Though she didn’t start writing until age 40, Central Kentucky author Robyn Peterman has crafted a prolific writing career
Bestselling author Robyn Peterman comes from a family teeming with creativity. Everybody designs, writes, acts or has some kind of entrepreneurial bent. Many Lexingtonians are familiar with J. Peterman, the company her parents, John and Audrey Peterman, started locally in the late 1980s that went on to worldwide fame. From its debut, the unique retail company, which relied largely on a mail-order model, stood out for its catalog filled with beautiful and exotic travel-inspired clothing and accessories, as well as unique and enchanting narrative descriptions and illustrations. A comedic version of the company’s creator went on to become a beloved character on the popular sitcom “Seinfeld” in the 1990s, as Elaine’s boss. (And for the record, the family was delighted by the spoof.)
Growing up, Robyn Peterman’s creative pursuits initially focused on acting. A theater graduate from Northwestern University in Chicago, she loved to perform from an early age. She found success in the pursuit, living between Los Angeles and New York for much of her early adult life and enjoying a career as a working actor on Broadway and in film and television.
“Acting really did it for me,” she said. “It thrilled me and fed me creatively.”
Fast forward a handful of years, with two young children and a husband (actor Steve Zahn) who was also often traveling for work to far-flung movie sets and locations, Peterman ultimately decided to step off the acting merry-go-round. As much as she loved her career, the logistics were increasingly difficult to make work.
“There’s a lot of preparation and long hours for actors,” she explained. “Add to that all the travel time when you are involved in a play or on a movie set away from home, and it was harder and harder to justify. I decided I wanted to spend that time with my family.”
After leaving acting, Peterman faced the question of what to do with her boatload of creative energy. She taught both acting and dance for a time and started a nonprofit theatre company – all of which she enjoyed. But when she started writing fiction, she discovered a way to exercise her gift and penchant for humor and storytelling but in a new and different way that fit her current lifestyle.
“I never knew something could make me as happy as acting until I became a writer,” she said. “There is a lot of similarity – I still dive into characters, but as a writer I don’t have to get Botox.”
Peterman and Zahn, her husband of 27 years, met during a national touring production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” In 2004, the couple moved their family to Kentucky – a decision Peterman originally had some hesitation about. When she had left Kentucky after high school, she didn’t intend to return. It was at the gentle urging of Zahn, who Peterman says calls Kentucky “paradise,” that she reconsidered. More than 15 years after relocating to central Kentucky, she says she couldn’t be happier with the decision and loves living on a farm surrounded by all the animals she can’t seem to resist adopting. They have made a life here centered around family and not only hers and Zahn’s creative pursuits but also those of their children, who are both recent high school grads who are pursing creative careers. (Their son is currently studying playwriting, and their daughter, musical theater.)
When describing her approach to writing, she explained her books often start with “voices in my head that will not be silenced until I write their story.”
“I’m pretty much consumed until it’s on paper,” she said. Peterman recalled in the early days of her writing career she would write furiously in her car while waiting for her children during their various activities.
“There’s something magical still for me to write in my car,” she said, laughing.
When first setting her sights on being a writer, Peterman attended a writing conference with a handful of sketched-out ideas to pitch to the publishing professionals who were lined up around the conference center.
“It was a little like speed dating,” she said. “You got three minutes to impress.” Here, Peterman said her acting skills came in very handy – she exaggerated the extent to which her novels were completed (they were far from actually finished at the time), and her pitch garnered interest from several publishing houses. With that encouragement, she was able to go back home and turn her ideas into full-blown manuscripts within weeks.
Peterman hasn’t slowed down since. To say she is prolific is an understatement. Though she didn’t start her writing career until she was in her 40s, Peterman has now written more than 30 books and is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She’s the author of multiple series with titles like “My So-Called Mystical Mid-Life,” “Good to the Last Death,” “Magic and Mayhem,” and “Handcuffs and Happily Ever After.” In her books, which have been described as “sexy, funny, contemporary paranormal romances,” readers will encounter witches, demons, lovestruck vampires, ghosts and even Bigfoot. With a conversational writing style, her pages are brimming with witty and clever turns of phrase and dialog. Her plots have imaginative twists and turns, and her characters are wise-cracking and funny – much like Peterman herself.
It’s a unique genre and one she loves.
“I’ve created my own mythologies,” Peterman explained. “There are fewer rules in paranormal romance stories. One of my great joys is turning tropes on their ear.” With two new titles coming this fall, Peterman gives off the impression there’s more bubbling under the surface, and somewhere in her mind, the next book is already taking shape.
Smiley Pete writer Celeste Lewis recently spoke with the author about her process, her history and what’s next.
Did you grow up in Lexington? My family moved here from Georgia when I was going into seventh grade. I went to Tates Creek Middle School and High School. I left to go to college, lived between Manhattan and L.A. for about 20 years, then eventually moved back to raise our kids here.
When my husband first suggested moving back to Kentucky, I clearly and somewhat eloquently told him I left when I was 18 and I was not going back. That would mean I’d failed somehow. He pointed out that we would not be living in my parent’s basement. I was at a crossroads in my acting career. We’d just had two kids, and doing eight shows a week on Broadway or traveling for TV and film no longer held the appeal it once did.
The minute I caved even slightly, he emailed me hundreds of pictures of farms for sale. Best move we ever made.
Tell me about becoming a writer. When did you know you wanted to be a writer? I’ve always written. I was the editor of my high school newspaper and journaled like a madwoman. Even while I was working as an actress, I used to punch up scripts for TV for my writer friends. I’ve been asked how I got published. The answer is simple: I lied. That’s right, I lied. I wouldn’t recommend it, although it worked for me. It certainly could have blown up in my face.
I pitched a very unfinished novel [as if it were done] to major New York publishers and agents at a romance writer’s conference in Chicago. I was shocked, delighted and appalled that everyone I pitched asked for a full manuscript. After a brief and hopefully unnoticeable panic attack, I very logically explained to them that I needed to get the book professionally edited [real meaning: write it] and would have it to them in three weeks. What the hell did I have to lose?
Having been an actor for decades came in handy. Clearly, pretending to smell delicious imaginary aromas in commercial auditions and becoming one with my inner lawn gnome in acting class, made my fear of telling enormous lies nonexistent.
I went home and wrote it. I didn’t sleep for three weeks; my family ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly; and no one in the house had clean underpants. I loved every minute of it. I ended up with several offers and went with a three-book deal with Kensington Publishing. I also ended up with shingles. Again, I don’t recommend my method. I am now what you would call a hybrid author. I am both traditionally published and indie published. My contemporaries are traditional, and all my paranormals are indie.
Tell me about your writing process. I’m a night writer. Unlike David Hasselhoff who is the Night Rider. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Over the years, I’ve tried to change up and write during the sunlight hours, but my most creative time is in the middle of the night. I’m also a pantser not a plotter, meaning I write by the seat of my pants. I always have a general idea of what the story will be, but it usually ends up nothing like I thought it would. The joy for me is not knowing what will come next. The journey excites me. When it all clicks together like a puzzle, it’s almost — and I stress almost — like an orgasm.
What advice do you have for people wanting to be writers? You have to be fearless and true to yourself. Don’t waste time comparing yourself to others. Write a good book then write another. I didn’t start writing until my late 40s. Anybody who thinks it’s too late to start, that’s wrong — it’s not.
Robyn Peterman has a penchant for dark humor, as evidenced in her home office decor. Photo by Mick Jeffries
What inspires you creatively? Everything. Music, snippets of overheard conversations, my past, my present, my family. Pictures inspire me. My head is full of make believe. Writing down what’s going on in my brain is cheaper than therapy. It’s also fun and fills me up creatively like acting used to do.
What is a favorite way to spend a day in Lexington? Dinner at my parents’ house with the entire family. My mom and dad are insanely great cooks. My family is nuts, and I fit into that category as well. It’s a win-win.
What makes you laugh out loud? My husband and my kids make me laugh out loud. My mother is also freaking hilarious, even when she doesn’t mean to be. My dogs make me laugh too. Right now I have two: my pittie, Kurt the Bastard, and my lab, Karen the Chair Eater. Their names are accurate descriptions.
If you could choose a person to star in the film version of one of your books, who would you like to see get the part? One thing I love about books is that everyone can picture whomever they want in the roles. A few of my favorite books that were made into movies were a disappointment because it didn’t match what I’d seen in my mind. So, that being said, I will plead the fifth. However, my ‘Good To The Last Death’ series has been optioned, and I do have some secret wishes about who would play whom.
What is something that would surprise people to know about you? Well, if someone truly knows me, they’re already aware of my ‘problem,’ which I don’t see as a problem at all. I collect stray animals. Thankfully, we live on a farm. Apparently, the word is out. Dogs and cats tend to show up on our property. I name them immediately. Once they have a name, they have a home. The latest addition is Connie. She’s a horrible cat that I adore. It took six months before she would let me cuddle with her. Suffice it to say, I don’t give up easily.
What is a guilty pleasure? Many. The one I will share is my close friendship with Almond Joy – the mini ones. They have to live in the refrigerator for several days before consumption. Thankfully, I’m the only person in my household who likes Almond Joy. This means I don’t have to hide them in the veggie drawer.
What is something you have always wanted to learn that you haven’t tackled yet? I’ve always wanted to be fluent in another language. I speak incredibly crappy French. My plan is to take a French class in all my free time that I don’t have. Long term goal: by the age of 60, speak not-so-crappy French.
Who are some of your favorite writers? Far too many to list, but a few are David Sedaris, Darynda Jones, LM Montgomery, Judy Blume, John Irving, Kurt Vonnegut and Jeaniene Frost. I could give you a list of hundreds, but those are the first who came to mind. I read cross genre and also adore biographies.
What’s next for you? Are you working on a new book? I am always writing a book. Ask my family. I have two more books coming out this year: ‘The Newly Witch Game’ [Book 10 in my Magic and Mayhem Series] in October and ‘It’s A Matter of Midlife and Death’ [Book 5 in my Good To The Last Death Series] in November.
Robyn Peterman’s books have been described as “sexy, funny, contemporary paranormal romances.” Photo by Mick Jeffries