Please welcome my friend and sister writer, Janet Pierce!

Thanks for being with us today. First, would you tell us a bit about yourself? What area of the country do you live in, do you have a family, pets, etc.

I live in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA with my husband. Occasionally our granddog Norman comes for a visit, with or without my grandsons. I have two sons, one lives in Cranberry, north of Pittsburgh with his wife and a mini-me, my granddaughter. My other son lives in the western suburbs of Pittsburgh with his wife, my two grandsons and Norman, the wonder dog- as my husband calls him.

Are you a coffee fiend, or do you have another “addiction” you must have on your desk at all times?

 I love coffee but it is not always at my desk. I may have water or tea, especially if it’s hot out or I have to do some talking with my critique groups.

Is your education relevant to your writing, or have you branched off in something entirely different to create? How would you best describe your books?

That’s an interesting question. I have written many different types of discourse. My very first attempt was when I was about 13. I was bored at our summer cottage after reading all the books I had brought with me, so I wrote The Carson Twins Mysteries- 2 of them. My twin sister illustrated them. They tell you to write what you know- so I wrote about twin sisters, used settings I was familiar with and mysteries which I loved to read at the time.

Years later, after getting my undergrad degree in Elementary Education and French, I couldn’t get a job in education right away. So, I wrote 2 children’s books for my sons, not published but now works in progress. Then I wrote and put on murder mysteries with my company Murder Most Mysterious. But after a year or two I found I did not like putting them on, I preferred to write them. So, I stopped that. While I was doing these things, I had my two sons. They even helped with the shows on occasion. Imagine having an 8- and 10-year-old in the cast. I was also writing and editing a weekly newspaper at the time. I enjoyed it but the money wasn’t very much. I also did free-lance feature stories for the Tribune Review during that time. I met a lot of interesting people for those stories. I loved doing the historical stories of people who had family members who did unusual things. As for myself I got a chance to go on a wagon train ride and found it fascinating. I rode in a surrey, a farm wagon and a Conestoga. I was in the surrey going up alongside a highway when a tornado went through the area. The sky darkened and wind howled. The horses formed a circle and turned inward. Luckily it did not come close to us.

Then as my writing job was being phased out at the newspaper, I managed to get a part-time teaching job. I taught English as a Second Language part-time while writing and then having to go to grad school to keep my teaching certificate. I had created my own double degree as an undergrad at Slippery Rock University and I ended up doing the same thing 28 years later at the University of Pittsburgh.

Eventually the reporting job ended, and I taught full-time. When PA said ESL teachers had to get an ESL certification, I was one of the few teachers who were able to get my certification through the creation of a work portfolio. I ended up teaching classes and developing online classes for the educating entities at the time. That led to my first self-published book- Teaching English Learners-Cultural Implications, Communications, Connections, and Curriculum. I also traveled up and down western PA teaching school district personnel how to create an ESL curriculum. In the 2000s I felt my job was threatened when another woman in my school district went back to school to get her ESL doctorate. So, I applied, was accepted and within 5 years, while teaching full-time, I got my PhD in English- Composition and TESOL. I actually graduated ahead of that teacher and was the oldest and first to finish in my cohort. I published articles in newsletters, and TESOL journals as well as having a chapter in one of their books- Revitalizing a Curriculum for School-Age Learners. I continued teaching until 2018 when I retired and decided to return to my first love- writing fiction. Now I am learning  another type of discourse.  I love history and researching so I use that in my fiction writing. I also love to watch birds at my bird feeders as I read or listen to my Bible.

Tell us about your most recent publication/whichever book you’d like to talk about today? 

My most recent publication is “Observations at the Bird Feeder, published the end of February.

available  on Amazon https://a.co/d/0uVwo08

What inspired you to write this story? What interesting thing did you learn or research to write it that you didn’t know before?
I enjoy watching the birds that come to my bird feeder as I eat my breakfast and either listen to the Bible or read it. I started writing down my observations and how their actions reminded me of my own or other peoples’ reactions to things and then thought- “What does God think or say about this?” Having the app on my phone I was able to get key words and their scriptural basis as I wrote. I learned a lot of information about birds, and I learned a lot of scriptures. I was blessed to see these actions through both my eyes and the eyes of God as He talks in scriptures.

What’s your favorite thing about the book featured here today?

I am very pleased at how the book turned out, the pictures worked well and everything fell into place once I started getting it ready for publication.

Any special memories you have in the creation of it?

First of all, I never thought of these devotions as a book. It started as just a way to practice my writing skills, learn about birds and God. In one of my critique groups, I submitted a couple of them for our session and a woman told me, “You should get these published.” I asked the others what they thought. Now some of these woman were not overtly Christian and I didn’t even know if or what they believed so when they concurred, it was an Ah Ha moment. Of course, when I submitted the work to a couple of publishers, I was told it was too niche. That did not deter me. I finally decided to self-publish it. It is going well so far and I know a little bit about marketing (did I tell you I also worked in advertising for a very short time? ) but I try to remember, this book and the sales are my and my husband’s way of outreach, to others about how God is with us in all things and ways.

What do you most like about writing? I like imagining, and creating the stories, the writing and the research to learn more. Least like? Maybe doing the marketing, although I don’t hate it, it’s just that once more I have a lot to learn.

When did you first know you wanted to be an author? Well, I’ve always had something to say and I like writing, it is one thing I’ve always done well, albeit after learning a bit of how to write in a particular genre.

Do you belong to any writing groups?

Yes, I belong to Pennwriters, and to St. David Christian Writers.

Are there any writing websites you find particularly useful?

I have a few sites. I get links for Jane Friedman, Roseanna White, Reedsy, Authors Publish, Thomas Umstadt, and Writers Helping Writers.

Is there any special music you like to listen to while writing?

No, I really like silence, so I can get into my thoughts and just write with no distractions. 

How does it inspire you? It doesn’t when I am actually writing.

On my walks and driving the car, yes, Christian music does inspire me. I have written songs and performed them as I played guitar in my younger days. I still sing, but arthritis keeps me from playing guitar.

Do you belong to a critique group? What do you find most valuable about the experience? Yes, I belong to 2 critique groups- both online. I attend one that has helped me learn a lot about writing- POV, head-hopping, deepening tension are just a few of the things I’ve learned. I also run an online group that has members who have ebbed and flowed in and out from time to time. I wouldn’t mind running another one for Christian writers. I love doing it online too.

I drive to a Panera near me to meet with 3 other women who are Pennwriters and we discuss what we are doing, sharing pitfalls and encouragements.

To encourage those still on the path, tell us a little about your path to publication. Don’t give up. Join a critique group, read and learn about writing.  You can ALWAYS learn. Pray a lot and network. This is the advice I would give to any writer.

My path has been a winding, meandering one, over many years. I’ve had to be patient and be persistent.

How many books have you published? I self-published. My first one.-

How many books did you write before selling one? What do you think was the key to selling that first book? When I designed the ESL courses for the state of Pennsylvania, I used the book for several of the classes. So they had to order and use it. Since there were no other books like mine, it was necessary. I have sold of 1,200 books in the past 20 years.

What are you writing now? I am currently working on my historical inspirational saga– Seasons: The Trevellian Family Saga.  There are to be 4 books in it. My agent is currently shopping the first one- Helena’s Autumn to publishers.

I also have an idea for another devotional. A pictoral book of the various things you see that reflect the wonder of God’s world on walks and what he has to say about them. The working title is- Walking in Wonder.

 What’s next for you—will you be making personal appearances anywhere our readers can find you? Yes. I may be doing a book crawl in Pittsburgh mid-May (details still to be worked out); I will be presenting at the Pennwriter’s Conference in Pittsburgh May 16-18^th, and St. David Christian Writers in Meadville, PA  June 17-22^nd, at the Ohio Heritage Festival in Westerville Ohio August 16^th, and a book signing August 24 at the Carpenter Loghouse in Boyce Park, Plum Borough, PA. I will also be at the Pennwriters Area 1 Road Trip in October 3-5.

Anything else you would like to add?

It has been an honor to talk with you and thanks for this opportunity.

You and everyone can reach me on my blog- https://www.janetpierceswritingcafe.com

And my author page on face book- https://www.facebook.com/JanetPierceAuthor

And on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/jpierce494/