Peg Herring | Updates

When Things Refuse to Go

Peg Herring — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I have three projects (plus a book) going right now.

1. Updating several of my books to better present them: new covers, correcting mistakes, etc.

2. Narrating and producing my first audio book, which will save LOTS of money if I'm successful.

3. Learning how to produce a hard-cover, large-print version of my newest, Leaving the Tribe.

Each of those presents a problem, often more than one.

For #1, it's the process of finding things. I keep a file of mistakes I find (or hear about), but fixing a mistake requires submitting new files in at least four places: Amazon e-book, Amazon print book, Draft2Digital e-book, and D2D print. For covers, I often have to find all the pieces I used to compose them, and for the one pictured here, I couldn't do it. I have no idea where I got the background for the book cover that looks like this, but I either failed to save it or the computer put it somewhere I can't get at it.

I should note here that ALL of this came from reader suggestions. Plenty of readers tell me they simply can't read physical books anymore, but hiring someone to do the audio is expensive, with rates starting at $100/hr. Other readers ask for large print, because like me, they are "mature" and their eyes aren't what they once were. One reader told me her library only buys books in hardcover, so she can't recommend they buy mine until I offer them that way.

My first publisher did hardcover books, but when I went indie, I didn't continue the practice. They also had a sub-company that turned my books into large print. All I had to do was sign an addendum to my contract that said they could. Who knew how easy I had it back then? Anyway, I decided to combine the large print and the hardcover versions in order to limit how many files I have to keep track of.

So there. I've whined about my troubles, and I'll keep you informed of my progress. It's not easy, doing self-publishing well, but I think readers appreciate it when they find an author who works at it.

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One Bunch Finished!

Peg Herring — Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As I reported earlier, I'm looking back at my books: series, covers, blurbs, etc. and giving them an upgrade where appropriate. I hated the cover I'd used for the boxed set of the Simon & Elizabeth Mysteries, so I made a new one. It's simply the covers of the four books in the series, which makes it clear what a reader is getting. Here's the LINK for Amazon.

I will eventually be updating non-Amazon sites, but this is a big job. I've done only e-books on Amazon, which means I have to do the same for print books on Amazon, then e-books on Draft2Digital (everybody except Amazon) and then print books on D2D. It will be weeks before we're all caught up, but I have a master list, and I'm determined.

If you didn't read or even hear about Simon & Elizabeth back when they were first published, the four-book series follows Elizabeth Tudor through her life. The stories are historically correct...except for the fact that she probably didn't dabble in crime-solving. I imagined a friend for her, Simon Maldon, who helps her investigate, initially as a young princess (HER HIGHNESS' FIRST MURDER), then as the boy king's sister (POISON, YOUR GRACE), followed by her imprisonment during her sister Mary's reign (THE LADY FLIRTS WITH DEATH), and finally as Queen Elizabeth I (HER MAJESTY'S MISCHIEF).

The boxed set is the chance to get all four e-books for one low price of $9.99, so here's the LINK again. Buy yourself a present, and by all means, if you like the books, write a review somewhere...anywhere!

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Here We Go! Audiobooks by Me

Peg Herring — Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I've been reading and listening, trying to decide how to go about making my own audio books. Here's a summary of what's happened since the idea was proposed to me by a fan.

Where I began:

I downloaded Audacity, a free audio program that lets me make each chapter of the book into an audio file. I chose a Maggie Pill book as my first, since they're shorter, with shorter chapters and generally easier reading.

What I bought:

a chair that doesn't squeak when I move

a good microphone with a sturdy stand

a pop filter (to keep fricative sounds like p's and b's from "popping" in the recording)

headphones

What I already had:

a damaged but working laptop I can leave in place so I don't have to re-attach things each time I record

an iPad to use as my script (no shuffling paper sounds)

a stand to hold it upright

a table that's just the right height

a "deluxe sound booth," really just closet with a door that closes. I put old pillows all around on the overhead shelves to deaden echoes and baffle noise. Right now the cords are in the way and I have to slither around them like a snake to get into place, but I'll move things around as I figure out what layout works best.

What I still need to learn:

The technological part. The terminology confuses me and most tutorials assume I know things that I don't. I contacted an audio engineer on Upwork and paid for a few hours of his time. I recorded one chapter and sent it to him for assurance and advice. He said I'd done everything right as far as recording goes, so I've got that part down. His job will be to correct the audio itself and prepare each file for submission to ACX. Tutorials claim I can learn how to correct my own mistakes, but it sounds like work I won't enjoy, so at least with this one, I'm willing to pay for expert help.

It's all in place, and I intend to start tomorrow. I will kick my husband out of the house, brew some tea, and sit down to read Maggie's Cat on a Hot Trash Route.

How long can I entertain myself with this? I'll keep you posted.

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What Do You Write?

Peg Herring — Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

When people learn I’m a writer, that’s often the question. Though I usually keep the answer simple, writing isn’t. I'm proud of the fact that I write what interests me at a given point in time, not what the “write for market” authors do.

But...because of that, you might have missed whole segments of my work. Over the next few days, I plan to tour what I’ve done. If you see something that sounds interesting, check it out.

We’ll start with my historicals. I was a history/English/speech teacher in my career, so when I decided to write, I turned to my favorite place and era, Tudor England. My sleuths are a physician’s son, Simon Maldon, and Elizabeth Tudor, who begins the series as Princess Elizabeth and ends as Queen Elizabeth I.

The history behind the mysteries is accurate and compelling. In Book #1, Her Highness’ First Murder, Elizabeth is royal but problematic, since her mother, Anne Boleyn, has been beheaded. In Book #2, Poison, Your Grace, she has been demoted because her brother, King Edward, considers both Mary and Elizabeth illegitimate. In Book #3, The Lady Flirts with Death, Mary rules, so Elizabeth is imprisoned and quite likely to be killed. In the last book, Her Majesty’s Mischief, she has survived all those perils and is Queen of England.

Simon’s life is less dramatic, but he can’t seem to avoid getting involved in solving murders. The titles describe not only Elizabeth’s path in life, but also the crimes to be solved. For example, there is more than one “lady” flirting with death in Book Three and more than one “majesty” up to mischief in Book Four.

Woven in are customs and lifestyle descriptions that will interest readers of historical novels. Simon is an apothecary, so some “cures” are offered that we would blink at. London is a character in itself, bustling with crime and life and surprises.

I boxed the mysteries a few years back as a set for Kindle. (The cover is bad, and I will get around to fixing it.) You can get all 4 of them HERE.

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Learning to Put a New Foot Forward

Peg Herring — Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Audio books are not my thing. When I have to listen to mine to okay them for release, I struggle to maintain focus. I have to sit in a chair and force myself to do nothing but listen, because if I let myself think about what I could be doing, I wake up some time later and find that I've missed a page, or even a chapter.

But many people love audio. I have friends who listen while they do their chores at home, friends who listen in their cars as they travel, and friends (well, one friend for sure) who listens at work. Don't ask me how she does that.

The problem for authors is that making audio books is expensive. ROI, return on investment, is low, because it takes a lot of money to hire a narrator (the bare minimum is $100/hour) and an author like me will probably never get that money back in sales. AI narrators are available now, but I won't replace an artist with a machine if I can avoid it. I had put the audio part of book releases on hold. Then at lunch a month ago, one of my audio book loving friends said, "You should read your own books. I love it when the author reads."

Yeah, maybe Stephen King...but...wait. I was an English teacher too. Like King, my job was basically using my voice to keep people entertained, wriggly people who didn't want to be in the classroom in the first place. Other friends at the table cheered the idea, so I looked into the details.

It turns out that making audio files is doable with a few pieces of basic equipment: a computer, a microphone, and headphones. There's a free download, Authenticity, that provides the technology to make sound files and edit them. With those things and hubby's help, I began setting up a "studio," actually the closet in my guest bedroom. It's small and has a door where I can shut myself off from noise and distractions. This morning I set up the apparatus and recorded a few pages of a book so I could listen to myself reading. It's weird to hear that voice from outside my head, but I think I can do this.

I'll keep you informed when I start trying to edit files. As Hamlet would say, "...there's the rub."

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A Wishful Tale

Peg Herring — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time, a country lost its way. It became acceptable to lie: in business, in advertising, and especially to get or keep a government job. At first it was small lies about personal foibles and future intentions. Soon it was whopping, HUGE lies about what had been done and what was next.

“Everybody lies!” cynics claimed, as if that made it okay. Party liners insisted that only the Other Side lied. Good people knew that lying was wrong, but they didn’t know how to stop it.

One day a man appeared. Nobody knew where he came from, and he never gave his name. He stood on the Capitol steps, asking as people passed, “Do you seek truth?

Some answered, “I try.” Nodding, the man would say, “Keep trying.”

A Congressman who’d only the day before boasted that his party would lead the nation into “long-term gain” after “short-term pain” stopped to answer the query.

“Of course I seek truth,” he said with his familiar, slimy smile. “I represent the honest people of this nation--”

Before he could finish, the sky darkened overhead. The Congressman looked up, though the questioner did not. A huge, scaly, green-and-black dragon with red eyes, a long tail, and fire shooting from its nostrils swept down and “Hrrrunk!” snapped the Congressman up in his jaws and swallowed him.

Quite a few people saw what had happened. A few had even heard the exchange between the two men. Though the witnesses accurately reported what they’d seen and heard, liars immediately put their own spin on the incident.

At an outdoor press briefing, a blonde woman with artificially plumped lips claimed, “We believe it is possible the death of the Congressman is the work of foreign activists.” At that very moment the sky darkened again. The shadow of the dragon fell over her, and “Hrrrunk!” She was gone, before she could demand that the press show respect for the hardest-working President ever.

It went on for weeks. No one could predict where the man would show up and ask his question, but he seemed able to read the human heart. Those who truly sought honesty were allowed to go on their way. Those who did not were without hesitation, without second chances, devoured by the dragon.

A woman who’d done her own research and therefore knew more than the experts was snatched from her yard and swallowed whole. A pod-caster who claimed aliens from another galaxy control the FBI met his fate as he stood waiting for the lunch special at a taco truck. One Cabinet member after another was given the chance to admit their lies. When they didn’t, they turned from consumers to consumed.

Those who used their positions to amass money and power disappeared down the dragon’s massive gullet. The CEO of a medical insurance company who claimed that no one was suffering under his watch managed to scream, “I can change!” before the powerful jaws closed around him. And ordinary citizens who re-posted lies on social media simply because they confirmed the biases they held dear were snapped up as they left work or played pickle-ball. The dragon’s belly grew especially round outside political rallies.

The nation’s biggest liar boasted to all that he had no fear of the questioner and his dragon. After all, he’d had decades of practice at lying. People said it was amazing how good he was at it. So he wasn’t worried at all when the man stopped him on the way to his helicopter and asked, “Do you seek truth?”

“What a stupid question!” Big Liar replied. “I know more truth than anyone, ever. People call me and say, ‘Please, sir, no more truth! We’ve got so much truth!’ And I say—”

Nobody heard the end of that lie, because the dragon swept in like a Stealth Bomber (which everybody knows you can’t see coming). In an instant, Big Liar was gone.

After that, the man and his dragon disappeared. Apparently, their work was done.

Those left behind wondered if the man and his dragon had come to save us, to scare us, or to remind us that truth must be the basis for any strong society. Whatever it meant, it was up to us to rebuild the nation by demanding truth over lies.

That might have been the Truth Dragon’s intent, but who knows? Maybe liars just taste better than honest folk.

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Last Day

Peg Herring — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pre-order price of $2.99 for LEAVING THE TRIBE ends today, but here's the rub: I don't know when! When I reduce or raise a book's price on Amazon, it will happen in...who knows? Their info says it can take up to 72 hours, but usually it's much faster.

Today at noon EST, I will change the price to my normal e-book price of $4.99. If you want the bargain price, get it now HERE.

Why, you ask? Because this book is intriguing, exciting, heart-warming, and readable. Because I believe in main characters that readers will care about, characters who are human and fallible but have moral standards and integrity. I believe it stories you want to read past your bedtime, stories you can't wait to get back to, stories where things happen. And I believe in satisfying endings, even if they're not perfect.

If that's the kind of book you're looking for, here it is. BUY it now, while it's also a bargain!

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I'm Not Like People

Peg Herring — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I've been trying to promote Leaving the Tribe, but it's hard for me to relate to people. When an author writes an ad, she's supposed to think about what the reader wants. Give her a teaser. Make her interested. Get her to click the BUY button.

That's all well and good, except I'm not a typical reader or writer. I write and read what interests me at the moment, so it's hard to translate that to others. I can read suspense and enjoy it, but I intersperse that with historical fiction, regular mystery, contemporary stories, and the occasional sci-fi novel. I write in mystery and women's fiction, mystery when I feel like creating a well-woven tale of discovery and WF when I have observations on the human condition from (you guessed it) the female perspective.

Leaving the Tribe is my first speculative fiction novel, but it's still women's fiction because I believe that women face challenges in the next few years that most of us can't yet see or understand.

In the world of the near future, sisters Azalea and Camilla Woods know only what they've been taught. Men head households; women bear and raise the children. Races and ethnic groups are separated into tribes. Traditional religion is the basis for society. And girls are taught that their views simply do not matter.

Sound unlikely? Read the book and find out how easily it might happen. BUY IT HERE

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Unexpected Joy

Peg Herring — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I posted about the prerelease angst I was feeling. It seems Karma chose to offer me hope, because while I was setting up a promo for Leaving the Tribe, I found reviews of some of my other books that I'd never read before.

It's SO nice to know there are people who get me.

Coco on KIDNAP.org: Lighthearted and amusing. Robin has accidentally become a modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and corrupt, and giving to the selective poor. Collecting more misfits into her merry band, they bounce around from one caper to another with never a plan B. Thoroughly recommended. More adventures in book 2.

Amanda on Killing Silence: This was a fresh take on a mystery with a very interesting main character. Living on the streets of Richmond she (Loser) has learned to not trust people and gets blamed for a murder. Only talking 30 words a day how will she ever clear her name? This is jam-packed with action, mystery, and suspense. I loved the character interactions in this book and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Ruth on Sister Saint, Sister Sinner: In the beginning Sister Saint, Sister Sinner by Peg Herring appears as though it will be the story of three very different sisters. It quickly becomes much more. At its heart is a mystery involving the horrific crime committed by one sister. Lurking under the surface like a hungry shark is a gradually emerging political thriller. Along the way, the novel challenges the reader to consider questions of right and wrong: Which is more important, the law or the greater good? Who should determine the greater good? Are there limits to loyalty? Characters are well drawn and believable. The writing is excellent, and the pace coaxes one to keep reading. My only quibble was a bit too much tying up after the climax.

If you like a book, mine or anyone else's, please write a review. Little-guy authors like me depend on them!

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They Say It's A-OK

Peg Herring — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I have confirmation from my publishing buddies that Leaving the Tribe is ready for publication. In some ways that's comforting, but I'm a worrier by nature. I once had a publisher who put up the wrong file and published the book. (Thank goodness it wasn't my doing, because I'd never have recovered.) A reader contacted me and said, "There are places all through the book where words are crossed out and sentences have been reworded."

Oh, yay.

Needless to say I quit that publisher. Even a cursory look at the final file would have told them they'd screwed up!

So now it's just me. I check and check again, which is probably unhealthy. I mean, I paid two different editors to read and suggest improvements. I had my street team read ARCs and corrected the mistakes they found. It's done.

Right?

Still $2.99 for the e-book until release day, the 18th. And now I have a universal link, so you can find the book wherever you like to book-shop. https://books2read.com/u/31NVOl

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A New Kind of Bargain

Peg Herring — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I've been finalizing the files for Leaving the Tribe, which releases in 6 DAYS!, or so the website screams at me. Combing files for those last few errors is nerve-wracking, because when I find a mistake in one, I have to correct it in all four files, Amazon print, Amazon e-book, D2D print, and D2D e-book.

In the process, however, I found that D2D offers pre-sale promotion prices to readers, so I signed the book up for one. As of now, it isn't only Amazon users who can get the deal. D2D serves pretty much everyone else, so if you're a B&N reader, or Apple, or whatever, the book will be $2.99 until release date. Here's the link: https://books2read.com/u/31NVOl

What does an author find in this last OMG-is-it-right-yet check? Crazy things, like sometimes I capitalized titles like "commander" and sometimes I didn't. (They don't need it.) In one spot, Milla is narrating, and I'd written Milla heard instead of I heard.

And the spacing. Computers have a mind of their own when it comes to that, and I fight it like I'm battling the Hydra of ancient myth.

I think I'm done. I love this book, and I hope my readers do too.

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Mirroring Life? Oh, I Hope Not

Peg Herring — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As Leaving the Tribe's release date nears, the world and my own story scare me more and more. What will happen when this administration is gone? Will the country choose wisely? Will they find some sort of common ground? Will they find a candidate who won't take advantage of precedents set, like ignoring the Constitution, refusing to allow Congress to make law, and treating the opposition with disrespect and even treasonous harassment?

Those are the questions that prompted the book. Though the story itself--Milla and Zalea's search for safety, security, and a sense of what women should be-- is engrossing and even heart-warming, behind it all are those questions: What if the next administration simply expands on the wrongs this one has begun?

Buy it now as a pre-order HERE. Get it one week from today.

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The Drudge Days

Peg Herring — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The last few days before a book launches are torture for me. I worry about what I've done wrong. I fuss over wording and just about everything else. I know it's ready, but it's hard to let go.

Then I ask myself, "What did you just read?" It was a "suspense" novel so ridiculous, so right down silly, that I almost didn't finish. The plot was so complicated for a while that I looked at the reviews to see if it was just me. Nope. Others, even those who liked it said they were "a little confused in the middle." All of it, the so-called medical ethics involved, the stupidity of the main character, and the ingenuity of her aged but oh-so-capable sidekick were all over the top, not- ever-gonna-happen unbelievable. I think those who liked it did so because a Big Name Author and a Beloved Celebrity wrote it together. That's the fad these days and I fall for it too, but I've found very few I thought were really well done. (I did like Hilary Clinton's book with Louise Penny.)

Anyway, when I look at what the big publishers are tossing out as literature, I tell myself to stop worrying about my own books. I know I wrote it. I wouldn't publish if I didn't think it's worth reading. That means I should stop fussing about whether there should be a semi-colon or a period in that first paragraph on page 64.

Once again, HERE is the link to buy Leaving the Tribe as an e-book for $2.99.

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Proof of (Sad) Life

Peg Herring — Thu, 9 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Take a look at the picture. That was supposed to be postcards that I send to hundreds of libraries when a new book comes out. The plan was to streamline the process... But no. When they involve technology, my plans seldom work.

Here's the background: To get printing like this done, I've always gone to an OfficeMax that's 50 miles from me, waited while the guy prints my stuff, and then trundled back home with my postcards. Lately they've been so busy that I can't always get the work done on the day I visit, so I have to go back, which means a second 100-mile round trip.

Thinking I'd be a clever girl, I went online and found out they'll do the copies and mail them to me. SCORE! ...But no. Somewhere I missed a step, and for my $50+, I got my message printed multiple times on plain paper.

Guess where I'm going today, and probably going back to tomorrow or the next day?

And Amazon keeps asking me to make sure my files are ready, and now I can't find where I put my thumb drive...

BUT...you can still pre-order Leaving the Tribe for $2.99 until April 18, so buy it now HERE!

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Counting Down to Release Day

Peg Herring — Mon, 6 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pre-order Leaving the Tribe yet? It's $2.99 until release day, when it will revert to my normal e-book price, $4.99

https://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Tribe-Peg-Herring-ebook/dp/B0DLH8MW3Y

:) Does it look more exciting as a real link? ;)

Pre-orders are rolling in, which means there's reader interest in Leaving the Tribe. I think most of us wonder where we're going as a nation, and my imaged adventure is only one of many possibilities. I don't want to believe that life will be horrible in 20 years, so the book isn't really dystopian. No Mad Max. No Handmaids. Still, I can't help but think it will be very different from what we know now.

Today begins the final pass-through for me. When all the readers and editors are finished, I like to listen to the book, read aloud by my trusty computer. (In "olden times," my mother and I used to read my stuff aloud to each other, taking turns. It always helps to hear the words spoken, to hear the cadences and pick out repetition or awkward phrasing.)

In this last read-through, my goal is to NOT change anything. Authors will tell you we can ALWAYS think of a better way to express some thoughts AFTER we're done. That's one reason I never liked reading my work aloud to audiences. I'd think, "Why did I use that word?" or "I could rearrange that sentence and make it clearer." There has to come a point where a book is done, so this last listen is only to catch a last wrong pronoun or stray comma. Otherwise, it's HANDS OFF, PEG!

In other news, we're still getting snow in northern Michigan, but, dreamers that we are, we bought tomato seeds and potting soil yesterday. It's getting closer to indoor planting time, though outdoor planting is still a long way off.

We put in a much larger garden than two people need, but we both enjoy pottering around in it. Hubby likes to can food as well, so our last year's veggies are only now starting to run out. I made vegetable soup last week with all home-grown ingredients: tomatoes, potatoes, corn, broccoli, green beans, onions, and carrots. My secret ingredient is a jar of home-made salsa for flavoring, along with chicken bouillon. Just as I do with the garden, I always start thinking it will be small, but in the end I have a full Dutch oven. It's okay, because I like it enough to eat it every day for a while.

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Oops!

Peg Herring — Sun, 5 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The 18 Day Challenge was too much for me. I forgot to post yesterday.

But here's the good news: my street team LOVES the book. (They are women from their mid-30's to mid-60's.) In fact, one of them asked when the sequel will be out.

Wait.

Sequel?... Nope, it's too early to even think about that.

What I am thinking about is the final stuff for publication. If you're interested, read on. If not, just click HERE to pre-order Leaving the Tribe.

When I set up a book for sale, I put the cover and a temporary file online to make it available for pre-order. This is valuable for a writer, because pre-order sales add to first-day sales and boost the book up the algorithms that show new releases to readers.

Once I've heard from editors and readers, I finalize the book for publication. This involves making four different files, two print files and two e-book files. Print fiction usually does not have a table of contents, but it has chapter headings and page numbers. E-books have a table of contents but cannot have page numbers or headings, since people read on all sorts of different devices. That means I need an e-book file and a print book file for Amazon. I also publish with Draft2Digital in both print and e-book. Each of those four files is different. For example, D2D provides an automatic table of contents (if I set up the headings correctly) but Amazon requires me to make one and insert it. Their cover requirements are different (and often maddening). One likes a PDF file for the content. The other prefers Word. And so on to insanity.

But I'm ready now. It will get done, and all will be right with the world...until next time.

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18-Day Challenge #2

Peg Herring — Fri, 3 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I've challenged myself to post about Leaving the Tribe every day between now and release on April 18, so here we go.

Let's start with Milla, who begins the narration. Granddaughter of the leader of the Woods Tribe, she's about 13. Though well-behaved and very intelligent Milla, like many kids her age, can be pulled into doing things she knows she shouldn't. Her decision to go with her older, sneaky cousin Mary Ann is the inciting incident of the book. Milla sees something she was never meant to see, and that night begins a series of events that show her and us what society has become. We read on to find out how will Milla react to that knowledge.

That's the teaser for today. If you want to pre-order the book, it's only $2.99 right now HERE. (FYI, it will be up for pre-order soon at other retailers besides Amazon. I'm workin' on it!)

Now on to my "authorly musings." Hubby and I watched a movie the other night that used the old chloroform ruse, where an attacker puts a cloth soaked with the stuff over a victim's mouth and they succumb within seconds. I try not to be that kind of watcher, but I heard myself shout, "That's not how it works!"

I try to be accurate when I write, though the word fiction makes some think that writers can make up whatever they want to make a story work. That's not true, at least not with good writing. Even science fiction "world-building" has to have a feel of reality to it. Yes, the sky can be yellow instead of blue IF the reader understands why that is.

Of course there are writers who bend the rules, and maybe all of us do some of the time. We know people don't get "knocked out" in a fight, lie on the ground for a minute or so, and then get up and go on like nothing happened. We know that police officers don't get instant reports on DNA or even fingerprint matches. And we know that little old ladies don't solve crimes by leaning toward a suspect with a piercing gaze and asking a few pertinent questions.

Because Leaving the Tribe is set in the future, I had to try to imagine what it would be like if our society broke from the pressures it's facing. How would we recover? Who would dictate the terms of that recovery? And how would it affect the next generation, the ones growing up unaware of what a cell phone is? After reading, my editor said that future college students might be assigned to analyze this book, discussing how I got so close to the truth.

I hope that's not the case, but speculative fiction is all about imagination tied to a sense of possible reality. We might not end up living in tribes, but it could happen.

Once again, the link HERE will allow you to buy the book at the pre-release price of $2.99.

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The 18 Day Challenge...Me Opposite Me

Peg Herring — Thu, 2 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I have a new book coming out on April 18th. I'm not a great promoter. I've done author interviews, ads on Facebook, and ads on book-selling sites, but I've never seen any increase in sales from those things. So I've challenged myself to an 18-Day Blast on this blog, which I intend to make fun and interesting as well as sales-oriented.

First the book. It's called Leaving the Tribe, and it's speculative women's fiction. (All that means is that it's about a possible future and focuses mainly on female characters.) The book follows the adventures of three women about twenty years in the future. They have lots of adventures and see interesting sights that will tickle your memory. While the story is entertaining, it was inspired by my fear that certain forces in this country would like to see women back to the "barefoot and pregnant" state we left not all that long ago. I called on my own background, recalling the days when women had to have their husband's permission to do many things. As girls we were told by teachers, parents, ministers, and the media that we needed to guard against men, because their nature, which was more bestial that a woman's, made them likely to take advantage of us if we weren't careful to look, act, and remain pure.

You can get the e-book by pre-order at Amazon for $2.99 from now until the 18th, when it will go to my regular e-book price, $4.99. Click if you want to do that now.

And here are some great quotes about being female!

“What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters. You’re going to walk into many rooms where you may be the only one who looks like you or who has had the experiences you’ve had. So you use that voice and be strong.” —Kamala Harris

“Females are the most beautiful, gorgeous creatures in the whole world. I think that we are gorgeous no matter what size we are.” —Alicia Keys

“A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.” —Melinda Gates

“A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

“I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story—I will.” —Amy Schumer

“Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.” —Amelia Earhart

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” —Nora Ephron

“Once you figure out what respect tastes like, it tastes better than attention.” —Pink

“Women are leaders everywhere you look—from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.” —Nancy Pelosi

“I think the truth of the matter is, people who end up as ‘first’ don’t actually set out to be first. They set out to do something they love, and it just so happens that they are the first to do it.” —Condoleezza Rice

“I am Woman Phenomenally, Phenomenal Woman, that’s me.” — Maya Angelou

“Figure out who you are separate from your family. Find who you are in this world and what you need to feel good alone. I think that’s the most important thing in life. Find a sense of self. With that, you can do anything else.” —Angelina Jolie

“I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn’t mind learning.” —Amy Poehler

“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” —Margaret Thatcher

“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“Women are always saying, ‘We can do anything that men can do.’ But men should be saying, ‘We can do anything that women can do.'” —Gloria Steinem

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” --Michelle Obama

“Call me whatever you want. It’s not going to stop me from trying to do the right thing. Because it doesn’t just affect me; it affects all the other women who are in this with me, and it affects all the other men who are in this with me too.” —Emma Watson

“A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars.” —Carly Simon

“When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future” —Queen Elizabeth II

“Women have discovered that they cannot rely on men’s chivalry to give them justice.” —Helen Keller

“If fighting for women’s health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the women’s card, then deal me in.” —Hillary Clinton

“One of the best things that ever happened to me is that I’m a woman. That is the way all females should feel.” —Marilyn Monroe

“I do not wish women to have power over men but over themselves.” —Mary Wollstonecraft

AND MY FAVORITE: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.” —Sheryl Sandberg

Borrowed from Reader’s Digest, Author Emily Goodman, a writer, editor and puzzle creator who primarily contributes to the Reader's Digest print

Don't forget: Leaving the Tribe. Here's the LINK again so you can buy it now when it's cheaper.

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Coming In April: Leaving the Tribe

Peg Herring — Sat, 7 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sometimes a book just insists on being written down. I've never attempted dystopian fiction before (That's a book set in the future where things aren't great), but the story of Milla and Zalea was so appealing to me that I did a new thing.

I'm pleased with the story for two reasons. First, it's an absorbing tale of women in a possible future world, searching for what they want from life and not giving up until they find it. Along the way they have many good moments of discovery, heartwarming stories, humorous incidents, and scary escapes.

Second, the book is a bit of a warning about what can happen when the citizens of a nation don't think carefully about what their leaders promise. When we believe what we're told without examination. When we're so fearful that we don't stop to consider whether fear should cause us to accept injustice.

The story is told by three women. First Milla, who is young and only wants to be good. Then Zalea, who is compelled by something inside her to search for what she believes is right. When a murder forces them to leave home, their trek into the unknown causes a third woman to shake off her lethargy and find the courage she lost years ago. Together, the three women learn that LEAVING THE TRIBE is worthwhile, if only to see the world from a different perspective.

LEAVING THE TRIBE is available for pre-order at $4.99 HERE. I'm working on the print version, so it should be available soon.

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Yesterday's Murder

Peg Herring — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday's Murder is a book I began a looooong time ago and never finished. I was writing series for two different publishers, and while I loved the idea of a woman waking from a long-term coma and finding her life was completely changed, I simply didn't have the time to give it the work it deserved. A year or so ago I stumbled on the file, read through it, and thought I'd like to work on it again. Of course, the world had changed a bunch since I started, so there was massive updating to be done.

What would it be like to have missed so much? The big stuff, like your husband's death. The small stuff, like the Tide-pod challenge. The tech stuff that requires your phone to never leave your immediate area. The political stuff that descends on your head like a mountain of trash. All that plus the physical rehabilitation required to learn to walk, talk, and operate your hands again.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I never put anything in a book that's not possible. Long-term coma is a thing. People wake years, even decades, later. Some recover almost fully from their years of sleep.

Yesterday's Murder begins when Tonnie wakes from a long-term coma. The last eleven years brought significant changes to her life, and while she recovers well, it's a struggle to adapt to a new world. It doesn't help that someone is trying to kill her. This book is available here for $4.99.

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