My Story
Kerry’s publishing credits include a popular newspaper and e-zine humor column, “The Lighter Side,” (2009—2011); and her magazine articles have been published in Local Life Magazine, The Bluffton Breeze, Lady Lowcountry, and Island Events Magazine. She is the author of the Olivia Callahan Suspense series, and recently released The Torching, book three, by Level Best Books. Books four and five in this series are under contract. Her new standalone suspense novel, Back Before Dawn, released in the summer of 2023., by Level Best Books. She is past chapter president of the Maryland Writers’ Association and a current member and presenter of Hilton Head Island Writers’ Network, South Carolina Writers Association, Pat Conroy Literary Center, International Thriller Writers, and the Sisters in Crime organization.
After retiring from a career in advertising where she wore several hats, including copywriter, account manager, and creative director... she and her husband landed for good in Hilton Head Island, SC. Kerry and Jim enjoy kayaking, beach time, bicycling, long walks through the Lowcountry.
Kerry is the mother of four adult children, and Gigi to a flock of grandkids. She and her husband moved to Hilton Head Island in 2015.
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2023. My early writing credits include the Capital Journal, Pierre, SD, as a regular weekly humor columnist; The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan Publishing Group, Yankton, SD and various regional weeklies and dailies under this group as a guest columnist; NAABW (National Association of Boomer Women), an online magazine, as guest columnist; Empty Nesting Online as a guest columnist; CCMWA (Carroll County Maryland Writer's Association), short story contributor for anthology, Rock, Roll, & Ruin, Tri-State Sisters in Crime Anthology, and available on Amazon; various articles in "The Bluffton Breeze" and "Island Events" magazines, 2017, where I worked as an editor and proofreader; contributor to "Lady Lowcountry Magazine, and “Local Life Magazine.”
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/back-before-dawn-kerry-peresta/1143687797?ean=9781685123772I am a past chapter president of Maryland Writer's Association, and a frequent attendee of writers' conferences and workshops. I enjoy author talks for the Pat Conroy Literary Center, and am a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, South Carolina Writers Association, and Island Writers Network.
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Reviews
Back Before Dawn is a fabulous read with relatable, fascinating characters and a plot that zigzags between the struggles of a single mother with an online dating addiction and a diabolical murder that lands on her doorstep. This book will have you turning pages until its very satisfying conclusion! PERESTA’S BEST BOOK YET! –
Susan Crawford, NYT best-selling author, The Pocket Wife and The Other Widow.
Upcoming Author Events
Savannah Barnes & Noble Signing Event. Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, 1pm - 4-m, Savannah, GA
PINK Magazine Booktini, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, 10am- 1pm., Hilton Head Island, SC
Eleven local authors gather at the Corner Perk for a fun afternoon of author discussion and book sales and giveaways!
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Book Club Author Talk, October 19, 2023, 1:30pm - ? Hilton Head Island, SC
A wonderful group of avid readers enjoy an author presentation and ask questions afterward.
Local Authors Q&A, Saturday, January 6, 3pm - 4:30pm, Bluffton, SC
A variety of local authors who write in different genres will be on hand to discuss writing process, triumphs and struggles of the publishing business, and answers questions from the audience at Bluffton Library.
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HHP Women's Club presentation, March 12, 2024, 2pm-4pm, Hilton Head Island, SC
Large local women's group author presentation. Discussion titled "The Secret Life of Authors."
Q&A afterward.
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