Fun Read, Great Giveaways, and a Good Editor
If you’re looking for one or all of the above, you’ve come to the right place. Just in time for some good beach reading, my new Southern Cousins Mystery, Elvis and the Heartbreak Hotel Murders, will be published June 4 in both digital and paperback. Though this is a series, each book can be read as a standalone. You’ll get to meet Jack and Callie’s baby PJ, who is just a hoot. I had such fun following along as she revealed her sassy little personality. As always, I laughed aloud at the antics of Elvis, the sleuthing basset hound, and his human family, the Valentine cousins. Click either of the links below to preorder. Contests I’m doing great giveaways in contests on FB, Twitter and this blog. These contests will run between now and the end of June. One of the prizes is this cute tee shirt (black on white) created especially for my Southern Cousins Series. These cannot be ordered. If you win one of these tees, you’ll have one of only twenty. In the future, I’ll have a different colored tee for each new book. Watch for the next FB SHARE contest starting Friday, June 22. I’m also doing a Twitter/Blog SIGN UP Contest, starting today thru May 31. Two winners will receive the Elvis hound dog tees. I’ll announce the winners June 1st here and on Twitter. To receive my FREE newsletter and be entered to win just click on the contact button and write newsletter in the email. Freelance Editor Here’s the BIG NEWS! Are you looking for a good editor? My daughter, Misty Webb Griffith, is now taking clients. She has 35 years of inside knowledge, a law degree and an eagle eye for detail. She is a voracious reader in many genres. Whether you are looking to edit and polish your manuscript before publishing or for in-depth editorial guidance on a book you hope to sell, she can help you. Her range of editorial services is broad. Contact her for pricing and services at mistygriffith7@gmail.com Wow! I’ve blown myself away with all this news. I’ll be back again soon. Until then…. Happy Reading! Peggy Webb
New Cozy Mystery and Giveaways
In these uncertain times, we long to be on the beach laughing over a good book or surfing or simply socializing with friends and neighbors. I can’t give you the beach, but I can give you some laughs. I’m thrilled to announce my new comedic cozy, Elvis and the Heartbreak Hotel Murders. Though it’s part of my Southern Cousins Mystery Series, each book can be read as a standalone. On June 4 it will be available in paperback as well as eBook. You can preorder now! To celebrate, I’m running back-to-back Share contests on my Facebook page through the end of June. No purchase necessary. All you do is help spread the news! The next contest (# 2) starts on Thursday, June 14. You’re going to love the giveaways. Karma Bath Company in Coral Gables, FL, created a gift set especially for this novel. All the ingredients are cruelty-free. This gift set will be the prize for contest #2. Other prizes for ongoing contests will be Amazon gift cards, tee shirts designed for my Southern Cousins Mysteries, and a fabulous bling baseball cap from the Elvis’ birthplace in my hometown of Tupelo, MS. Follow my Facebook posts so you won’t miss a single opportunity to win a prize. Many of you have asked how I create the Southern Cousins Mysteries. Here is the inside scoop on some of the characters: You know the colorful caftans worn by Callie’s flamboyant Mama? They’re based on my wardrobe of choice. I have a closet filled with caftans I wear at home, dressed up with jewelry for parties, and even unadorned for a quick run to the corner store. These voluminous cotton garments cover me from head to toe and hide every one of my figure flaws. Joy! Another thing about Ruby Nell Valentine. When she says, “Flitter,” or any other sassy thing, I’m channeling my own feisty mother. Elvis, of course, is inspired by my own fabulous chocolate Labrador retriever, may he RIP. I’ve written about him many times. He was amazing, loyal, affectionate, and everything a doggie companion should be. I often wished I knew what he was thinking, so I gave Elvis a voice in this series. Elvis’ best friend is Jarvetis’ hound dog, Trey. When I first started writing the series, I told my son I was using the names of his close friends as minor characters. He said, “Mom, name the hound dog after me.” And so I did. His friend and cousin became Sheriff Trice. I quickly found a place for friends Ricky and Eric. I think I named the manager of Jack Jones’ tacky apartment Eric. Then his friend Thomas became Mama’s boyfriend for a short period of time. I love Trey’s friends and will always think of them as boys. They got quite a kick out of seeing their names in my cozy mysteries. I’ll share more inside scoop in the next blog. I have lots more to tell you about the origins of the other characters, the research into everything Elvis and particularly into his songs. See you next time. Until then, happy reading! Peggy Webb
April Book Sale and Elvis
I hope all of you are safe and well. To help make it easier for you to shelter in place during these troubled times, I’ve joined with a group of authors at Smashwords for a huge Authors Give Back Book Sale. From now through April 20 many titles will be free or deeply discounted. All you do is select the book you want and the discount will be applied at checkout. Three of my box sets and one of my all-time fan-favorite romances are free. The box sets are When I Found You (3 books); Forever Friends, Finally Brides (4-books); and Donovans of the Delta (5 books). The free romance is Touched by Angels. It’s book one of the Angel duo that is beloved by fans. Follow this Forever Friends, Finally Brides link to Smashwords where you can find all my sale books. I’m also offering the block-buster romance, Her Secret Hero, and one of my popular Southern Cousins Mysteries, Elvis and the Pink Cadillac Corpse, at 60% off. Each Southern Cousins Mystery is complete and can be read as a stand alone. Enjoy the fun with this laugh-aloud clean whodunit. This is a rare opportunity to get one of the Southern Cousins Mysteries at a deep discount. If you have any of my Southern Cousins Mysteries, hang onto them. Many of these books are now collectible. The most exciting news is that I’ve signed a deal for this series with Red Sky Entertainment, who specializes in books to film. Everything is at a standstill now because of the pandemic, but do stay tuned here and on my social media for further developments. Also, I’m happy to show you a sneak peek of the cover for my new Southern Cousins Mystery. Elvis and the Heartbreak Hotel Murders will be available for preorder in early May. Pub date is early June. I love this artwork. It was done by my lovely and talented granddaughter, Cecilia Griffith.Meet the artist! Stay safe and escape with books! Peggy Webb
Free Books and Other News
Good news! I’m participating in Smashwords’ March extravaganza book sale. March 1 through March 7 many of my reader-favorite books will be FREE or deeply discounted up to75% at Smashwords. The discount will automatically be applied at checkout. Two of my FREE books are Touched by Angels and Stars to Lead Me Home. The first is a poignant love story between a single mother raising a child who was born with Downs Syndrome and a man haunted by his past who believes he can never love again. Touched by Angels is the first book of a duo of classic romances that were instant bestsellers and fan-favorites. Follow the link below to get the book FREE. Stars to Lead Me Home, also FREE, is a book every woman will want to share with her best friend. It’s the story of three women whose close friendship helps them through the struggles of divorce and a life-threatening illness. There’s a beautiful, unexpected May/December romance for one of the women. You’re going to love it. Click the link below to get it FREE. I have many other titles in this one-week sale: Rules of Engagement, a trio of bestselling romances, is 75% off. The romance classic box sets, Forever Friends, Finally Brides and Finding Mr. Perfect are 50% off. Book one of my Charmed Cat Mystery Series, Magnolia Wild Vanishes, is also 50% off. The latest book in my beloved Southern Cousins Mysteries, Elvis and the Devil in Disguise (two books in one) is 25% off. An exciting update to the Southern Cousins Mysteries…I’ve signed a deal with Red Sky Entertainment for this cozy series. They specialize in book to film. Stay tuned for more exciting news on the film front! Also, look for the next Southern Cousins Mystery June 1, Elvis and the Heartbreak Hotel Murders. There will be blow-out contests with lots of great prizes. I’ll announce the contests here as well as on FB and Twitter. Meanwhile, I hope you go over to the Smashwords’ sale for lots of good reading at great prices.
Early Bird Book Sale and Notes on Elvis
As many of you know, I’ve been writing for thirty-five years. I started this amazing career with romantic comedy, and had the good fortune to see my first book, Taming Maggie, become a number one bestseller in the romance genre. More than thirty-five romantic comedies followed Maggie, but during that time I was also writing suspense, more serious women’s fiction and even time travel. I had fun taking my characters back in time to periods and historical events that interested me–the sinking of the Titanic, the Arthurian Knights of the Round Table, and World War II. Separately, the three books in the Time’s Embrace box set would cost just under $10.00. March will soon be here, and I’m doing an early bird blowout sale. From now until the end of February, the Time’s Embrace box set will be on sale for only $2.99. I hope you enjoy reading these three books as much as I loved writing them. My later career took a big turn when Elvis entered my life. I wanted to try my hand at cozy mysteries, and because I live in the King’s birthplace, I decided to make Elvis a ghost. My muse had other ideas. After I’d saved my notes for the mystery series and turned in for the evening, Elvis started talking to me. “Nobody asks my opinion around here, but if they did I’d tell them basset hounds are the most brilliant dogs on earth. Of course, around here I’m lucky if I get to rule over the oak tree I consider my pissing post. After all, I was the first dog around these premises, and if you ask me, that makes me the King. Not to mention that I had umpteen hit records in my other life as a handsome man in a white sequined jumpsuit.” That became the first paragraph in Elvis and the Dearly Departed, book one of the series. I brought my humorous touch to the comedic cozy series, named it Southern Cousins and made Elvis, the sleuthing basset hound, one of the two narrators. He has been a huge hit with fans. I use his name each title. Currently, I’m writing Elvis and the Heartbreak Hotel Murders. It will be available for preorder by April 1. Pub day is May 1. Each Southern Cousins Mystery is a standalone book with no cliffhangers. The books are more fun read in order, but you don’t have to. Elvis will bring you up to date at the beginning of each book. Watch my blog and my Facebook page for giveaways during the Elvis launch. I’m also happy to report that I recently I did a deal for all the Southern Cousins Mysteries with Red Sky Entertainment, specialists in books to film. This series is ready made for film, and I can’t wait to see it on the screen! I’ll keep you posted as developments occur. Stay tuned here and on my social media for the cover reveal and more information about Elvis and the Heartbreak Hotel Murders. Meanwhile, enjoy the three time travel romances in Time’s Embrace. Here’s an update on my latest suspense novel. Snow Brides continues to garner praise from readers who absolutely love my empowered female character, Katie. If you don’t have your copy yet, do grab one now. It’s part of the STORMWATCH series, but there are no cliffhangers. Each book stands alone. All six books in the series can be read in any order. Whew! That’s a lot of news…and that’s it for today. Blessings and Happy Reading! Peggy Webb
With Gratitude: A Very Personal Story
I wake up every morning with unutterable gratitude. Why? In the spring of 2016 on a Tuesday morning, I woke up and could not walk, talk or even sign my own name. The problem had started the previous weekend with an excruciating headache, sensitivity to light and a slight temperature. The clinic around the corner told me I had an ear infection. Though I told the nurse practitioner I didn’t think that was my problem, she gave me some ear medication then sent me home where my condition rapidly declined. On Monday I drove myself to another clinic in the nearby city. By then I was shivering and losing the ability to walk. I asked for a wheelchair and blankets. The doctor ran a few tests and assured me I was “getting over flu.” Again I said, “No.” I hadn’t had flu nor any symptoms of it, but I felt terrible and was getting worse every day. Though I begged to be put in the hospital, he pooh-poohed the idea. His nurses apologetically wheeled me back to my car and asked if I could drive home. I told them I had no choice. The next morning, Tuesday, I couldn’t get out of bed and I could speak only in a disjointed, hard-to-understand manner. I called my next door neighbor. (My children live in far-flung states and my sister who lives in my town was leaving for a wedding in New Orleans.) My wonderful neighbor, Terry Easom, hustled over, took one look and called an ambulance. As I was lifted onto the gurney I felt both fear and relief. At last somebody was going to get to the bottom of this. Unfortunately, I couldn’t talk well enough to advocate for myself, and Terry only knew what she had seen when she rushed to my aid. As a result, a very young and earnest doctor in the ER took my BP and my temperature then wrote on my record that I was a “senile old woman.” (I only learned this later.) He told me to go home and get some speech therapy. I was too sick to protest. Terry brought me home and called more neighbors to help get me into the house. Then a series of small miracles occurred. The first one came in the form of my dear friend and fellow bestselling author, Vicki Hinze, from Florida. She knew from a telephone conversation with me a few days prior that I was sick. On Tuesday, she had a strong premonition that I was in trouble. After repeatedly trying to get me on the phone, she called another amazing friend, bestselling writer Debra Webb, in Alabama, to ask if she had heard from me. Deb said no, then immediately called my home phone. I had just returned from the ER. My neighbor answered then handed the phone to me. All I could say was, “De..de…de…de.” Deb was horrified, especially when she found out I had just come from the ER. “Call the ambulance again,” she told my neighbor, “and don’t let them send her home.” It was dark when the ambulance came again. I remember that much. I was now drifting in and out of consciousness, unable to speak but also unable to stop saying two nonsensical syllables. “Dit” and “bop.” I don’t know what I was trying to say but I’ll never forget sounding like a defective record, hung on one spot. A different doctor in the ER looked at my record from that morning’s visit, and immediately tried to send me home again. As I lay in the curtained-off cubicle, drifting toward unconsciousness, all hell was breaking loose in the hallway outside. Terry called upstairs to the main hospital for a nurse friend who came down to ER, pulled up my website on her mobile phone and explained that I’m a writer. She had talked to me two weeks ago, she said. I was sick, not senile, and they’d better get busy and find out what was wrong. Meanwhile Deb and Vic were in full writer research mode. They were also in constant touch with each other and my neighbor. They both called Terry’s cell phone to say they believed I had meningitis and my doctor should do a spinal tap. Vic’s brother had died of meningitis, and Deb’s youngest daughter is a nurse. My ER doctor told my neighbor he couldn’t do a spinal tap because he hadn’t done many and he was afraid of paralyzing me. Further, everybody in the lab had gone home and he couldn’t get a spinal tap for me until morning. Terry said, “She’ll be dead by morning.” A female doctor overheard and stepped forward. “I’ll do it.” Another miracle. I vaguely remember the needle going into my spine. The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital bed with IVs in both arms and a robed, masked doctor standing over me asking, “Do you know who you are?” “Dit,dit,dit, bop,bop,bop,” I told him. But I also raised my right thumb upward. Yes. “Do you know where you are?” Jabber, jabber. Thumb up. Yes. “Do you know why you are here? Do you know what day it is?” My eyes tracked to a large calendar on the wall and my thumb did the talking. This kind and amazing doctor told me I had an infection in the fluid around my brain and my spine. He said I had meningitis and they were treating me for two different kinds, viral and bacterial, until the test results came back. He had just pronounced what could be a death sentence. Or a living death, trapped the rest of my life inside a body that couldn’t walk or talk. I also knew from medical research on one of my many novels that I could be left blind, deaf, paralyzed. When they brought the admission chart to my bed, I couldn’t sign my name. How would I ever write again or play the piano? How would I
A Writer’s Voice and a February Book Sale
A writer’s voice should be as distinctive as a fingerprint. Throughout a thirty-five year career and nearly a hundred books, my friends always say these things to me: “Reading your books is just like sitting on your front porch, talking to you.” “Even if I didn’t know who wrote the book, I’d know it was you on the first page.” That’s voice. It started with my first book, Taming Maggie, which debuted at number one on romancer bestseller lists, and has continued through the years to every book I’ve written in every genre. All other elements in the books can change. But if a writer develops a distinctive voice in book one and continues to write true, voice will not change. This month I’m kicking off a monthly book sale. Watch this blog to see which books are on sale each month. This month I’m offering two books I love at reduced prices. The first is Stars to Lead Me Home, reduced from $4.99 to $2.99 just in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s women’s fiction, laced with humor, poignancy, hope and romance. Most of all it celebrates the courage and resilience of women, a favorite theme of mine which threads through most of my novels, including my latest suspense, Snow Brides. Readers were blown away by Katie in Snow Brides and left glowing reviews, including “Katie rocks!” Readers also loved the three friends who rally around each other in Stars to Lead Me Home. One is dealing with a crumbling marriage. Here’s an excerpt that shows Maggie’s defiance and her hope. I wallow in pity for a while, a woman dragging a ball and chain she can’t get rid of, and then I see a white clapborad house that snaps me out of it. This house has a porch, and I picture ferns and a bird feeder, pots of geraniums and a dog. Dick hated dogs. When I’m free I’m going to get one so shaggy and big that when he stands on his hind legs to lick my face, he’ll knock me off my feet. The second sale book is From A Distance, also reduced from $4.99 to $2.99. It’s a sprawling, gritty saga that follows the Corday family for many years as they work with mountain gorillas in Africa. I wrote From A Distance early in my career when big books were all the rage. This novel could easily be a television mini-series. It’s filled with betrayal, deceit, heartbreak and hope. You’ll find my usual courageous female characters here. You’ll also find an amazing female gorilla in From A Distance. She’s based on Koko, who learned American Sign Language from Penny Patterson of Standford University and worked with her for thirty years in a long-running inter-species communication project that is unmatched. My writing style has changed through the years, but my voice is the same…and the themes I use. Hope. There is always hope. Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Reading. I’ll see you next month with more great deals. Blessings! Peggy
SNOW BRIDES Contest, Interview and More
Thanks to you, my new romantic suspense novel SNOW BRIDES is getting amazing reviews and has landed in the top ranks of three major categories at Amazon: Action and Adventure Romance (Books)—Top 3 Romantic Action and Adventure—Top 9 Women’s Adventure Fiction (Books)—Top 14 Those rankings change almost daily, of course, but as of early this morning those were mine. A big thank you for entering the FACEBOOK share contests I’ve been running for all the books in the STORMWATCH multi-author series. (The books are linked by a snowstorm, but each story is different and stands alone.) Starting next week, Thursday, January 16 and continuing through Thursday of the following week, I will be running two more FB share contests for SNOWBRIDES. Enter on my Facebook page to be eligible to win some great prizes, including Amazon gift cards and a cruelty-free bath and body set created especially for my book by My Karma Gifts. I enjoyed hearing how much readers loved my character Kate in SNOW BRIDES, as well as the Search and Rescue dog, Jefferson. I have plucky college-age grandchildren, two grandsons and two granddaughters, who inspired Kate. And my own wonderful chocolate Labrador retriever, my constant companion for 15 years, inspired the SAR dog. To hear more about my career and the inspirations for SNOW BRIDES, you can listen to this interview by Poised Pen at Blog Talk Radio. Cindy Gerard, Regan Black (two other STORMWATCH authors) and I did the interview in early December. Enjoy! Listen to the interview!
EXCITING NEWS
“We are proud to present Naughty and Nice, the first book in Peggy Webb’s Sunday Cove Series,’ says publisher Micky Hyman at Red Sky Presents, a division of Red Sky Entertainment.” I’m delighted to finally share the quote from their press release about my holiday romantic comedy and details about the deal I made with Myron (Micky) Hyman and Jim Rosenfeld, who spearhead Red Sky Entertainment. Both men have amazing credentials. Jim is former President of CBS Television Network and later, Senior Executive VP of the CBS/Broadcast group. Micky negotiated film, television and licensing deals for the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That’s the nutshell version. It would take pages to list all their accomplishments. Red Sky “develops and publishes series from accomplished authors, and develops them for movies, television, digital media and merchandising.” And now, they’ve added me to their roster! Happy dancing! I signed a multi-book deal with them in late summer. I’d probably confuse everybody, including myself, by trying to list the books and tell what’s in the works for each of them. Instead I’ll share news with you here and on my social media pages as events unfold with each project. FIRST UP, Naughty and Nice (Sunday Cove Series, Book 1). It’s newly slicked and shined by Red Sky Presents, and it’s available now in eBook format at Amazon. This holiday romantic comedy is from my classic collection, and it’s very funny. Naughty and Nice is one of four romantic comedies I revised for the series. I relocated the books to Sunday Cove, a small town on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and added a host of quirky hometown regulars you’ll want for next door neighbors. I love writing about family dynamics, and I think you’re going to love the new family connections I created especially for the Sunday Cove Series. Though much is new and/or updated,I think you will appreciate that I kept the old fashioned virtues of clean language and closed bedroom doors. Naughty and Nice will remind you of simpler, kinder times. It’s not War and Peace or even one of my big literary fiction or suspense novels, but it’s a comfortable, homey little book you can discuss at your family dinner table. Between now and Christmas I will be doing some Facebook Share contests for Naughty and Nice. There will be GREAT prizes, created especially for this book. I hope you’ll join the fun. Check with me on FB for details. A big thanks to the great team at Red Sky—Micky, Jim, editor Charlene Keel, and cover designer Jesse Sanchez. I’m excited to see what comes next for the Sunday Cove Series, as well as my other Red Sky projects! Watch my blog for developments. Happy Holidays! Peggy Webb
STORMWATCH: MEGA GIVEAWAY
STORMWATCH is here! The first book in the series, Debra Webb’s Frozen Ground is available today! Every Thursday from now through January 9 you can get a new book in this romantic suspense series. Six bestselling authors. Six unique stories. One thrilling series! Debra Webb, Vicki Hinze, Regan Black, Rita Herron, Cindy Gerard and I collaborated to bring this chilling series to you just in time for the holidays. All of us track the deadly snowstorm Holly as she brings more than horrific weather to the Northwest. We bring our own writing styles to stories than feature everything from murder to espionage to grand theft to kidnapping. We decided to lighten this series with a romantic element. You’ll find everything from the sweetheart left behind to the hunky local sheriff to the sexy partner helping solve the crime to the husband lost to secrets and lies. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and cozy up with the six STORMWATCH books for the holidays! Do follow all six of us on FACEBOOK so you can be part of our MEGA GIVEAWAY. Each Thursday, starting now through January 9, each of us will be doing separate FB SHARE contests. By sharing each of our posts Thursday through Sunday, you will be eligible to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card. The winners will be announced each Monday. That’s a total of nearly $1,000.00 in gift cards you will be eligible to win during a six week period. We’ll be adding little surprises along the way, too. Signed books and such. It’s our way of saying, “Thank you for being such loyal fans!” Happy Holidays! Peggy