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Debut explores rock-star love story

Author Bree Darcy Picture Supplied

What prompts a book blogger and journalist to pick up a pen and start writing fiction herself?

Chicklit Club books site founder Stephanie Pegler explains it was an email about an online controversy that prompted her to start writing back in 2011.

The long-time journalist and former sub-editor at _The West Australian _first started researching a novel about the mean girls of blogging. But then another idea took hold and wouldn't let go.

"This scenario about a showbiz reporter and her (rock-star) first boyfriend crashed into my head and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote their story first," Pegler says.

"At the time I was working at _The West _three days a week, so I would aim to spend my two spare weekdays writing. More often than not, all the best ideas would come flooding in just as I needed to race off to work - while inspiration was painfully slow sitting in front of my computer at home on my dedicated writing days.

"The whole process was much harder than I ever imagined, which only leaves me even more in awe of all the authors I deal with on a daily basis through book reviewing."

Pegler's resulting book, Don't Mention the Rock Star, is an impressively polished debut that took about two years to write.

The Connect and We Heart Writing website founder says she decided to release the chick-lit novel - out this Thursday - under a pen name, Bree Darcy, which she views as a brand.

"It looks far better on a pink and sparkly cover than my own name ever could," she says with a touch of humour.

"I chose to use a pen-name because I wanted to keep it separate from my personal and professional life.

"This way if I ever hear someone dissing my book, I don't have to admit it's me."

Pegler took a step back from in-house journalism ahead of the title's ebook-only release this Thursday, continuing to review new releases as a contributor for _The West _and her bevy of book sites.

She chose to self-publish after pitching it to three commercial publishers and receiving form-letter rejections from two several months later.

"I did consider the traditional publishing route and even prepared a couple of submissions to the big-name publishers before deciding my heart wasn't really in it and I wanted to stay independent," Pegler shares.

Her husband and website guru Craig set up the digital edition, while she took on publicity.

"The digital revolution has really proved to be a liberating experience for writers," Pegler says.

Her debut is the story of a married Australian journalist and mother-of-two whose rock-star ex-boyfriend crashes back into her life after his arrest in LA for drink-driving.

Kellie Carmichael has kept her American ex Andy - aka Danger Game singer AJ Dangerfield - a secret from her British salesman husband Curtis Carmichael.

But AJ proves more alluring than convienient, and Curtis less reliable than expected, prompting an enjoyably rollercoaster journey to a new state of play.

"Having lived through far too many rock-star crushes of my own, I intentionally created Andy to start out as a skinny young guy without any prospects," Pegler says.

"Now all he wants is to spend time with the girl who loved him before he was famous. When you look at a lot of rock stars, you realise that if they weren't rich, famous and in a band, girls really wouldn't pay them the slightest bit of attention."

Pegler says that she's always loved stories of soulmates torn apart by circumstance. She's explored the reunited soulmates well, in a novel likey to have readers reminising about their own one that got away.

Pegler is already on to her second novel, currently titled Evie Seizes the Day, which she describes as "Ferris Bueller for grown-ups" and more comedy than love story.

"It's essentially about a downtrodden HR staffer who comes to the end of her tether so she ditches work for the day," she says.

Pegler, meanwhile, will keep hold

of her current characters, tipping

they may appear as cameos in future novels.

'When you look at a lot of rock stars, you realise that if they weren't rich, famous and in a band, girls really wouldn't pay them the slightest bit of attention.'