How Peng Shepherd is Writing Her Future

If you’re looking for a good read, Peng Shepherd is one of those authors who consistently produces captivating books that leave you wanting more.

Shepherd was born and raised in Phoenix, Ariz. At age five, she knew she wanted to become a writer and would write and illustrate countless books for her mother, Lin.

“I used to make up stories for my mom; she probably got about 100 a day,” Shepherd jokes. “When I was about five or six, my mom decided to laminate and bind one of my stories as a surprise. I thought I had just been published. That was the moment that started it all for me.”
Fast forward years later, Shepherd’s childhood dream has become a reality.

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Her debut, The Book of M, won the 2019 Neukom Institute for Literary Arts Award for Debut Speculative Fiction and was chosen as the best book of the year by Amazon, Elle, Refinery29, The Verge, and the best book of the summer by the Today show and NPR’s On Point.

Her second novel, The Cartographers, was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize, named a Best Book of 2022 by The Washington Post, and received a 2020 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Her most recent novel, All This and More, is about a woman who wins the chance to alter every mistake she’s made to finally earn her elusive “happily ever after.” The book’s unique structure allows the reader to determine the protagonist’s path by making decisions throughout certain parts of the book.

“I have always wanted to write a book with multiple paths or endings,” Shepherd says. “It lets you ask different questions in a straightforward story. Since you’re the one making the choices for the character about what she changes in her life, you’re not just reading the story; you have to make the choices yourself, so you have to think, ‘What would I do in that situation?'”

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Shepherd’s creative vision has curated a book that takes a reader’s immersion into the storyline to the next level. While she is currently on tour for All This and More, she shared that she is also currently writing her fifth novel, which will be published by HarperCollins.

“I feel so lucky to be working with HarperCollins. Often, writers don’t stay with a publisher for long, but everything clicks with HarperCollins, and we all trust each other,” the author says.

Shepherd’s ability to captivate an audience through powerful storytelling makes her an author to watch (and read). Congratulations, Shepherd, on your outstanding achievements. I can’t wait to read what you write next.