Member Spotlight: Peggy Archer

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? My favorite book as a child was Nurse Nancy. I’m sure my mother got tired of reading it over and over to me, but she never refused. Growing up, all I ever wanted to be was a nurse, like Nancy. (And I did) I want my books to entertain and inspire. I want them to make a difference to someone. I’ve always loved working with children, from babysitting to nursing and now as an author. There are many benefits to reading. Learning and thinking and drawing conclusions are basic. Books can cheer you up. They help you empathize with someone going through a hard time. They can help you see the other side of the story. Stories open doors.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Start writing. Write about something that you like, something that interests you. Something fun. You never know where it will lead. Be observant. Pay attention to how kids (or adults) react to things. What makes them laugh, what makes them feel something. Write those ideas down! I’m a list-maker. If an idea comes to me, I write it down. I may lose the list! But if I write it down it’s easier to remember.

What is your favorite time to write? My kids are grown and I’m a busy grandma. My favorite time to write is during the day, but there are times that you can find me at the computer late at night, too.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Early in my writing days, I was a busy mom with six kids and a part-time job. Finding time to write was not always easy! Usually it was after they were in bed at night. I was once told that if I didn’t write every day, I was not serious at being an author. That irritated me! Then I read a comment that someone made in a writers’ magazine. It said to think of something besides writing that you love to do, and how much time you spend doing that particular thing. Then spend just as much time writing as you spend doing that. I thought about it. I loved my job as a nurse and I worked two days a week. I decided to try to spend two days a week writing. Some weeks it didn’t work out, but I knew I was on the right track. And many weeks I wrote more that those two days.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? Meeting my readers. Especially meeting the kids! I love their questions and what they have to say. I love reading my books to them and talking to them about books and writing. I love interacting with them.

Peggy Archer’s Three Little Witches and the Spooky Old House, illustrated by Gaia Bordicchia, is out now with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.