Thursday, July 04, 2013

A Conversation with Mystery Author Meg London

Omnimystery News: Author Interview with Meg London
with Meg London

We are delighted to welcome mystery author Meg London to Omnimystery News today, courtesy of Cozy Mystery Books Tours, which is coordinating her current book tour. We encourage you to visit all of the participating host sites; you can find her schedule here.

Meg London is a pen name used by Peg Cochran for her "Sweet Nothings Lingerie Mystery" series, the second book of which is Laced with Poison (Berkley Prime Crime, July 2013 mass market paperback and ebook formats).

We spoke to Peg a couple of weeks ago after her latest "Gourmet De-Lite Mystery" was published, and we wanted to follow up with a few questions about her newest book.

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Omnimystery News: As a writer, what are the advantages of a cozy mystery series?

Meg London
Photo provided courtesy of
Meg London (Peg Cochran)

Meg London: There is a built-in audience of cozy readers who look forward to the new books coming out every month. The downside is there aren't too many male readers although there are a few, and someone who likes thrillers will probably never pick up one of my books!

OMN: Tell us about the setting for the series.

ML: My Sweet Nothings series is set in Paris, Tennessee. My characters own and run the Sweet Nothings Vintage Lingerie Shop which definitely does not exist in the real town of Paris. I have added in other stores and venues as well to suit the story, but I have also included real places like the replica Eiffel Tower that is a huge attraction in Paris as well as The Toggery which is one of the oldest stores there. I use a map to locate real streets and routes where I have placed some of my "imaginary" buildings.

OMN: Who would you cast to play the roles of your characters in a screenplay adaptation of the series?

ML: I've always thought Emma Taylor, my protagonist and amateur sleuth, looks like Carey Mulligan when she had short, dark hair. Seeing a picture of Carey Mulligan is what crystalized Emma in my mind. Her boyfriend Brian is Tom Brady although I don't know if he can act! I'm not sure about Aunt Arabella — maybe Debbie Reynolds with a Southern accent and white hair. And Francis Salerno, Arabella's beau, is definitely Tom Selleck.

OMN: What kinds of books did you read when you were young?

ML: I loved Nancy Drew and that definitely influenced my decision to become a mystery writer. I also loved Sherlock Holmes. The library had a book of his stories, but it was titled "A Boy's Sherlock Holmes." I was afraid the librarian wouldn't let me take it out! I also remember reading old books that had been my mother's — I don't remember any titles but I loved them. I remember in one, this young girl was spending the summer with her grandmother who had a house with a grand staircase, and the maid polished the steps every day!

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Peg Cochran grew up in a New Jersey suburb about 25 miles outside of New York City. After college, she moved to the city where she managed an art gallery owned by the son of the artist Henri Matisse. When her first daughter, Francesca, arrived, the new family moved back to the New Jersey suburbs where her second daughter, Annabelle, was born.

After her husband died, Peg remarried and her new husband took a job in Grand Rapids, Michigan where they now live (on exile from New Jersey, she likes to joke). Peg managed to segue from the art world to marketing and is now the manager of marketing communications for a company that provides services to seniors.

When she's not writing, Peg can usually be found cooking, which she loves. When asked to bring a dish to a potluck she invariably opts to bring dessert — partly because she loves making sweet dishes and partly because she and her husband always manage to be late so there's no point in putting them in charge of appetizers!

For more information about Peg and her books, please visit her websites at PegCochran.com and MegLondon.com, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Laced with Poison by Meg London

Laced with Poison
Meg London
A Sweet Nothings Lingerie Mystery (2nd in series)

An intimate gathering turns deadly …

Emma Taylor is happy to be drawing in customers at her Aunt Arabella's lingerie shop, Sweet Nothings, but replacing the store's broken window is going to cost a small fortune. Hoping to hoist up their sagging profits, Arabella arranges to have a trunk show at the home of a local socialite who will invite all of her friends and take care of the catering. All Emma and Arabella have to do is show up and show off their wares. Seems simple enough …

A gorgeous spread is prepared for the event including delicious cupcakes topped with edible flowers. But after one of the partygoers takes a bite and winds up dead, the guest list becomes a suspect list. Now Emma must separate facts from idle gossip before the killer gives the cops the slip …

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