Why do you write the genre that you write?
I’ve always loved cozies ever since I read Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series. Lucky for me, it turned out I have the right “voice” for cozies.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
I’d have to say the Van Velsens in my Cranberry Cove series. Gerda and Hennie who are identical twins and always choose to dress alike.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
Most of my books are under the name Peg Cochran (my real name) but my latest series, The Open Book, is under the name Margaret Loudon, which also happens to be my real name. How is that possible? Peg is a nickname for Margaret so Margaret is my official name and I became Loudon when I married my late husband. I added the Cochran when I remarried.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I’ve wanted to write since I read my first Nancy Drew—a bit of a cliché, I know, but true. I dabbled in it for a long time—plays I forced my cousins to perform in elementary school, short stories and angsty poetry in high school, an attempt at a romance and finally I settled on cozies and that was my ticket to publication!

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I was a manager for the Pierre Matisse Gallery in New York City (yes, son of Henri Matisse) for 13 years. When Pierre died, we were tasked with turning the gallery files into an archive so I did some archival work for a few years. After that I was a director of communications in the pharmaceutical field and finally manager of marketing and communications for a company providing services to seniors. And I have to say, writing mysteries is the best job ever!

Where do you write?
I am lucky enough to have a small home office off our living/dining area. I have a number of my book covers framed and hanging on the wall but I have run out of space to add any more.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Dark chocolate. It always does the trick.

Who is an author you admire?
There are so many! I admire my fellow cozy authors but also writers like Gillian Flynn and Deborah Crombie.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read cozies, traditional mysteries, thrillers, suspense, women’s fiction…the works!

What are you reading now?
I am reading The Barbizon by Pauline Breen about the famous hotel for women in New York City, once home to the likes of Grace Kelly and Sylvia Plath. It’s partly for research for a possible new series but I am enjoying it tremendously.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
A glass of wine—red or white depending on the season.

What is next for you?
Whatever it is, it will be an adventure, I’m sure. I will soon start the 9th (!) book in my Cranberry Cove series and I’m working on a proposal for a new series. Fingers crossed! And best of all, we’re anticipating our first grandson in February.

Where can we find you?
At my desk, slaving away…also on Facebook, my web site at pegcochran.com and I blog three times a month at Mystery Lovers Kitchen.

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate or vanilla
Chocolate unless it’s ice cream and then vanilla

Cake or ice cream
Ice cream

Fruits or vegetables
Vegetables

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Dinner

Dining in or dining out
Cooking and dining in

City life or country living
City life

Beach or mountain
Beach

Summer or winter
Can I say fall?

Short story or full-length novel
Novel

Extrovert or introvert
An extroverted introvert

Early bird or night owl
Early if that means after 8:00 a.m.

And even more fun . . .

What is your favorite movie?
An old one—All About Eve and more recently, Bridget Jones’s Diary and the newer Thomas Crowne Affair. Oops, is that more than one?

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
My Kindle loaded with books, plenty of fresh water and red lipstick.

My bio:
A former Jersey girl, Peg now resides in Michigan with her husband. She is the author of numerous cozy mystery series including the Open Book (writing as Margaret Loudon), Murder, She Reported, Cranberry Cove, the Farmer’s Daughter, Gourmet De-Lite, the Lucille series and Sweet Nothings Lingerie (written as Meg London). When she’s not writing, you’ll find her either cooking, reading or spoiling her granddaughter.