Peg Herring, Mystery Author

Something I don't like about Christmas is the pressure to find the perfect gift for everyone. No one I know needs another sweater, scarf, or relaxing foot massager. If they did, they'd go buy it. What do I buy that my loved one will actually like, so I don't get that glazed look that says "This is going in a closet and never coming out again"? Shopping for readers is a little easier, because they're always looking for a good book.  If a book is a great gift, why not 3 books? Where else can you buy someone hours of entertainment for such a reasonable price? With a little diligent searching, I found sturdy boxes that can serve as both mailers and gift wrap, so here's the deal: 3 Historical Mysteries for $53.00 (Left side of pic above)    Her Highness' First Murder    Poison, Your Grace    The Lady Flirts with Death The Simon & Elizabeth series is critically acclaimed and comes in beautiful hardcovers with dust jackets. The fourth bo

I signed at Horizon in TC on Saturday, and a staff member told me about an earlier event with a famous (I guess) chef. She said they sold boxes and boxes of his books, with people calling and begging them to save one until they could get there. Which brought to my mind a question: What's the thing with cookbooks? When you're starting out in life, you need a good cookbook, and it might take you two or three purchases before you find one that fits your lifestyle and abilities. After that, you might want to purchase a couple of specialty cookbooks: Chinese food or low-fat or whatever. But once you've got six or eight, what's the attraction for buying more? I haven't bought a cookbook in twenty years except for some they sold at church, and that was more the cause than the desire for new recipes. I'm in the minority, I know. Cookbook sales are huge, and if some chef who's been on TV puts one out, sales are guaranteed to go through the roof. Why? I don't