Peg Herring, Mystery Author

The Kidnap Capers is a three-book series starring Robin and her "hoods," who take down crooks by unorthodox, often humorous methods.  Book 3 will be out on September 1st, so we're trying to settle on a cover. I'd like input from readers on what's eye-catching and gives the sense of a humorous but suspenseful story. Here are their covers (these are for the audio books because that's what I can find right now): Keeping the red/black theme, we got these two possibilities. They'll be fine-tuned once we choose a basic idea. If we skip the idea of coordinating colors, I like this one too: Please tell me which cover you prefer, or choose elements that work for you that might be incorporated into a new cover (e.g., "I like the lettering in X but the picture in Y.")

I suspect every writer looks back and wishes things done and undone, and I'm no exception. I write what pleases me, not what I think will make tons of money.  Often I don't know as I'm working on a book if it's a stand-alone or if I'll want to revisit the characters at some point in the future and write them a new adventure. The technology for book publishing has a steep learning curve and requires constant updating. I started my career with a traditional publisher, which meant I didn't have to worry about that end of things. Now that I'm independent, I decide at what point a book releases, how it's presented to the world, and how to make the internet assist. A while back I learned how to make a boxed set of some of my series, so binge readers can get all the books for one price. I think that's a nice bargain for them. Recently I learned that Amazon will let readers know about all  the books in a series IF the information is presented to them co

We sometimes hear writing described as precious , which, according to one definition I found, is some combination of 1. self-absorbed – the author inserting his own personality too much in the narration. 2. autobiographical – the story is about something that changed the author’s life, turned into fiction. 3. trying too hard to make the text sound nice/pretty 4. trying too hard to effect a style Last night I dumped a book after about 20 pages for reasons I can't pinpoint except to call the writing precious . I felt like the author was standing at my shoulder, asking, "Didn't I describe that character completely? Isn't she stunningly beautiful?" Every character was described in great detail before he/she ever said a word. In addition, they might just as well have worn signs that said, "LIKE ME" or "DON'T LIKE ME." The "good" characters were perfectly beautiful or incredibly handsome, and the "bad" characters had bea

It happens every day. Someone gets recognized, honored, if you will, by some entity. Often people who are well-informed gasp with dismay. Really? We're going to point to that person as an example of what's good in our neighborhood, our profession, our nation? Sadly, recognition can say more about who does the recognizing than what the recipient has accomplished. Some things come down to who you know (I'm aware that should be whom ). The doctor, writer, teacher, businessman, or talking head given an award is probably no more talented than a dozen, maybe a hundred others in his or her field. But we like awards, and we like one shining example, not a dozen really good ones. Malcolm Gladwell attributes it to a human desire to have one top dog to admire in any one arena. That's likely to be a pooch the choosers know well, one who has served their purposes, "done his time," "paid her dues." Can we really quantify who is the sexiest man alive? Or who wro

The book launch for Maggie Pill's newest, ONCE UPON A TRAILER PARK, was a great deal of fun. People asked for the recipes for several items served, so here they are. Chicken Spread 1 pint canned chicken 1 8-oz. package cream cheese 1/2 c. chopped onion Drain chicken and save juice. Blend chicken, cream cheese, and onion. Add some of the juice if mixture is too dry. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve with crackers. Cinnamon Toasted Pecans 1 pound pecans, whole or halves 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, beat egg white and water to a froth. In a large zip-bag, combine sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Coat pecans with the egg/water mixture then drop them into the bag and shake, coating well. Spread on greased cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool on waxed paper. (These freeze well, but seldom last long!) Chocolate Peanut-Butter Clusters In a l

Often I have stories that are funny to me but might set other people thinking, "The woman doesn't have a clue." I know that, and mostly, I don't mind. At the beginning of the month I signed up for a promotion that required I reduce the price on a boxed set. I did that, making The Simon & Elizabeth Mysteries (all 4 books in that series) just $.99 for the month of September. When I went back to list it on the promo, I realized it didn't fit the criteria. Result: The e-book boxed set is really cheap this month, for no good reason. I did manage to get one promo right, so KIDNAP.org will be free for download on BookFunnel starting Friday., Sept. 20 and going until Oct. 19 (link: https://books.bookfunnel.com/feel-goodcrime/xb92i6xlq7 For that promo an author lists how many books she's willing to give away, and they stay available until that # is reached. If you haven't yet started that series, it's fun, and the second book, PharmaCon , is a

I was interviewed by NF Reads, a site filled with interesting articles about a variety of topics. To see the interview, go here https://www.nfreads.com/interview-with-author-peg-herring/.