Cozy murders Queen Peg Cochran's bright and funny murder mysteries are set in a small town America peopled with colourful characters, resourceful amateur women sleuths, lots of red herring clues and food - always food - in spicy settings. They’re for anyone who enjoys titillating stories topped off with a dash of romance

You can listen to this chat on the podcast player at the top of this page, or by linking to iTunes or Stitcher

Keep Reading for full show notes of the entire conversation . .

Show Notes Summary

In this interview you'll discover:

The lucky chance that helped Peg "get discovered" by her publisher.

Why she writes her Sweet Nothings antique lingerie series under another name.

The mystery in her own life that could be a plot line for a book.

Why she'd never want to be a chef, although food features in all her books

Why a West Highland terrier often turns up on her covers - and why he's getting plumper every book!

And the new mystery series she's excited about.

Peg can be found at at www.pegcochran.com

On Facebook at www.facebook.com/PegCochran/

And on Twitter @PegCochran

For more details, a full transcript follows:  Note - this is a "close as" rendering of our full conversation with links to key points.

Jenny:  Hello there Peg,  Welcome to the show. It’s great to have you with us.

You’ve written lots of different series, but whether it’s Gigi with her healthy low cal catering in the Gournet de-Lite series, or Shelby with her Love Blossom Farm jellies in the Farmer’s Daughter,  they seem to have one thing in common – and that’s food…

Tell me, was there ONCE UPON A TIME moment when you had to decide which came first for you – working with food in some capacity or writing fiction?

Peg:  Not really. I have always wanted to write fiction. A career in food?  I love to cook in my spare time and feed my family and entertain and so forth but to be a chef is a fairly demanding job physically and I am quite a small person  - in height anyway.

It really wasn't ever on my radar as something I would want to do professionally. I did think about catering at one point - that it might be interesting - but after giving one or two parties at home I changed my mind pretty quickly. I discovered it's an intense amount of work.

I did sublimate my love of writing into the cooking for a while and then I realised I needed to get more serious about the writing and maybe eat a little less!

Jenny:  Yes it's a career that is fairly hard on the health - where it's sometimes hard to maintain healthy disciplines -  so you probably chose the healthier option, even if it is sitting in front of a computer.

Peg: Yes, although sitting at my computer - they now tell us that's as bad for you as smoking.

Jenny:  So you haven't tried a stand up desk yet?

Peg: Sometimes I take my computer into the kitchen and I type at the counter. I had a very bad bout of sciatica for nine months where it was extremely painful to sit so I did do a little more work standing up and I learned how to lie on the couch and type as well.

Jenny: That sense of nurturing permeates even the books that aren’t specifically food themed – like the Sweet Nothings lingerie series where you give us  the recipe for Tennessee Tea. Are your ever tempted to do bonus recipe books to go with your series?

Peg: I know some Cozy authors who have done that and I have looked at the idea but frankly it would be too much work and would take me too much away from my writing.  I  could imagine myself contributing to a recipe book with other people -  that would be a lot of fun. And I also have a day job so my time is very limited. When I retire I wouldn't rule it out.

Jenny:  Charming settings are part what we expect from Peg or as your alter ego Meg London, who writes the Sweet Nothing Lingerie series which has some wonderful detail about antique lingerie.