Baltimore author Peggy Rowe wrote three 'New York Times' bestsellers after turning 80. Her most recent book is about the unexpected pleasure of moving to a Baltimore retirement community. Photo courtesy of Peggy Rowe

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Since author Peggy Rowe turned 80, she has published three New York Times bestselling books, proving that it’s never too late to start something new.

“Don’t sit back and say, ‘I’ve had my time; I’m going to sit back and watch other people now.’ Because it really isn’t too late,” Rowe said in an interview with the Beacon.

Her most recent book, Oh No, Not ‘The Home:’ Observations and Confessions of a Grandmother in Transition, was published last October. The memoir details her move to Oak Crest Senior Living Community in Parkville, Maryland, and the people she met there.

“I am surrounded by people who are facing [the] end of life, many of them, with dignity and courage — and humor. It’s been very inspirational for me to witness that,” she said.

Always a writer

Writing has always been a part of Rowe’s life. She grew up in Baltimore and attended Towson University in the 1950s, when it was still called Maryland State Teachers College at Towson. She met her husband, John, there and went on to become a third-grade teacher.

One year, while gathering material for a class, Rowe couldn’t find a poem to match her vision, so she wrote her own — and the children loved it. She fondly recalls hearing a group of girls chanting while jumping rope her poetry at recess. “I felt like a celebrity,” she said.

From there, Rowe continued writing outside the classroom: She wrote poetry for friends’ parties, articles for her church newsletter, and stories of all genres for college courses and critique groups.

When she was 64, Rowe published a short, humorous piece of fiction in a small magazine, and she was hooked.

As an older adult, she explained, writing gives her a freedom that many female writers don’t have at younger ages, when looking after children, for example, takes precedence.

Celebrity son

Rowe’s book publishing journey was sparked, in a way, by social media. She happened to relate an anecdote to one of her three sons, Mike Rowe, who famously hosted the Discovery Channel television series “Dirty Jobs” and “Deadliest Catch” and the CNN series “Somebody’s Gotta Do It.”

Her son asked her to send the story in writing and then shared it with his Facebook followers, garnering 70 million views.

Though publishers thought Rowe’s first book, About My Mother: True Stories of a Horse-Crazy Daughter and Her Baseball-Obsessed Mother would be a tough sell, Mike Rowe published it himself in 2018. It sold 10,000 copies in three weeks.

Soon after, Simon & Schuster acquired and distributed the book, which went on to hit the New York Times Best Sellers list. (That list typically includes books that sell more than 5,000 copies in a week.)

Two years later, Rowe published her second book, About Your Father, and Other Celebrities I Have Known: Ruminations and Revelations from a Desperate Mother to Her Dirty Son.

In 2023, Vacuuming in the Nude: And Other Ways to Get Attention came out.

At the request of Simon & Schuster’s publicity department, Rowe began writing Facebook posts for her new fans. She continues to write two 200-word stories a week for her Facebook followers, who she says are her best critique group.

Rowe also has written multiple children’s books as well as comedic poetry.

The secret to writing so consistently? Rowe reported that she takes copious notes and journals daily.

She occasionally wakes in the middle of the night with an idea she knows she’ll forget by morning, so she keeps a pad of paper and a pencil next to her bed. Sometimes she even gets up to go to her computer to record her idea.

“If you’re a writer, you can’t not write,” she said. “Everything is a story.”

Moving to Oak Crest

Take her most recent book, for example. When Rowe suggested moving to a senior living community, her husband’s response became its title: Oh No, Not ‘The Home.’

Yet the transition has been wonderful, Rowe said, and provides her with more stories than ever. In fact, she wishes she’d moved in sooner.

“In a way, it’s like this is our last stand, and I’m so inspired by people who want to make the most of it,” Rowe said.

Rowe uses her encounters with Oak Crest’s 2,000 residents to fuel her stories. Because the bulk of her content is humor and human-interest stories, approaching other people is a component of her work.

Rowe enjoys drawing striking characters from the world around her and capturing humor in unexpected places. She beautifully recounts several funny encounters with others at Oak Crest, finding humor in the pharmacy, fitness center and even the bathroom.

“Everything is a scene. I don’t care what I’m witnessing; it’s a story, and I can’t wait to write about it…There is material everywhere,” she said. “I don’t care where I am; there is humor, and I just love it.”

Though he was hesitant to move at first, John came around to Oak Crest, too, and finds joy in swimming, shuffleboarding and other activities.

Not surprisingly, everywhere John Rowe goes, people seem to know everything about him. This is due to his wife’s large following on social media, where she publishes anecdotes about family, friends and strangers.

Readers will come away from Oh No, Not ‘The Home’ realizing there’s nothing to fear about aging.

Though isolation is common in older adults, Rowe reports that Oak Crest, with its wealth of activities, has a strong sense of community. Like her, other residents embrace hobbies and activities they’ve always loved and are even trying new ones.

“I see people here who’ve always wanted to dabble in art or writing, and they’re writing their memoirs, and they’re lovely,” Rowe said.

“It’s never too late — I mean, unless you wanted to be a prima ballerina for the New York City Ballet, or if you want to be a running back for the Baltimore Ravens. That ain’t gonna happen. But within reason,” she said.

Rowe’s most recent book, Oh No, Not ‘The Home’: Observations and Confessions of a Grandmother in Transition, is available at bookstores and on Amazon.