Peg Cochran interview
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
When did your love of books begin?
Just about the time I learned to read! I thought it was magical how a book could transport you to another world.
When did you start to have the wish to become an author?
I was about seven years old. I used to write “plays” and force my cousins to perform them at Christmas dinner! When I discovered the Nancy Drew books, I decided I wanted to write mysteries and that never changed.
How have you found the process for becoming an author?
Long! It’s a long learning process—at least it was for me. I have any number of books “in the drawer” that never went anywhere including a romance I wrote in high school. When I discovered cozy mysteries I decided to try my hand at one. They were popular and there was room for new authors. After 400 rejections, I got an agent and then a publishing deal. My dream finally came true!
What would you say to those wanting to become an author?
Don’t give up! Persistence pays off. Keep writing and improving and celebrate each milestone—coming up with an idea, plotting your book and finally writing “the end.” Even celebrate the inevitable rejections—each one is moving you closer to a “yes.”
Tell us about your book/books:
All my books so far have been cozy mysteries. I’ve written seven series including an historical series called Murder, She Reported that takes place in 1930s New York City. My current series, the Open Book, is written under my pen name of Margaret Loudon. It’s my first “foreign” setting. My protagonist, Penelope “Pen” Parish, is the American writer in residence at the Open Book in the small town of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England. The series opens with the town in an uproar because their local nobility, The Duke of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, is engaged to (gasp!) an American romance writer. So far there are three books in the series: Murder in the Margins, A Fatal Footnote and Peril on the Page coming on March 1st. I am currently working on the fourth book in the series.
What do you love about the writing/reading community?
I love the warmth of the writing community and how everyone is supportive of each other and always willing to share their knowledge. As a matter of fact, I got my first big break when Krista Davis mentioned me to her agent (who is now my agent as well.)
If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?
I love you! Seriously, without all the wonderful readers, I wouldn’t have realized my dream of becoming a writer. I love to hear from them and I treasure those emails.
Where can people connect with you?
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment