Look and Listen

Biography

My writing journey began when I was in my early teens. Yep, I was at home writing when others were out socializing. I wrote constantly, skipping the short stuff and going right to novel length. I was lucky to have lots of help, friends to read my stories, relatives who acted as editor. Because of their efforts and mine, my first Western novel was published when I was 21. Since then I've published 15 novels in several genres with Doubleday, Harlequin, Pinnacle, Five Star, The Fictionworks (online) and other publishers, optioned a number of screen scripts in the US and abroad and have published numerous articles in cyberspace and in print. I've had my novels in Western and Romance genres reprinted in numerous other countries and now into Ebook format. To check out my novels visit http://www.PeggyBechko.50megs.com Lately I've pursued my other passion, teaching new writers. I taught a romance writing class online at UCLA Extension and children's writing workshops on the ground. I've also just released an Ebook for new writers at http://www.newwriterguide.com. And, to keep in touch with fans and friends I tweet at http://twitter.com/PeggyBechko, maintain a blog at http://www.PeggyBechko.blogspot.com and sometimes hang out at my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com (Peggy Bechko). For writers who need a few tips I write informative articles for http://www.Ehow.com (PA Bechko). My writing keeps me busy, but I enjoy creating jewelry as well. Trouble is I make so much of it my family and friends are already overloaded, so I maintain a small shop as a hobby at http://www.Etsy.com called SilverStreak. I always encourage writers to have a hobby outside of writing and reading and that one is mine. What's ahead for me? I'm working on a romance novel currently though I have a couple of script ideas in my head knocking around, demanding attention. First the novel, then the rest and on we go.

Inspiration

Life, that simple or that complicated. The protagonist of my first novel was my grandfather, though no one ever knew. It pained me greatly that Night Of The Flaming Guns, my first published western with Doubleday, was never seen by my grandfather. A writer draws from life and evolves. Remember the fist time you fell off a bike? The fear, the emotion, the pain? You may not need to write about falling off a bike, but those memories are there to be tapped. The smell of peanut butter on toast? Embarrassment of a giant zit just before prom? How about an aunt's cloying perfume? Wind blowing dust and grit into your eyes? All of these things and thousands more are stored in our memories, just waiting to be used. All of that combined with the strength and love of people, the beauty of nature, the horror of disaster, the pain of tragedy. It surrounds us, we live it. And for writers all of that translates into stories or articles or scripts. It can extrapolate into the amazing like Star Wars or the more down home, but it's there. Then there were the people who helped me along the way, the writer with a few minutes to read some of my work and comment, the editor who worked with me to polish a novel, the screenwriter who mentored me and so many more. Friends to challenged me to write in the western genre, a former agent turned editor who challenged me to write in the romance genre, the screenwriting mentor who challenged me to write for TV. All of them were blessing and inspiration and I'm grateful for them all.