AUTHOR INTERVIEW - PEGGY WEBB

l. What is your name and where do you live?

I am Peggy Webb, and I live in a lovely little writer’s cottage tucked among my flower gardens in the northeast corner of Mississippi. I was born here, grew up here and can’t imagine living anywhere else. I’ve had a long and wonderful career as a writer, and I am so grateful to the readers who made it possible.

2. Do you have or would you ever take a pseudonym?

Although I’ve written romance, women’s fiction and mysteries under my real name for more than twenty-six years, I took the pen name Anna Michaels to write The Tender Mercy of Roses, my first work of literary fiction, published in May, 2011 by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books.

3. What are your favorite books that you’ve written, and why?

That’s a good question, but it’s almost like asking, “Which is your favorite child!”  I’ve had almost 70 books published in a very long career, but a few of them do stand out to me for various reasons. Driving Me Crazy, published by Harlequin’s NEXT imprint, is one of my favorites as well as a reader favorite. It combined my trademark humor with the very poignant story of two women taking care of their feisty, aging mother. Much of this book was autobiographical. I had just lost my own mother, and it was cathartic to capture her amazing spirit on the page and share it with readers. Of my early romances, my favorites are Touched by Angels and the sequel, A Prince for Jenny, as well as the three time travels books (Christmas in Time, Only Yesterday, and Night of the Dragon)  and the five books in my Donovans of the Delta Series. I love the characters, and all these books always make me laugh and cry.

 The Southern Cousins Mysteries are fun to write because I enjoy speaking in the voice of Elvis, the basset hound who thinks he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. What a hoot!

Writing The Tender Mercy of Roses was the high point of my career. I tapped into a deep well of creativity that I didn’t even know I had. And I absolutely LOVE the major female protagonist. Keep reading to find out why.

4. Who is your favorite character you’ve created?

I have two favorites, Elvis, the sassy, sleuthing basset hound in the Southern Cousins Mysteries, and Pony Jones in The Tender Mercy of Roses. Elvis always makes me laugh, and I have such fun digging up little-known facts about the iconic Elvis Presley and letting my basset hound brag about them.

Pony Jones, who became the heroine of The Tender Mercy of Roses, burst into my dreams talking a mile a minute. Telling the story partially through her voice was an incredible experience for me.  She’s wise and funny, determined and vulnerable, heart-breaking and memorable.

5. What makes a good book?

Two things: great characters and a story with lots of heart.  A good plot is certainly important, but unless the writer can engage the reader with compelling characters, the story will be less than stellar and easily forgotten.

6. Do you write any books that are part of a series?

I’m so glad you asked!  Of course, my latest mystery, Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble, is part of the Southern Cousins Mystery Series.  There are currently four books in the series with more to come.

Only Yesterday, a classic time travel romance that takes the heroine back to World War II, is the sequel to Christmas in Time, the novella that takes the heroine back to the Titanic. (See the review.)

The poignant romance, A Prince for Jenny, the story of a special woman struggling to have the things ordinary women take for granted, is the sequel to Touched by Angels, which portrays Jenny as a stubborn, determined and endearing special child.  

By the time you read this, my classic Donovans of the Delta series should be available in digital format, just in time for the holidays. Originally published by Loveswept, these books were considered the definitive family series. They’re coming back to readers with wonderful new covers but the same sassy characters in the same stories that will make you laugh and make you cry, Look for Donovan’s Angel, Sleepless Nights, Hallie’s Destiny, Any Thursday, and Higher than Eagles.

The McGill Series, a three-book set of classic romances will be available in digital format sometime next year, possibly by summer. Two of these characters were introduced in The Donovans of the Delta series.

7. What’s next for you?

Currently, I’m finishing the fifth Southern Cousins Mystery and getting ready to write the second literary fiction novel as Anna Michaels.  I continue to get the romance classics in my Loveswept backlist ready for readers in digital format.

8. Any advice for aspiring writers?

Read, read, read! Write what you love and only if you love writing.  Write because you are compelled to tell stories and you can’t imagine ever doing anything else.  Good luck!

9. How can we contact you?

Go to my websites, www.peggywebb.com and www.annamichaels.net, follow me on Facebook as both Peggy Webb and Anna Michaels, and catch me as a regular blogger at www.southernauthors.blogpsot.com.  I also welcome your comments on Goodreads! It has been a pleasure chatting with you today!