About Peggi Davis:
Hello! I am Peggi Davis, 77 years old, a widow, and living my best life this very minute. I was raised in New York City by an eccentric British father and sometime-model mother, in an untethered, unusual home filled with fashion, formality, and a few friendly ghosts. After graduating from Texas A&M University, I entered the wacky world of retail advertising as a fashion art director and creative director. This painfully shy and quiet young girl was introduced to a world she never knew existed. There, I developed a cadre of creative colleagues with whom I shared decades of outrageous experiences and escapades. My career took me all over the country, from New York to San Francisco as I worked for Macy’s, Saks Department Stores, and AGA Design, New York. I settled in Birmingham, Alabama, which I love. Cool restaurants, warm biscuits, and gentle people. There is something to be said for Southern hospitality. Plus it is beautiful and smells of magnolias, an assault on the senses. My little piece of paradise.
After retirement in 2014, I opened The Schoolhouse Art Studio and began teaching collage, jewelry making, and painting. However, the pandemic forced its closing, and I turned my focus from art to writing during my masked hibernation at home. It was the silver lining.
What inspires you to write?
For years, my colleagues said I should write a book about my childhood and adult experiences. During the pandemic, I began posting stories about my family on Facebook. Before long I began receiving messages from people all over the country asking for more. I later enrolled in a writing class and was encouraged to create a blog. My first book “Funny Face: a Memoir” consists of hilarious and horrifying stories from that blog. My recent book "Rewind Ranch" was inspired by my reader reponses. The chapter that resonated most with the readers was an essay on aging, something we face with little information and no guidance. No one prepares you for feeling one way on the inside and looking another way on the outside. I began wondering What if we could change that narrative? How would the ability to look and feel young again present itself and how? I challenged myself to write about the possibilities, and “Rewind Ranch” was born.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Growing up I was a voracious reader. I still am. It is impossible to state my favorite authors as I have so very many. I will say I am inspired by Anne Lamott, Augusten Burroughs, Jeanette Walls, and Joan Didion. What they have in common is their transparency, honesty, and courage.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a seat-of-my-pants writer. I start with an idea and then a title. The designer in me then designs the book cover, which somehow makes the project real to me. Then I begin crafting my story. My first book “Funny Face: a Memoir” consists of hilarious and horrifying stories from that blog. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life as those stories flowed from my fingertips and seemed to literally write themselves. I had found my voice. The second book wasn't as easy since the content was imagined not experienced. But once I developed the characters, they took over and wrote it for me. Now readers want a sequel to know what happened to them after they left the ranch!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen to my characters, not talk to them. They seem to direct my process of writing the story. It becomes apparent at some point what they would do in a situation, not what I would do. It is a very strange but exciting process.
What advice would you give other writers?
I have often heard the saying, “It’s a journey, not a destination” And that is what I would say to new authors. Most of you are not going to get rich or be interviewed on NPR or CBS Sunday Morning. Chances are you will never be mentioned in the New York Times book section or hounded by Hollywood producers. Write because you have something to say. Write because you absolutely love it. Write because it feeds your soul like nothing else. Just write
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I am the most unlikely author. Sometimes I look at my printed books in total disbelief. My writing has given me a sense of accomplishment and pride. I know I won’t be accepting the Pulitzer Prize anytime soon, but to see my books on a shelf next to Joan Didion makes me feel like I have left a mark on our crazy world. It’s like saying, I am here.I have self published and hybrid published, but prefer the self publishing route to date. I had more conrol over the finished product and found the hybrid perks almost non existent.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The digital age is a certainty, and I fear the end of printed books, libraries and corner bookstores. What a loss that would be! My best guess is we will be doing all phases of book production from home.
What genres do you write?: memoir, humor, contemporary women's fiction, thriller and suspense
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Peggi Davis Home Page Link
Link To Peggi Davis Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Facebook
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
