Michael Pierce Author Interview

Book Nerd Interview

I spent the early years of my life bouncing around the East Coast and moved to Southern California in high school. I graduated from Cal. State Fullerton with a bachelor's degree in Management, but continually took creative writing classes. It was the classic struggle between passion and practical.

I stopped writing for a while and focused on building a career through serving people Starbucks coffee. I loved coffee and still do. It just wasn't my true calling.

Writing beckoned me back to a magical world of possibility, and I could only resist for so long. As Mr. Gordon would say, "Believe anything is possible." In the routine and obligations of everyday life, it's sometimes hard to believe. But lost in a story, I feel absolutely free. And my furthest exploration into that freedom has become my first novel, Provex City, which is Book One in the Lorne Family Vault Series.

I love Tool & Elliott Smith, Dexter & Donnie Darko, Harry Potter & The Marbury Lens, bold coffee & amber ale. I believe in a future where I'll be able to write full-time, a picture I already hold vividly in my mind. I love dabbling with writing music and recording, and have no illusions of ever making it a career. It's a creative outlet without the pressures of expectations, self-promotion, and sales. Just the pure joy of creation. Once upon a time there was a little idea for a band called Parousia Six, which I would lead into rock ‘n’ roll history. If you're going to dream, dream big! Maybe one day Parousia Six will live through a story instead.

I am so grateful for the support I've received from my family and friends, and I know that the only failure is to quit. Success is all about enjoying the journey and learning along the way of your committed direction.Provex City is as much my journey as it is Oliver’s. It may not be a smooth ride for either one of us, but it's the first leg of a great adventure. We’ll both meet new friends along the way and discover things about ourselves that, at one time, we never dreamt possible.

Instead of hiring professionals or pestering friends with web-design experience, I hacked away at creating this website with a combination of Artisteer and Microsoft Expression Web. If you have any suggestions, and they will be easy to implement, then feel free to share them with me. If your suggestions are elaborate or complex, then I'll probably fold that piece of paper back up, place it back in the suggestion box, and pretend I never saw it. No hard feelings, but I have writing to do.

I still live in Southern California with my wife, daughter, and our two ultra-protective Chiweenies. Beware!

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Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer? 

I loved writing from elementary school through high school, but I saw it as a dream. I didn’t have the confidence in myself and my writing to write professionally. I went through a period in college and a few years after when I stopped writing and immersed myself in music. I read the Harry Potter series straight through when The Deathly Hallows came out and something clicked. I knew I wanted to get back into writing. So I started and didn’t stop...and Provex City was the product of my new passion and vision.

Why is storytelling so important for all of us? 

Books, movies, TV shows, and music, all have the ability to transport us into another world, let us escape the repetition of everyday life for a short while. It’s the storytelling that makes those worlds real and brings those characters to life. I love those escapes, but I don’t want to just escape into other people’s worlds and visions. I want to create worlds of my own.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author? 

Tony Robbins defines his recipe for success as “try until.” If you have a dream or goal, “try until” you reach it. No time limits. No amounts of tries. Until. I also really like Stephen King’s advice for editing, which he received as a high school student. 2nd Draft = 1st draft – 10%. I doubled that with Provex City, cutting over 20% from my first draft.

In your debut book; Provex City (The Lorne Family Vault Series, Book 1), can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it and why they should read your novel? 

Provex City is about a fifteen year old boy and his journey to gain a greater belief in himself, which leads him to a higher plane of awareness—a seemingly parallel dimension—where he uncovers secrets about his past, his family, and his reoccurring childhood nightmares. Oliver goes through several rites of passage for a typical teenage boy as well as being pulled into a magical adventure where “anything is possible.” It is a multi-genre book, from contemporary to urban fantasy.

For those who are unfamiliar with Oliver, how would you introduce him? 

Oliver is your average high school boy. At times he wishes he was more popular, confident, and better at sports, but he doesn’t dislike himself. He gets nervous, but doesn’t let that nervousness paralyze him. He pushes himself past his comfort zone and grows as a result. Oliver is a good student, wants to do the right thing, makes mistakes, creative, and loyal to his friends and family. He is far from perfect and will be the first to admit it.

Why do you feel you had to tell this story? 

The story was so vivid in my head that I had to get it down on paper. I felt like I already knew the characters before I had written a single word. I know where they’re going to end up and feel obligated to get them there.

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Oliver? 

I originally put a lot of myself in Oliver. But as his adventure continued, he had to break away from me and grow into his own person.

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why? 

I’d love to see a faceoff between Kafka and Voldemort. They’re both ambitious leaders and neither one would bow down to the other. It would be a killer interaction.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us? 

I am making the final edits on the second book in the series, SUSY Asylum, and hope to have it available by April. I am also beginning to write the third book. I have the Lorne Family Vault planned as a four book series.

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie? 

How would you know I’m not lying now? :)

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your readers. What would it be? 

If you believe in yourself and your dreams, then you can find a way to accomplish them. Passion and persistence can overcome any kind of lack. Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? 

I just go home to my wife and one-year-old daughter, and they brighten up every day.

What’s your most missed memory? 

My first memory is seeing my grandfather in the hospital just before he died. And it’s just a flash. I was two years old. I have a lot of pictures of him, but no other memories—with this memory serving as nothing more than a picture. I’d love to be able to go back and experience more from that flash of a memory. I love to know what his voice sounded like.

When and how was the last time you told someone HONESTLY how you felt? 

Ioften have a hard time expressing how I feel, so I write it into my stories. I can express how I feel through someone else’s words and actions.

When was the last time you cried? 

Several times I’ve looked back at how much my daughter has grown over the past year and how much our lives have changed (for the better), and I get misty eyed. It’s still sometimes hard to believe I’m now a parent.

What are you most passionate about today? 

I am most passionate about what I’ve written, continuing to write, and working on getting my book(s) introduced to new readers. I will not stop until I can support myself and my family on my writing. That’s the dream, right? Every reality started out as a dream.

What is the one, single food that you would never give up? 

I hope I never have to give up chocolate. I try not to eat it too often, but when I do it’s quite the treat. Those are good days. :)

Where can readers stalk you?

Blog: www.michaelpiercebooks.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MrPierceBooks
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lornefamilyvault
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/michaelpiercebooks
Email: michael@michaelpiercebooks.com

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Fifteen-year-old Oliver Grain begins his school year fighting off bullies, learning about the boy who committed suicide in his room, and trying to understand why his history teacher, Mr. Gordon, has taken such a personal interest in him.

Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe you can make bullies simply disappear? Do you believe you can walk through walls?

Mr. Gordon tells Oliver: "When you truly believe anything is possible, you will be able to open doors where there were only walls." And one of those doors leads Oliver to Provex City, which puts him in far greater danger than he can possibly fathom.

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