Peggy Jaeger Archives - Page 2 of 3

Nov 1st Chat with Peggy Jaeger Author of It’s A Trust Thing

Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to Peggy Jaeger, author of It’s A Trust Thing, releases today. Happy book birthday Peggy! Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what It’s A Trust Thing is all about But first Peggy tell is a little about you and what inspired It’s A Trust Thing!

I’ve always had a strange fascination with serial killers, crime lords, and wise guy wannabes. And while I love seeing criminals brought to justice, once they are no longer capable of executing their nefarious deeds, my attention has always shifted to their families and the ones they left behind.

The children of these horrible people intrigue me, especially what happens to their lives once their parent is caught, killed, or incarcerated. How do they fare in the court of public opinion? How badly are their lives changed, sometimes irreparably? Are they vilified as their parents were, or do they become sympathetic in the eyes of society? Do the sins of the fathers (and mothers) rain down upon them?

Cases in point:

One of Bernie Madoff’s sons committed suicide after his father was sent to prison.

Charles Manson, Jr. killed himself as well because he could never outrun his infamous name.

BTK’s daughter claimed the FBI had the wrong man once her father was arrested. She couldn’t believe the man she loved and revered could be such a monster.

These children of notorious men have all had to deal with the aftermath of their father’s betrayal, greed, and crimes, and they each dealt with it in different ways.

I wrote IT’S A TRUST THING because I wanted to explore what happens to the child of someone notorious. Even though the subject matter is heavy, the story is mostly lightweight, something I had to do to balance the underlying theme. I bill it as RomComLite. My heroine, Penelope “Nell” Newbery is feisty, determined to succeed, loyal to a fault, and a strange mix of awkward and sassy.

Nell Newbery has trust issues. It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions in a pyramid scheme that made Madoff’s look picayune in comparison. Nell was 16 when her father was first arrested and then sent to prison for 100 lifetimes. Her mother suffered a mental breakdown due to the stress and it was up to Nell to take care of her when she was little more than a child.

Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame due to her father’s notoriety. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace.

But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.

Thank you Peg. Now tell us a bit about It’s A Trust Thing.

Nell Newbery has trust issues. It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions. Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace.

But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.

Is Charlie Churchill that guy? On the surface he seems perfect, all polished manners and quiet mirth. Nell’s convinced he knows nothing about her, other than she likes superhero movies and views junk food as a food group.

Can she trust him to be what he appears to be? Or is he just pretending?

For Nell, trust is everything in life…and in love.

Buy Links:

Exclusive to KU and Kindle only:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y7LMJNR

A sneak peek between the pages of It’s A Trust Thing.

He opened the passenger door for me and I got in.

“You never answered me,” he said when I was seated. “Would you like to do this again?”

I’d lived my entire adult life taking chances in my professional life but shying away from them in my personal one. The reasons to avoid becoming involved were valid ones, in my mind, and they’d served me well.

But there was something so different about this man, something that wanted me to finally give in and take a chance that he wouldn’t be like all the other men I’d gotten close to. He wouldn’t use me to his own end; he wouldn’t betray me; he wouldn’t lie to me about who and what he was.

And dammit, I deserved to have some fun.

All this ran through my head as he stood, patiently waiting for my answer.

It really didn’t take much effort on my part to make a decision. With a half grin and my gaze staying zeroed in on his, I reached into my briefcase and pulled out one of my business cards. While the driver waited, I wrote my private cell number on the back of it. There were only five people on the planet who had this number.

Now, Charlie did as well.

As I handed it to him, I cocked my head and said, “Maybe next time we can get through an evening without me needing first aid or being mugged.”

His jaw wide smile made my stomach muscles flutter. He leaned in, gave me a quick peck on the cheek and said, “Where would the fun be in that?”

About the Author:

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer!

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, Peggy is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go “What??!”

Social Media links:

Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyjaeger_author/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger

You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR8RRIlssIyS0FYZWeGqsg/videos?view_as=subscriber

It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with It’s A Trust Thing!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, It's A Trust Thing, Peggy Jaeger by Tena Stetler with 8 comments.

Jun 14th 99-cents Summer Sale on Dearly Beloved by Peggy Jaeger!

Give a warm welcome to Dearly Beloved author Peggy Jaeger! Today, you can get Dearly Beloved for only 99 cents. What a steal! Be sure and download your copy right away.

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Peggy’s first book in her bridal series, Dearly Beloved.

It seems every romance novelist at one point in her career will write a bridal series. I mean, how better to show a happily ever after ending than with a wedding, right? A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN is my contribution to the wedding tropes of the romance genre and book 1 in the series, DEARLY BELOVED, is on sale right now, just in time for wedding and beach reading seasons.

Tell us a little about Dearly Beloved.

Colleen O’Dowd manages a thriving bridal business with her sisters in Heaven, New Hampshire. After fleeing Manhattan and her cheating ex-fiancé, Colleen still believes in happily ever afters. But with a demanding business to run, her sisters to look after, and their 93-year-old grandmother to keep out of trouble, she’s worried she’ll never find Mr. Right.

Playboy Slade Harrington doesn’t believe in marriage. His father’s six weddings have taught him life is better as an unencumbered single guy. But Slade loves his little sister. He’ll do anything for her, including footing the bill for her dream wedding. He doesn’t plan on losing his heart to a smart-mouthed, gorgeous wedding planner, though.

When her ex-fiancé comes back into the picture, Colleen must choose between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now.

Peak between the pages of Dearly Beloved:

“So, this is a pig roast.”

I slanted a look at Slade. “Is that a question or a statement?”

He turned from where he’d been staring at the spit holding the two-hundred-pound wedding dinner for the fifty quests, a sheepish grin on his face.

“A little of both, maybe?”

I shook my head, realizing it was impossible to stay upset with him for very long. He’d been an absolute Godsend pre-ceremony, helping Kolby install the one-hundred-foot runner from the cabin to the gazebo. He’d wiped down the chairs that were still damp from the early morning lake-mist condensation and had even climbed up to the top of the gazebo to help drape the flowers for a suddenly height-frightened Charity. I knew what she was doing, of course. Charity has never been afraid of anything in her life, but seeing Slade climb his way up to, and then dangle from, the roof to hang the flowers was an eye-opener she couldn’t miss.

Me, either.

He’d done as I’d asked and stayed on the sidelines during the ceremony, which my sister Cathleen officiated at, and then had helped round everyone up for pictures at the lake. He’d even been helpful corralling the guests into their cars and trucks to shuttle them back to the Gunderson’s farm for the reception.

So far he’d stuck by my side as we watched the bridal party dance their little hearts out in the barn, listened to the good-natured toasts and the ribald ones, too, of the best man and maid of honor, and had wheeled Kimmy’s one-hundred-and-three-year-old great-grandmother to her place of honor at the head table.

If I didn’t know he already ruled a financial empire, I’d be tempted to give him a second job on the weekends as an event assistant.

“Oh, Colleen, I can’t thank you enough,” Kimmy Schmidt, nee Gunderson, told me as she pulled me into a hug. She had always been an enthusiastic hugger, clamping her body fully against whomever she was wrapped around, but before the added eight-month pregnancy belly, it had been easier to hug her back. Now, I couldn’t get my arms even halfway around her midsection and I was afraid all her vigorous body bumping was harmful to the baby.

Kimmy had no such concerns.

“Everything was perfect. Abso perfection. Your team is simply the ultimate best.”

One of Kimmy’s endearing traits? She loved to speak in absolutes.

“Uncle Pecker said the pig is almost ready. You’re staying for supper, right?”

“I can’t, Kimmy, I’m sorry. I’ve got a thousand things to do before tomorrow, but Charity and Kolby are staying. Kolby will keep taking pictures and candids until the end, and anything you need or want, or any problems that pop up, Charity can take care of. But don’t worry, because there will be no problems.”

Kimmy yanked me in for another squeeze. It was a good thing I hadn’t drunk anything all afternoon, because I could feel my bladder knock against my intestines with the force of this one. “Of course there won’t be any problems. Look who my wedding planner is.”

Her father called her name from across the field and with one more hug and a quick kiss to my cheek, she waddled across the freshly mown cornfield to him.

“Uncle Pecker?” Slade said, dangerously close to my ear. So close, his breath warmed over my entire neck. Before I did something stupid like turn around and pull him into a Kimmy-worthy embrace, I took a few steps forward and away from him and his hot—and by hot, I mean wowza!—breath.

“His given name is Woodrow. It’s his father’s name as well, and one Woody in the family was, I guess, enough.”

It took him a moment. I could see when the dawn broke by the way his sexy eyes widened and his mouth opened for a second.

“And you had the nerve to make fun of Bunny,” he said. “Being nicknamed after a rabbit, I have to think, is much more preferable to being referred to as a woodpecker.”

“Maybe. But both names are pretty awful.”

“Yes, they are.”

“I need a minute to let Charity and Kolby know I’m leaving, then we can go.” How he finagled it so he drove out to the farm in my car, I still didn’t know. But I was, for all intents and purposes, his ride.

Once I’d made sure my two assistants were set, Slade and I headed back into town.

“I assumed you stayed for the entire reception,” Slade said.

“I usually do, if for no other reason than to ensure if any problems arise I can be the fixer and not have to worry the bridal party or the parents.”

“So how come we didn’t stay?”

“First, trust me when I tell you there will be no problems. And if any arise, they’re going to be family and alcohol-related, so Kimmy’s parents will take care of it. And believe me, they will do a much better job than I would. Nobody messes with Grover Gunderson and walks away unscathed.”

I slid a sideglance to him. My heart sped up a little at the sight of his smile.

“Is he related to Uncle Woodrow?”

“Brothers.”

“Their mother must have had a thing for presidents.”

I nodded. “She did. You didn’t meet uncles Calvin and Millard.”

His free and easy laugh tickled all the way down my spine.

“What’s the second reason?”

“I need to get to the church. I’ve got a rehearsal for tomorrow’s wedding scheduled, and Maureen is doing the rehearsal dinner back at the inn.”

The car grew quiet as I drove. I had fifteen things running through my head about tomorrow’s nuptials, an equal number concerning Nanny Fee and the talk I’d had with my sisters the night before, and then even more thoughts revolving around my work schedule for the week.

“What are you doing after that?”

“Making sure everything is set for the wedding. I’ve got a list of things to double check back at the house, and I need to make some calls to verify times. I should have done it all yesterday, but as you’re well aware, time got away from me. Why?”

All those important thoughts flew out the car window when Slade said, “Have dinner with me.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” He turned his body a bit so he was almost facing me. The penetrating scrutiny of his gaze sliced right through me. “I’ve been with you all day, Colleen. You didn’t stop once to eat or even have a drink of water. You’ve been in constant motion since I arrived at the lake, and that was at nine o’clock. Charity said you’d all been there since seven thirty, setting up. You’ve got to be hungry by now because I know I am. Starving, in fact.”

The thought of sharing a meal alone with him was too intimate, too unsettling for me to consider. Yesterday’s stop for a quick slice of pizza aside, the last time I’d dined with him I’d ruined his suit and he’d been privy to a scene with Vlad I didn’t want to think about again.

Ever.

Intrigued? You can get your 99cent sale copy at these fine digital retailers. The sale ends June 21, so get your copy today!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HT4B95T

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dearly-beloved-peggy-jaeger/1129689535

i-Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/dearly-beloved/id1437725621

About the Author:

When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, Peggy is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go “What??!”

Social Media links:

Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mmj122687/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger

You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR8RRIlssIyS0FYZWeGqsg/videos?view_as=subscriber

BookGorilla: https://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00T8E5LN0/peggy-jaeger/kcc

Thank you for being our guest today. Feel free to stop by any time! Good Luck with Dearly Beloved’s 99 cent sale.

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged 99 cent sale, Contemporary Romance, Dearly Beloved, Match Made in Heaven, Peggy Jaeger by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.

Dec 17th Peggy Jaeger Author of Christmas & Cannolis

Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to Peggy Jaeger, author of Christmas & Cannolis. Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets find out a little about Peggy and her Christmas & Cannolis. Thanks for joining us!

What inspired this particular story? I love big families. Since I’m an only child, that makes sense, no? Hee Hee. And I love the American/Italian family I created in 3 WISHES, the San Valentinos. They have a lot of branches on their family tree and I’ve mentioned the pseudo-wiseguy member, Uncle Sonny in both 3 Wishes and A Kiss Under The Christmas Lights, so I wanted to explore him and his family branch. Because family is everything to Sonny, he has a big one. 4 sons and his bellissima figlia, Regina. Regina has known heartache in her life but has been able to pick herself up and move forward with the help of her family. When a new man comes into her life that she’s willing to pledge herself to, her domineering – yet loving – family intervenes, comically though it is, and throws a wrench into her potential happiness. How Sonny deals with the new man is typical of a proud and over protective Italian father. I knew this needed to be a Christmas story because the holidays are all about love, family, and faith, and this family has all

What is your favorite Christmas tradition? When we decorate the four trees I have in my house every holiday season, I play Christmas CD’s all day while I bake and decorate. The smells coming from the oven warm my heart, as do the myriad of brightly decorated trees around my house.

Why did you choose the cover concept you did? Regina San Valentino owns her own bakery, so I knew I wanted at least some kind of bakery or baking scene on the cover. And since the title mentions my favorite Italian dessert – cannoli – I knew I had to have some kind of representation of it as well. Since this is a Christmas story about two people who find each other around the Christmas holidays, the character depiction needed to be festive and positive. What’s more festive than a pair of lovers, garbed in Santa hats, kissing for a romance cover?

Favorite holiday memory : The year my “Santa” left Rock’em Sock’em Robots for me under the tree. Quick backstory: I’m an only child and a girl, to boot, but my favorite toy to ask Santa for when I was 6 was Rock’Em Sock’Em Robots. I didn’t get it, so I asked again when I was 7…then 8….then 9. When I added it to my list on my 10^th Christmas, my mother told me that Santa wouldn’t be bringing that to me because I’m a girl and the toy I was asking for was a “boy toy.” Can you spell c-r-u-s-h-e-d? Fast forward 30 years and I told that story around the dinner table of my husband’s parents when we were visiting for the holidays. On Christmas morning there was a huge present under the tree with my name on it and when I opened it…yup! Rock’Em Sock’Em Robots. “Santa” brought the perfect present, 30 years after I asked for it. Love that man!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why? Like Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth, I’d want to be able to know when someone is lying. Of all the vices there are in the world – and there are a lot! – I hate lying most of all. I’d use my superpowers to force criminals to tell the truth, politicians to be held accountable for their lies, and force people in general who have hurt one another through vicious lying to be punished.

SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:

Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>

Favorite Christmas movie: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946, Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed “Every time a bells rings, an angel gets her wings!”

Favorite Christmas book: Scrooge – gotta love a holiday redemption story!
Last Christmas or holiday book read: (HeeHee) my own, CHRISTMAS AND CANNOLIS (!)
Favorite color: green
Stilettos or flipflops or elf shoes: stilettos
Coffee or tea or hot chocolate: WATER!
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: ebook
Pencil or pen or candy cane: candy cane

Favorite Christmas Carole or song: A Cool Yule, by Bette Midler

All-time favorite Christmas present: Rock ‘em Sock’em robots – long story, fav gift!

Favorite dessert: Death By Chocolate Trifle

Christmas Candy or Cake: Cake -always

Favorite thing to do to relax during the holidays Read by the fire

Champagne or gin or eggnog: None. I don’t drink alcohol

Paranormal or Historical: Regency

Wonder Woman or Top Model or Tinkerbell: Wonder Woman

Favorite Christmas or holiday TV show: The original Cartoon GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS ( again, gotta love a holiday redemption story!)

Hot or cold: cold

POV: third

I’d die if I don’t have: Diet Mountain Dew

Review or Not: review!

Tell us a little about Christmas & Cannolis!

With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she’s got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love. A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she’s better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. Regina can’t find it in her heart to refuse him.

Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself—and his company’s reputation—in Regina’s capable hands. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.

Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who’s awoken her heart?

A peek between the pages of Christmas & Cannolis:

It had been a long, long time since a guy’s hands had been on me in anything resembling a carnal way. My ex had decamped to parts unknown five years ago after signing the divorce papers and I’d been so busy rebuilding my life that adding any kind of relationship to it wasn’t even a notion. Besides, with my hovering parents, one of whom worked for me while the other popped in daily to check up on their only daughter, I had enough on my plate fending off the men they wanted to introduce me to. Guys who, for the most part, had shady lifestyles, carried concealed, and owed my father innumerable favors. And by favors I mean the kind that usually get signed for in blood and paid back the same way.

Welcome to mia familia.

Buy Links: Amazon: WILD ROSE PRESS Nook

About the author:

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

Tying into her love of families, her children’s book, THE KINDNESS TALES, was illustrated by her artist mother-in-law.

Peggy holds a master’s degree in Nursing Administration and first found publication with several articles she authored on Alzheimer’s Disease during her time running an Alzheimer’s in-patient care unit during the 1990s.

In 2013, she placed first in two categories in the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest: Single Title Contemporary Romance and Short/Long Contemporary Romance.

In 2017 she came in 3rd in the New England Reader’s Choice contest for A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and was a finalist in the 2017 STILETTO contest for the same title.

In 2018, Peggy was a finalist in the HOLT MEDALLION Award and once again in the 2018 Stiletto Contest.

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mmj122687/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger

You-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR8RRIlssIyS0FYZWeGqsg/videos

BookGorilla: https://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00T8E5LN0/peggy-jaeger/kcc

It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Christmas & Cannolis!

Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged big American/Italian family, Christmas & Cannolis, Contemporary Romance, Peggy Jaeger by Tena Stetler with 14 comments.

Nov 5th Interview Peggy Jaeger Author of Hope’s Dream

Happy Book Birthday to our guest today! Give a big welcome to Peggy Jaeger, author of Hope’s Dream. A Deerbourn Inn novella released today!

Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Lets see what Peggy’s new release Hope’s Dream is all about. Thanks for joining us!

What inspired this particular story?

Sometime in 2018, during one of the Tuesday night Wild Rose Press chats, the call went out for a new series that would be set in a fictional town of Vermont and revolve around a two centuries-old Inn. The WRP powers-that-be wanted stories from any time period, any genre, and any heat level, but the stipulation had to be that one of the protagonists be a visitor at the DEERBOURNE INN. The minute I read the series bible, which described the tiny New England town, I knew I had to write a story for the series, because I live in what could be Willow Springs’ doppelganger. I live in a tiny New Hampshire town that I swear is the town the WRP powers-that-be decided to depict their fictional one on, straight down to the town square gazebo. Once I decided I needed to submit a story for consideration, I spent the rest of the night outlining it and by Wednesday morning I had my synopsis written and ready to submit – which I did.

Why did you choose the cover concept you did?

Since Hope Kildarie is a ski instructor in Willow Springs, and my story is a contemporary romance about forgiveness and acceptance, I knew I wanted a ski scene on the cover, and that I wanted it to be a happy one because so much of Hope’s recent life has been sad. She had to give up on her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner; her lost her father in a horrific car crash; her mother is an invalid who lives at home. So many things that could make the story – and Hope – a downer, but didn’t. I wanted the cover to reflect her happy mien.

What secret do you use to blast through writer’s block?

You know, I wish it was a secret cure, but it isn’t. I simply keep typing. Even when what I’m writing I know isn’t good, I keep going until I need to take a break. Then I go back and reread the dredge. Typically I can find one gem to pull from it. Walking away from the computer is never an option for me because I consider this my job. My occupation. You can’t simply walk off a job if you’re not feeling it one day, or if a co worker is being a pain. SO when my blocking becomes a “pain” I barrel through it just as I would at an office.

What do you want your readers to take away from your books?

That everyone deserves their own Happily ever after and that hope, faith in yourself, and the strength of your family can get you through anything life tosses at you. The good, the bad, the really ugly! My tagline is I write about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. That sums up my philosophy on my book themes in a nutshell!

Do you find it easier to write from a male or female point of view?

Great question. When I write first person, I only write female. When I write in third person, I do both male and female POVs. Why? Obviously, I’m a girl and I think like one, so the first person female POV is easy for me. I have a hard time speaking like a male character in first person, but not in third. I can’t explain why this is, but in third person male, I’m a little removed from the actual mind of the hero, so I can assume what he is thinking and what he will say. I know that sounds wonky, but hey! It’s me we’re talking about here. Wonky is my Confirmation name!

SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:

Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>

Favorite movie: GONE WITH THE WIND
Favorite book: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Last book read: LEAN IN
Favorite color: GREEN
Stilettos or flipflops: STILETTOS
Coffee or tea: TEA
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: EBOOK
Pencil or pen: LAPTOP!

Favorite song: SECRET AGENT MAN

Streak or not: NEVER

Favorite dessert: CHOCOLATE CAKE

Favorite junk food: PEPPERMINT PATTY CANDIES

Favorite thing to do to relax: READ

Champagne or gin: NEITHER – I DON’T DRINK ALCOHOL

Paranormal or Historical: REGENCY

Wonder Woman or Top Model: WONDER WOMAN

Favorite TV show: I LOVE LUCY

Hot or cold: COLD

POV: THIRD

I’d die if I don’t have: DIET MOUNTAIN DEW EVERYDAY

Review or Not: REVIEW

Tell us a little about Hope’s Dream

Hope Kildaire gave up her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner when a car accident killed her father and left her mother an invalid. Working two jobs and caring for her mother leaves the twenty-seven-year-old with no time for fun or relationships. When a law firm representing her paternal grandparents sends her several letters, Hope ignores them. She despises the family who disowned her father and wants nothing to do with them.

Lawyer Tyler Coleman’s job is simply to obtain Hope’s signature on a legal document. Getting it is harder than planned, though, when an unexpected attraction blossoms between them. If Ty is honest with Hope about why he’s in Willow Springs, he’ll fulfill his assignment but may risk hurting her.

The opportunity to have everything she’s ever desired is at Hope’s fingertips. Will her dream come true at the expense of Tyler’s love?

A sneak peek between the pages of Hope’s Dream!

Hope stood behind the bar, filling two glasses with draft beer. She hadn’t spotted him approach, so he took the moment to observe her unawares.

A reserved smile graced her face as the guy waiting for his order chatted her up. Early twenties by Tyler’s guess, the kid stared at Hope with a serious case of attraction. He knew how the younger man felt.

During their lesson her hair had been woven into a braid. In the lodge, when she’d removed her hat, he’d likened the colors to butterscotch and honey. Now with it unbraided and freely floating down past her shoulders, the colors burst into life. Gold and red highlights shimmered from the waves framing her face, as if each strand had been hand painted for emphasis. In the tavern’s subdued lighting, Hope was a bright, vibrant beacon, sparkling with health and life.

Tyler was drawn to her light, her vitality, as if he’d spent his existence until that moment in perpetual darkness.

Hope turned, reached for something behind her, and caught his eye.

For a moment her body froze, her hand still outstretched, her eyes widening in surprise when they lit on him. She dipped her chin and regarded him from under her eyelashes as she finger-swiped the hair falling across her face behind her ear. A quick head bob his way indicated she’d be right with him.

With an expert’s finesse she uncorked a bottle of Jameson’s, poured a thimbleful each into two shot glasses, then added them to beer-guy’s order. He slid a bill into her hand and then waved off the change she tried to give him back. He scooped the drinks, then carried them back to his table. Hope slid the change into one of the jelly jars behind the bar marked with several names, hers among them, and made her way over to him.

“Hey, New York.” Sweet laughter warmed with surprise rang in her voice. “How are the legs?”

Tyler groaned and stretched them out in front of him. “Better after a long, hot soak, but I’m betting they’re gonna feel worse in the morning.”

She tossed him a quick, sympathetic look. “Make sure you take some kind of analgesic before going to sleep tonight. It’ll help. Trust me.”

“Will do.”

“What can I get you?”

He spurted off the name of one of the draft beers.

She pulled it and then brought it back to him. “Anything to eat? I know the inn doesn’t serve dinner.”

He glanced up at the selection board again and asked, “What do you recommend?”

“The soup’s hot and fabulous. Comes with a salad or fresh bread. The burgers here are always great, but I’m biased.” Her open smile charmed him.

“Sold.”

“So,” he said after she came back from placing his order, “you’re a woman of many talents. Ski instructor. Bartender.”

The brighter colors in her hair glistened when she shook her head. “We in the business prefer the term mixologist.”

Buy Links:

AMAZON THE WILD ROSE PRESS NOOK ITUNES

About the author:

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

Tying into her love of families, her children’s book, THE KINDNESS TALES, was illustrated by her artist mother-in-law.

In 2013, she placed first in two categories in the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest: Single Title Contemporary Romance and Short/Long Contemporary Romance.

In 2017 she came in 3rd in the New England Reader’s Choice contest for A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and was a finalist in the 2017 STILETTO contest for the same title.

In 2018, Peggy was a finalist in the HOLT MEDALLION Award and once again in the 2018 Stiletto Contest.

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

You can find her at the following social media sites.

Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mmj122687/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger

It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Hope’s Dream!