PEG PHIFER
Hi, there, I’m Peg Phifer, writing as Peggy Blann Phifer. Thank you, Deb, for hosting me on your blog. You also gave me permission to write about anything I wanted. This could be fun . . . we’ll see.
My debut book, TO SEE THE SUN, came out January 6, 2012. It’s a contemporary, and the setting is right here in Las Vegas, my adopted home town. What’s a good Christian girl doing in “Sin City” you ask? Here’s the long and the short of it: a divorce in 1980 (unwanted) and a desire for warmer climes. Suddenly free to choose, I chose the desert southwest. Can’t get much warmer than that and remain in the US. And here I stayed.
I got a good job, met a good man, and have had a good life. But I quickly got tired of that “sinful” image the very name brings to everyone’s mind. Away from “The Strip,” Vegas is a city like any other. Well, almost. Bear with me here.
I’ve always been a “writer” and worked on many stories over the years, and when the bug really burrowed under my skin, I decided I wanted to show another side to my new home. It took many years, many false starts, but TO SEE THE SUN is the end result. And I have to say I’m a wee bit proud of it. The things that happen to my characters happen to real people in real cities, towns and rural areas across the country and anywhere in the world. They are not unique to Vegas.
People live and work here. Our children go to school, families go to church, and many, many of us never see the inside of a casino, let alone gamble away our life savings. In TO SEE THE SUN there are only mentions of that life. You never see it.
One unexpected outcome of the book, and completely unintentional (I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer—I don’t plot or outline) was the development of one of the secondary characters. I can’t explain how it happened, and it didn’t really dawn on me until I was close to THE END, but this character ended up with many of the attributes I loved so much about my sister and is the antithesis of me. In fact, that is mentioned in the acknowledgements section at the end of the book.
If you’ve read TO SEE THE SUN, that character is Magie. If you haven’t read it, well, the character is still Magie, and she gets a story of her own in Book 2 of the Desert Faith Series.
Appearing here at this time is an example of God’s Perfect Timing. My sister would have been celebrating her 71st birthday on April 16. She was the kind of person who meets life head-on with a smile and open arms. She raised five kids and was “Mom” to many young people throughout her life, one of whom I’ve connected with through Twitter. Marty (sister) stepped into the arms of Jesus four years ago this past March, just a few weeks short of her birthday.
So, when you read TO SEE THE SUN and read about character Magie, you’re also viewing a vignette of my sister, Marty.
Happy Birthday, Sis.
Now, I have a question for you all, actually two questions. You choose which one to answer to qualify for a free copy of TO SEE THE SUN:
In your reading, have you ever come across a character who reminds you of someone you know? Or, Have you ever met, known, or befriended a person who tackles life with unfailing faith?
If you wish to participate in this drawing, you must answer the above questions. Use my "Contact" page, and type "PEG'S CONTEST" in the comments box. The deadline to enter is 4/24/12.
Click here to read the first chapter
Pregnant and widowed hadn’t been part of her “happily ever after” dream. And now, someone was trying to kill her . . .
Erin Macintyre never expected to be a widow and a new mother in the same year, anymore than she expected mysterious notes, threatening phone calls, and a strange homeless man who seems to know all about her. The thought of raising a child without a father is daunting enough—worse when you have no idea who might want to harm you. Put an old flame into the mix, and her life begins a tailspin into a world she never knew existed.
When P.I. Clay Buchanan, stumbles upon Erin at her husband's gravesite, he’s totally unprepared for her advanced pregnancy. Her venomous reaction at seeing him, however, was predictable. But Clay can’t let her distrust, or his guilt, get in the way—not when he has evidence that proves Erin’s life is in danger.
With few options left, Erin begrudgingly accepts Clay’s help . . . and it just might be her undoing.
Peggy Blann Phifer is an author and columnist, book reviewer and author interviewer, whose work has appeared on various Web sites and writer periodicals both in print and online. She is also an avid reader who loves to escape by diving between the covers of a good book. Peg enjoys handcrafts of all kinds and her home shows off some of her work, though most end up as gifts for friends and family. A retired executive assistant, Peg now makes her home in southern Nevada with husband of 25 years, Jim.
TO SEE THE SUN is her debut novel, released January 2012
Contact her at her website at: http://peggyblannphifer.com
Visit her blog “Whispers in Purple" at http://www.whispersinpurple.com
Facebook.com/pegphifer
Twitter.com/pegphifer
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