in a restaurant, or the bank, or even on line at the movies, and I start to imagine their backstory. My first character is usually my heroine, so I give her a life, a career, and a problem. Then I think of a hero who will be integral in either resolving her problem, or adding to it. From that, a plot develops.

 

What is the most difficult thing about creating and developing characters? 

Making them real to the reader. I’ve read books where there is no way on God’s green earth the main character could survive in the real world. Either too stupid, too arrogant, too just plain dumb to be real. I try – and I try hard – to make my characters seem like you’d meet them as neighbors, or at work, or even standing behind you in line at the grocery store. I give them faults, real emotions, issues. See? Real people! When I get it right, and a reader tells me that they could see, hear, and relate to my characters, I do a happy dance, because that’s the highest praise you can give me.

 

What is your favorite thing about being an author?

Knowing I touched a reader’s life, or made their day when they read something I wrote.

 

How many books do you currently have out on the market and what genres do they fall into?

With CANT STAND THE HEAT it’ll be eleven and they all fall into the contemporary romance genre. If there was a genre called small town, family oriented, humorous contemporary, that’s where my books would fit.

 

Will you be attending any book signings or conventions? 

A couple coming up:

April 15, the 2018 Author’s Night by the Sea, sponsored by the New England Author’s Expo. http://www.newenglandauthorsexpo.com/2018-authors-night-by-the-sea/

April 27, The New England Chapter of RWA LET YOUR IMAGINATION TAKE FLIGHT Book signing https://www.eventsinusa.net/event-romance-author-book-signing-necrwa-annual-conference-burlington-13301407

RWA2018 – Denver Nora Roberts Readers for Life Literacy Book Signing: https://www.rwa.org/literacy

I will also be part of a panel of authors (I’m the only romance writer!) at the Toadstool Bookstore in Keene, NH on April 21, 2018

I will be speaking at the Maine Romance Writers retreat in May 2018 http://www.maineromancewriters.com/p/retreat.html

 

  Pass on some words of wisdom, please, to aspiring authors.

Simply, don’t worry about writing to trends, or anything else. Today’s teen vampire love story will be taken over by tomorrow’s billionaire baby series. Just write the story of your heart. That’s what I did. I knew my story was a little unusual for a contemporary market, but it only takes one editor to say YES for you to be published. So just write the best story you can and make it the story you would want to read if you weren’t the author!

 

 

Purchase Can't Stand the Heat by Peggy Jaeger

Contact information:

Personal web page : https://peggyjaeger.com/

Twitter  https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PeggyJaeger.Author/?ref=bookmarks

 

 

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