Check it Out: S.L. Pierce

Hi everyone! Enjoying your spring break? If you're looking for something to read or do while getting some sun or eating some delicious Easter candy (my personal favorite is Brach's marshmallow eggs), here's another author to check out: S.L. Pierce!

What made you decide to write? Did you always know that you wanted to be an author or was there an “aha!” moment in your life where you suddenly knew that this was what you wanted to do?

I did not always want to write. In fact, I have a PhD in chemical engineering but once I started working, I found it to be boring. My “aha” moment was not exactly a moment. I kept reading J.A. Konrath's blog to my husband about self publishing and he said 'You should write a book'. I kind of laughed it off but the idea wouldn't leave my head. It took a few days to realize I really did want to be a writer (I've loved books as long as I can remember).

What inspires you? Do you have a muse that you tap into each time you write or does your imagination respond to different things, like seeing an apple & suddenly deciding to write a story about an apple farmer?

What inspires me is the idea of a strong female lead who doesn't get caught by the bad guy at the end. I try to avoid the killing and victimization of woman and instead focus on a strong woman and a clever mystery. So, I think of a character and build a story around her.

How do you come up with the titles for your books? These can often be amongst the hardest things for authors to settle on, so how & when in the process do you start coming up with titles?

It's so true! As a writer I struggle over the whole book for months then, when it's finally finished, that need for a title creeps up and the real work begins. The title is so important and you can't change it once it's published. That makes it hard. I don't bother trying to think of a good title until the book is done. While I'm writing, if a title pops into my head, I will jot it down. But I don't settle on one till I'm done. If none of the titles I've thought of during the writing of the book sounds good, I sit and try to jot down central ideas from the book until one of them sounds good.

Are any of your characters' experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? Have you ever seen or done any of the things in your book? If not, how did you go about doing your research? Any funny stories you can share with us?

Nothing in my books are based on my own experiences or on people I know. I have taken bits and pieces of strong female characters from movies and TV as a starting point for some characters though. Thanks for the question. Now I can call sitting and watching movies research for my books.

Do you have any latest news I can dish for you?

It's not too juicy but I did put out a short story for free on Smashwords and on my website (piercebooks.com) as a way of introducing readers to my style of writing. It's called The Warning and it will remain free forever. Sorry I couldn't make it available anywhere else but Amazon and Barnes and Noble do not allow authors to post items for free. (You can find the free story by clicking here.)

Who are some of your favorite authors? Have they helped inspire your writing by reaffirming your decision to write or by indirectly giving you ideas for various stories?

My all time favorite author is Lee Child. I just love Jack Reacher (his character). I also really love Harlen Coben. But there are two authors who have inspired my writing. One, J.A. Konrath, because he has shown us indie authors that you can be successful in self publishing. The second is Stephanie Meyer because, no matter your opinion of her writing, she is someone who never wrote anything before but said I have a story to tell and then did it. That made me realize I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying.

What is the hardest thing about writing for you? Everyone’s got that one part of writing that seems to stick with them.

Oh, I find it so hard to do the character development. I can get the action, the mystery, and the plot pretty easy but getting the characters to be real to the reader is so hard. You should see the first draft of my book Secrets. It is so terrible. I just glossed over the people and wrote the action. I can't believe how bad it is, looking back.

In the light of recent infamous responses to negative reviews, how would you recommend responding to negative reviewers?

If the review is respectful then I would remind authors that not everyone is going to like your writing. I know for myself I have seen books out there that are incredibly popular that I wouldn't read if they were free. That's just a matter of personal taste. If the reviewer is being deliberately cruel, I think readers will see that and disregard the review. Either way just keep plugging away at what you love and it will all work out. (Me: Kick butt answer! This is an awesome way of putting it!)

What do you like on your pizza? (Not book related but everyone’s got a favorite topping!)

I only eat all meat pizza. None of those pesky veggies for me.

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Curious about S.L.'s books & want to check them out? There's several options for you to try. You can check out the free story she's generously offering through her website (click here) or you can purchase her ebooks on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, or Smashwords!

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Also, remember that you can still enter the giveaway for a free copy of several great ebooks or a free amazon giftcard!