Margot Peters, a longtime Lake Mills resident and famous author, passed away last week.
Peters’ passing follows the release of her most recent book, “Murder Among Friends,” which was published in May. The story followed the 1970 class reunion of ten Wausau High School alumni that leads to murder.
Peters published her first book in 1973, and went on to publish about a dozen more. Her publications include biographies of Charlotte Bronte, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, May Sarton, Stella Campbell and George Bernard Shaw. She also published novels and poetry, and an autobiography titled “Summers: A True Love Story” in 2011, her website said.
Peters earned a PhD in Victorian literature and linguistics from UW-Madison, and went on to teach English, linguistics and women’s studies at UW-Whitewater.
She earned more than two dozen awards for her work since 1975, and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1990.
Peters was raised in Wausau, and lived in Lake Mills for many years.
Peters described herself as “a passionate bridge player, gardener, jigsaw puzzle worker, movie goer, collector of antique Halloween, and almost know how to operate my digital camera and Wordpress site,” on her website.
Daydream Believer Books and Gifts, a book store on E. Lake Street in Lake Mills, honored Peters recently.
“She was a treasured member of the Lake Mills community, and a beautiful story teller,” representatives of the bookstore wrote in a social media post. “We would have been thrilled to host her for a reading of her last novel, Murder Among Friends. We will continue to celebrate her spirit with our commitment to showcasing local authors, and sharing our love of books with this town she adored so well.”
