Author Spotlight: M. Pepper Langlinais, Author of "The Fall & Rise of Peter Stoller"

A flourishing author most notably known for her Sherlock Holmes series on Amazon, M. Pepper Langlinais is hitting the publishing scene with force, being eyed by book reviewers, a growing fan base and reputable newspapers. Meet M. Pepper Langlinais in this month's Author Spotlight.

About M. Pepper Langlinais

From the age of six, Langlinais took to paper penning stories for neighborhood kids and quickly worked her way up to an amateur editorial position managing aspects of her high school newspaper, yearbook and literary magazine. The author credits much of her pursuit of literature to Dr. Douglass Parker, an undergraduate professor who encouraged her to blossom her talent and go after her dreams, leading her down the path to a Master's Degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and penning her first real book in 2001, her thesis. 

You may have seen Langlinais in a recent feature in The Independent written by Carol Graham where she discussed drawing from personal experience to create her works. The author regularly engages in Q&As including a recent interview for Authors Interviews conducted by Fiona Mcvie and a Q&A session for Books Chatter.

Today, M. Pepper Langlinais builds upon her bestselling work, her Sherlock Holmes series, and recently finished The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller, the first of her Peter Stoller series signed by Tirgearr Publishing. Next on her list of to-dos is a new YA series for which she has just signed with Evernight Teen. The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller is being received well by fans holding a steady 4 stars; we asked the author to share a few excerpts of her new book.

About The Rise and Fall of Peter Stoller

In 1960’s London, British Intelligence agent Peter Stoller is next in line to run the Agency—until he falls in love with cab driver, Charles, and his life goes off the road. 

When Charles is accused of treason, Peter is guilty by association. Peter manages to extract them both, but the seeds of doubt have been planted, putting Peter’s mind and heart at war. 

Is ignorance truly bliss or merely deadly? The author gave us a glimpse of her book offering up some of her favorite excerpts:

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In this excerpt, Peter has impulsively invited Charles back to his flat. It's a "first date" scenario:

EXCERPT: Charles’s cheekbones became highlighted in a pink flush. They were nice cheekbones, Peter decided, even with slightly too much meat over them, and
Charles was handsome after all. Not in the spectacular way of someone like Jules Maier, but in the easily overlooked way of ordinary men.
“I like you,” Peter said.
Those blue eyes again, bright and wide. “You hardly know me.”
“My work requires me to be a swift and accurate judge of character.”
“Paperwork…” Charles’s voice trailed as Peter leaned in. As if taking a measure, their lips touched briefly once, twice, before making the third time count.

This particular scene is one of my favorites and one of the first ones I wrote for the book. Peter comes home after an extended work trip and the flat he shares with Charles is seemingly abandoned:

EXCERPT: Still holding his briefcase and dragging his bag along behind him like a sad, stray dog, Peter moved forward, his trained eyes darting in search of data: a finger smudge on the glass tabletop, a deserted library book, any sign of inhabitance. Simultaneously he stretched his ears in an effort to pick up any possible sound: movement in the bedroom or attached bath, steps nearing the door that might mean Charles was coming home.
But there was nothing.

Later in the novel, Peter suffers a devastating blow; he is shot. Suffering from severe pain and questions, Peter experiences his life fading.

EXCERPT: Every intake of breath now came with an increase of radiating ache, fingers of burning agony poking through and reaching out to the rest of his body. Peter decided he would gladly give up all his blood if that meant the hurting would stop.
The world in front of his eyes—the corner of his desk, his crumpled briefcase upon which he’d evidently landed—gave way to tendrils of creeping fog. Peter’s throat burned, and his chest seemed to vibrate with each hammer of his heart, though the beats seemed to be slowing, like a wound clock unspooling to stopping. Oh, but it was doing its best, his heart. It was giving all its strength to each pound, despite being utterly broken.

Praise for The Fall & Rise of Peter Stoller

"An incredibly written story of intrigue, love, and betrayal . . . I found it difficult to put my ereader down as each chapter beckoned me on to the next. There is a little quirkiness to the style which I thoroughly enjoyed, and it fits a man like Peter." -Author Christine Rains 1301 The Marquis, The Thirteenth Floor

Connect with M. Pepper Langlinais

Award-winning screenwriter, produced playwright, and author of Sherlock Holmes stories. Her latest novel THE FALL AND RISE OF PETER STOLLER is now available from Tirgearr Publishing. M has performed and taught Shakespeare and worked on film sets.

M holds a Master of Arts in Writing, Literature and Publishing and a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film. She worked in textbook publishing before deciding to write full time. She lives in Livermore, California.
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