2025: Release of Smugglers of Sandhill Island

Posted on June 22, 2025 by peggylchambers

My latest novel, Smugglers of Sandhill Island, (lucky number 13) Smugglers of Sandhill Island: Chambers, Peggy: 9781509261789: Amazon.com: Books, is releasing on June 30 and is available for preorder now. I’ll be having a release party on July 12 if you’re in the area. Watch for details online.

Sandhill Island has a new hero, and she’d do anything for family, even if they wouldn’t return the favor. But maybe Cody is worth it.

Dani loves her life on the water; she has sea legs. She lives and works out on the ocean and that is just like she likes it. She travels from her houseboat to her tour boat, Wanderlust. She spends her days giving tours to visitors to the island where she lives.

                Dani Brown grew up poor and hard working. Her brother, Cody, only grew up poor. Always wanting the easy way out, Cody ran drugs and lived his life on handouts. When they were young, Dani and Cody were inseparable, now Dani only sees him if he’s desperate. The drugs he samples and sells have started to rot his brain.

            This time, Cody owes some big money, and the only person he knows to help him is his sister. When the cartel realizes she owns a boat that could run even more drugs for them, she is torn between saving her brother and living her life. The final Sandhill Island story pits sister against brother in a life-or-death struggle.

            Pick up a copy of the final Sandhill Island novel and let me know what you think. Authors love reviews.

            What are you reading, writing, or creating this week?

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2025 – Father’s Day

Posted on June 15, 2025 by peggylchambers

Father’s Day is always special. In my family fathers are celebrated, as they should be. We went to dinner with our daughter early since she would be out of town, and we’ll continue to celebrate today.

My father became a parent not long after World War II. He and my mom were in San Antonio where he was finishing school on the GI bill. There would be two more coming, once every four years. He worked hard to support his family of five and was deeply loved.

My husband’s father became a dad later in life and they had two children. As a farmer all his life, he raised his kids on hard work and taught them about farming and family life.

My husband had two children early in life and again worked and supported his family. He was the local Boy Scout leader, baseball coach, and mechanic. He kept all our cars running since they were all used and in constant need of repair, in addition to the long hours at the job that paid the bills.

My son married into a ready-made family and the love that came with it. He emulates both his grandfathers and his dad. He is a mechanic, farmer, in addition to the job that pays for the things he needs and wants.

Not all children have fathers who are present in their lives. Parenting can be a tough job, but the fathers in my family stayed during the good and tough times. And we were glad they did. It’s possible that my sisters and I made our dad want to run away some days. But since it is Father’s Day weekend, pay tribute to the men in your life who raised you or were always there when you needed them. I miss my dad every day.

What are you reading, writing, growing, celebrating, or creating this week?

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2025: Cala Lilies and Island Life

Posted on June 8, 2025 by peggylchambers

My cala lilies are blooming again. They are resilient. I’ve always loved them and had no idea how to grow them until a neighbor gave me a pot of strawberries that contained a little surprise—cala lily bulbs in the soil. And they popped up their lovely little heads. Since then, I have transplanted them several times. This year they ended up in the small flower bed in the front.  And they are turning pink!

Once in South Africa I saw gardens of cala lilies blooming near a hotel and I’ve seen pictures of them in Mexico and South America blooming for acres.  Maybe they were being harvested for flower shops. My daughter had them in her wedding. Or maybe they just grow wild, but I hope mine take over the garden. Maybe if I quit transplanting them, they might.

That is my gardening tip for the week. If you want cala lilies, don’t keep transplanting them? Give them a chance to bloom where they’re planted. Good advice for life.

It is the beginning of June and I’m on a countdown for June 30 when my last Sandhill Island novel is released from The Wild Rose Press. I plan a release party for July 12—watch for that event. I will be posting about it.  I’d love to have you join me for a party.

The final Sandhill Island ties up all the lose ends.  The islanders come together to help each other and once again they survive a near disaster—maybe. I hope you read it to find out. It is available for pre-order at Amazon.com: Smugglers of Sandhill Island eBook : Chambers, Peggy : Books. Pick up a copy and help us celebrate all the characters who have made this series what it is. 

In the meantime, bloom where you are planted, like the cala lilies. They are resilient as we all are.

What are you reading, writing, growing, or creating this week?

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2025: Garden Redos and Summer

Posted on June 1, 2025 by peggylchambers

Last year I did a major redo of my front flower beds to make it easier on this poor old body to weed and take care of things. The large bed is rock with shrubs and some statues, etc. Then I took the perennials out of the big garden and put them in the small garden on the other side of the sidewalk. I just couldn’t throw them out. (some jonquil bulbs went into the trash, and they probably decorated the landfill this spring) I didn’t know how the transplant would work. The small garden doesn’t get as much sun as the larger one. But I thought, the small one might turn into rock too. Oh, how I was wrong!

This year I only bought one Hosta to fill in a spot that was bare in the small garden. My Cala Lillies and Easter Lillies (never blooming at Easter) are budding out and the moss that covers the front of the garden is full and beautiful. The ornamental grass looks better than ever. You can’t keep a good garden down.

It was a major remodel but has worked out well. The perennials cover the small garden, and the rocks and decorations cover the large garden. I have a lot less work and they look good.

Now we’ll see how they handle the hot, dry, windy Oklahoma summer! We installed a sprinkler system too. So that will help. I’m getting old and lazy. But I love gardens.

The herb garden out back is doing well. The basil is up, and the mint is trying to take over as usual. I have garlic starting to curl that I need to use. It’s going to be a good summer.

What are you reading, writing, growing, or creating this week?

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2025: Memorial Day

Posted on May 25, 2025 by peggylchambers

My parents grew up in the Ozarks during the Great Depression—large families and not a lot of opportunities. But Dad got his career training during WWII. Otherwise, he would have been a poor dirt farmer like his father.

He wrote this before he died and asked me to type it for him (then tried to pay me) and it along with some handwritten notes are attached to a globe showing where he traveled in his life complements of the US Army Air Corp. It is a brief explanation of his involvement in WWII.

I was born at Walnut Ridge, AR on January 16, 1923. I entered the military services May 19, 1943. I took Basic Training at Amarillo, TX then Aircraft and Engine Maintenance a Keesler Field, MS on B24 bombers then to B-24 factory at Detroit, MI (or Ypilanti, MI, close to Detroit), then to B-24 Gunnery School at Harlingen, TX. This was to prepare me for Engineer-Gunner on B-24s.

. . . gunnery training came to a halt and many others at Harlingen. We were dispersed to other areas to become aircraft and engine mechanics. I was sent to Guadalcanal to be a part of the Air Transport Command. I became an aircraft general mechanic shuttling out and back from Guadalcanal to many islands to maintain many aircraft of many types. I finally transferred to the Philippines and soon to Guam.

We were involved in repair of C-54 aircraft out of the China, Burma, India (CBI) that had been in rough use. It was production maintenance; however, each aircraft was the same type as the last one. You would almost know what parts would require replacement. As the aircraft was removed from the dock, they would be loading sick GIs (military); crank up and head for the United States and another entered that dock.

I used that schooling after I left the military to obtain nine certificates for my purposes and for me and my family’s living. One of those certificates was for a pilot license and the other eight was authorized specific maintenance, inspector’s training, certifications for many mechanics who become certified to become a qualified mechanic and inspect and certify aircraft after crash, etc.

Dad was one of many soldiers who worked to keep us safe during the war, some with a gun, others with a wrench.

It is Memorial Day weekend and a time we remember those who sacrificed, some ultimately, for their country. Thank you all for your service and our freedom.

What are you reading, writing, celebrating, or creating this week?

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2025: Smugglers of Sandhill Island

Posted on May 18, 2025 by peggylchambers

I finally finished the Sandhill Island series. If you haven’t read them, they are available at bookstores everywhere and online. I tried to come full circle including a few of the old characters and tied up their lives as they have lived them along the way.

I you’ve read them; you know that Sandhill Island is a small tourist island off the coast of Corpus Christi and the characters are varied. They live their lives fishing, operating a business, teaching school, growing a garden, or singing in a local restaurant.

This book, Smugglers of Sandhill Island, is about the relationship between siblings; one hard working, the other not.

Dani Brown grew up poor and hard working. Her brother, Cody, only grew up poor. Always wanting the easy way out, Cody ran drugs and lived his life on handouts. When they were young, Dani and Cody were inseparable, now Dani only sees him if he’s desperate. The drugs he samples and sells have started to rot his brain.

 This time, Cody owes some big money, and the only person he knows to help him is his sister. When the cartel realizes she owns a boat that could run even more drugs for them, she is torn between saving her brother and living her life. The final Sandhill Island story pits sister against brother in a life-or-death struggle.

I have a great love and respect of water. So do the main characters of Smugglers of Sandhill Island. And they know that water can protect you or kill you, depending upon its current attitude. But Dani and Cody make their living off the water and don’t plan to die in its arms.

Smugglers of Sandhill Island will release worldwide on June 30, 2025. I plan a release party on July 12, at St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 518 West Randolph, Enid, OK at 7:00. Come by for food and drinks and a copy of the latest book. Save the date and join us for a fun evening and a great book.

What are you reading, writing, or creating this week?

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2025: Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 11, 2025 by peggylchambers

I became a mother at barely 20 years old. It was not in the plans. But it was in the cards. And I played them. And I loved them. College could wait. I eventually got back to that goal.

Marrying your high school sweetheart at a young age and never living anywhere else was not what I had in mind for a life. I wanted to see the world. My husband had other ideas. He was a homebody. And besides, being poor will keep you close to home. So, we stayed.

By the time we were 25 we had two kids and a mortgage. But we lived in that little house for 20 years and the kids called it home. They could walk to the grade school, their friends were nearby, Boy Scouts met in my kitchen, if they weren’t on the ball diamond, and I taught most of the town to swim at the city pool where I worked. Babies played on that living room floor and eventually had their own rooms. A big dog helped me raise them and keep them safe.

We traveled some with the kids, but mostly we camped out or rented a cheap cabin. There wasn’t a lot of money, but there was love and we vacationed together.

I finally convinced my husband to buy a newer, bigger house about the time the kids moved out. And then we built a dining room which has now become the meeting place for the holidays, where I set up to feed 15 people. My two children went into the world and came back with more to love.

Motherhood was something I always wanted, but it came to me much more quickly than I planned. The best things in life are often that way. If you wait until the time is right, it might never be. I’ve loved being a mother and now a grandmother. Those travel plans came and went, but they didn’t compare to the experiences we had at home. Motherhood is to be celebrated and embraced. Sometimes it was tough, but we survived and were stronger for the tough times.

Thank you to my two children for making me a mother.

Happy Mother’s Day to you. What are you reading, writing, visiting, or creating this week?

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2025: Evant and Salado, TX

Posted on May 4, 2025 by peggylchambers

We took a weekend trip with cousins from Texas last weekend. We always have a good time, and this was no different.

We rented a vacation home and traveled to two different cities near Austin: Evant and Salado. It’s wonderful to have a local driver (cousin) who thinks nothing of zipping up and down I-35 and if he misses the exit, there’s always another.

Evant, Texas is a small community, but it has a nice drive-through nature preserve and a petting zoo. Animal lovers, all, we enjoyed the drive. I had never seen a Watusi (not the dance or the culture, but a cow.) Their horns are monstrous! But he looked docile though he never approached the vehicle for feed. He had plenty where he stood.

An ostrich chased a for a while. And an emu tried to come home with us, as did a buffalo. They loved the feed in the sacks inside the vehicle and tried to climb in after it.

The next day we traveled to Salado, Texas. It is a touristy kind of place with artists, breweries, wineries, glass blowers, and tons of food. We watched a glass blower make a glass bowl from scratch until it became too hot to stay and watch. We finally found the mermaid statue that is a legend in the area. An Indian princess was turned into a mermaid in a land-locked state. I didn’t quite understand, but the statue was lovely.

We drove to Georgetown for their annual Poppy Festival and had no idea what we were in for. Texan’s take their poppies seriously—like their bluebonnets. We couldn’t even find a parking place and there were red poppies growing everywhere. They were beautiful and maybe I’ll go back to Georgetown another time.

But the weekend was fun, and we’ll do it again sometime. There’s always someplace fun to go if you look hard enough. Get out and try something new!

What are you reading, writing, visiting, or creating this week?

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2025: Feed the Birds

Posted on April 28, 2025 by peggylchambers

We have a bird problem. Or maybe it is a human problem. You see my husband spends lots of money feeding the birds from a suet feeder in the backyard that is attached to a shepherd’s crook. The little winged creatures eat at the speed of light. He makes runs to the hardware store to buy feed and they polish off the suet cakes before he can even get back. He is now repairing the feeder that was once more knocked to the ground probably by a squirrel (or angry bluejay). I don’t know if they broke it this time or not. Hopefully the repair will not take a lot of time.

Now for the saga of the front yard. My wonderful cousin brought me a blooming basket and I hung it on a hook on the front porch. I knew better, but it was lovely and such a nice gesture. I’ve had hanging baskets before and quickly bird’s nests take over. They build nests and then feed their babies all the while, I can’t water the pot. The flower dies while the birds go on to grow another generation of winged beauties. Sigh.

As my husband runs back and forth fixing the bird feeder and putting up wire to try to keep the birds out of my flowers, the birds continue eating, procreating, and leaving droppings everywhere.

The question is why? Why do we do it? We even have a book of birds and binoculars by the back window so we can identify the little rascals and call each other when the beautiful red cardinals and woodpeckers arrive.

Maybe it would be less hassle to go back to feeding hummingbirds. But I remember that meadowlarks, wasps, and ants like those feeders too.

Nature.

What are you reading, writing, feeding, or creating this week?

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2025: Annual Enid Author Fest

Posted on April 20, 2025 by peggylchambers

Yesterday the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County hosted the seventh annual Enid Author Fest. It is unbelievable that it has been going on this long. I remember helping Margo Holmes when she came up with this nugget of an idea in 2017 and she has grown it from the first time. Authors from all over the state come to read and sell their works. It is a time of camaraderie and a time to meet the public.

I sat at a table with the Enid Writers Club, and we spoke to people who were interested in the club. Some were interested in writing but had no idea how to start and others, who taught the art, were interested in being with like minds.

There was a raffle of donated books at a table and as numbers were called, books were given away. What a wonderful gift to anyone in a library. Books! Many came away with treasures for free and the ones they purchased.

It was wonderful to see old friends and make new ones. There were authors from first-time newbies to award-winning novelists who had been writing for many years. We were all on the same journey.

I look forward to many years of the Enid Author Fest and meeting new people. Thank you, Margo!

What are you reading, writing, or creating this week?

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