Peg Herring, Mystery Author

Okay, today I have to finish the chapter I started yesterday-- But there's that blogger who wants a guest post by Wednesday-- Oh, and the editor sent a chapter for me to okay. I should get on that soon. But that contest I'm judging has a deadline for me to return my ratings. When was that? I wish I had time to write the book I keep imagining. Seems like fun but can't handle it right now. Christmas is coming. I should do some sort of promotion. And I've got Career Day this Friday at that high school. Need to think about that a little. Setting for DD#4: Interview more people about life in the '50s or do I have enough in there already? Rewrite my will to assign rights to my "intellectual property"? Yeah, when I get time. Two dates in TC coming up. Should I get a room or drive home late at night? December... Beta reader needs a copy of the fourth Dead Detective. Print, since she doesn't Kindle.   Um, when was I g

I just returned from Magna Cum Murder, a mystery con in Indianapolis. It's interesting that each year, more people know who I am and more have already read my books. Many of us on what's called the Mid-list (meaning we're not big names that publishers are engaging in bidding wars for) sit quietly at these cons, listening to more famous writers tell their stories. Some might think that if a book is good, everyone will find it and read it. That's not necessarily true in this age of hype from big publishers. A book might be very good but not quite the thing the marketing people are pushing this year or the fad type of book everyone is supposed to be reading. (For example, when did "everyone" start reading YA lit?) There's nothing wrong with being a mid-list writer in my opinion. I write what I want to write, and no one argues with me (well, not much) about the direction my career should be going. I feel no pressure to attend twenty conferences a year or w

What takes longer, you ask? Everything. It takes longer to sell a book than you'd like. It takes longer to produce a book than you estimate. It takes longer to become a familiar name to readers than you expected. It takes longer to to keep up with promotion than you ever imagined. Let's look at those one by one. Sell the book . Five years is the estimated average time it takes a writer to find a publisher. If you're hoping for a big publisher, it could be even more. Yes, I know you read about an author who hit it big with her first book. Hooray for her, but most of us don't have that experience. We just don't talk about it because the average reader thinks if a book is "good enough," it's going to get published. Yeah, right. Produce the book . Once your book is accepted by a publisher, you're on their timeline. You can tell all your friends about it, but they're likely to have to wait more than a year to see the book in print. My

Some things you need to accept: 1. You're not as good as you think you are. Other people have ideas as good as yours. In fact, it's hard to be truly creative with all the stories that are out there. Others write as well as you do too. Admit it, and you'll be easier to be around. 2. You're going to work harder than you expect to be successful. There is no Book Fairy who sprinkles shiny stuff on your work and gets everyone to notice it. There's no way to get readers to pay attention if they don't want to. There are things you can do that actually turn readers off, like constantly telling what a great book you've written. 3. Nobody knows what works. If there were a formula--well, there isn't. Badly written books get to be Best Sellers and really good books get rejected by publishers or lie languishing if they do get published. 4. Writing well isn't easy. Note the qualifier. A monkey can sit down at a computer and produce something. An author kn

3 Current Series: Upper left, Loser Mysteries. Upper right, Simon & Elizabeth Historical Mysteries. Lower left: Dead Detective Mysteries. Somebody Doesn't Like Sarah Leigh is a stand-along mystery. Publishers love series . They invest in an author's work, and series mean they can reap the rewards of that investment more than once. Readers love series . It's nice to know that characters we love are going to come back and visit us again, telling us about their latest scrapes. Writers love series--to a point. It's comfortable to slip into the minds of characters we've already created. We know how they think, what they'll do. (Even if we don't, we can look back at the books that came before and refresh our memories.) The problem with series-writing is keeping it fresh . Writers don't want their characters to "jump the shark," but it's obvious to me from reading some series that authors find it difficult to tell when they've r

No, I'm not talking about book settings, though they're important and wonderful when done well. I'm talking about YOUR place in the world of writing. If you're published, you probably already have an idea of where you fit, and it probably bothers you a little that it isn't where you'd like to be or where you thought you'd be. If you're not yet published, you should spend some time thinking about where you will fit in once you show your work to the world. Before publication, many writers have an inflated idea of the importance of their work. I'm approached all the time at book signings by people who claim they have the next bestseller in mind or in progress. The fact that they tell me about it is a hint that they don't know the process at all. There's hope in their eyes, a fantasy scenario where I grab them by the arm and say, "Wow! I need to tell my agent right away about your completely awesome idea." Well, I won't. In

It was great! Good weather, great fans, knowledgeable authors, and wonderful downtown businesses, especially our sponsors: Blue Phoenix Books, Olivet Book & Give, and the George M. Fletcher Library! But I won't tell you: I'll show you!  Volunteers make an event, and we had some great ones, including S-in-Law Julie and her niece Skyla, who took these pics.  Other helpers P.J. & Kaylee had a bit of trouble with tangled balloons.  Loved what Allen & Goel Marketing Company did with the tote bags.  Author Elizabeth Buzzelli shares a laugh with a fan.  Bob of Bob's Bullpen demonstrates some facets of graphic arts.  "My Favorite Book" tree  Love to see a kid enjoying a book! Panel at Blue Phoenix Books: What Makes a Genre, and Which Ones Do You Read? l to r: Christine Johnson, Connie Doherty, P.J. Coldren, Laura Kolar, Chris Chagnon  Signing for Clarence, a voracious reader and nice man.  Author Susan Froetschel with a new f