Meet Piper Bedwell | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Piper Bedwell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Piper, why did you pursue a creative career?
I started writing in Middle School as a way for my friends and I to connect with each other and the shows that we enjoyed watching together. We would watch a TV show or read a book and decide that there was some aspect of it that we didn’t like or we thought didn’t fit. Then, I would rewrite it and write it the way we wanted it to go, Eventually, I started coming up with my own storylines within the parameters of the show. It wasn’t until High School that I really started coming up with my own storylines completely out of the blue. By then, it was more of a need to write, than a way to connect. It was as if I had all these stories in my head that just needed to come out.

People said then, that I would be a writer one day and publish my books, but I denied it. My books were for me and MAYBE a few other people to read. The idea of putting them out there and sharing them with the world was terrifying. Add in the uncertainty of making any money at it and I was determined I wouldn’t publish ever. What if I sent my books to a Publisher and they said it wasn’t good enough? Would that mean I’m not good enough?

Then, a friend and fellow writer (who was also scared of publishing) gave me a huge push and said we were going to self-publish together in the same year. We were both working on a fantasy romance at the time and we gave each other a deadline to get it done. We both published our first books in 2019 and I haven’t looked back since.

It’s still terrifying, but it is also so beautiful. The stories are still flowing through my head and need to come out onto the page. I found that each time I “push the button” to publish it gets a little easier. It helps that now I have readers that are asking for the next book and when it will be released. It really gives me that push, that confidence that I can do this.

The other reason is that, during all of this, I had our two daughters. I want them to know that they have a voice in the world and they can use it. I want them to know that they can do anything they put their mind to, even if it’s scary. They can do hard things and take risks. How can I expect them to learn that, if I don’t take risks myself?

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Well, like I said previously, I started writing in Middle School and evolved from there. Up to the point that I released my first book “Searching for Evermore” in 2019, I had rarely written sequels to the books I wrote. They were all standalones as sequels seemed daunting and unobtainable. I had so many ideas in my head for books that it always kept me moving on to new story ideas and different characters. Even after I released that one, I didn’t immediately write the sequel. I had another book already in my head that I wrote as a standalone, “Too Late for Shadows and Memories”, before even entertaining the idea of a sequel.

So many people reached out, wanting a sequel, that I starting really thinking about it and trying to find out if I could do it. Writing “Searching for Balliol” – the sequel to “Searching for Evermore” – showed me that not only could I write a sequel, I could do it well enough that people still wanted more. So, to some people this may not seem like a big accomplishment, but to me, it opened up so many different doors for book ideas that I hadn’t allowed myself to believe in.

After that, I have taken on the possibly overly ambitious task of writing a 6 book series and I am proud to say that the first book in that series is going to be (or was) released on January 22, 2024. “Polyphonic Serenade” is Book 1 of the UTRM series and I’m so excited to share these characters and their stories with the world. Each book will follow a different member of the Rock Band UTRM and the trials and dangers they encounter along the way. Without having written the sequel to “Searching for Evermore”, I’m not sure that I would have been brave enough to start this series.

The biggest thing I’ve learned along the way, and what I want others to know, is to believe in yourself. If you don’t, then at least surround yourself with people that do until you can. You are capable of far more than you could ever imagine, if you’ll just let yourself believe.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would probably be a terrible party planner for this as I am usually at home writing, with the kids, or at the gym. Haha. Especially over this last year, we haven’t really gotten out much. Life can definitely get crazy.

Honestly, it would probably be parks and hiking in the mornings, get togethers with friends in the evenings, and cooking or grilling at the house. From there it would depend who was coming and what they were interested in. We could visit wineries and distilleries. we could go dancing and play pool. There are also some treetop adventures in the area with zip lines and climbing trails. We’re also right on the water so there is kayaking and fishing that’s available. Plenty of eateries in the area also have live music. I’m sorry, I know you were looking for specifics, but I would really cater it to the person coming in and their interests, and my besties are either local or vastly different.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family (and friends that are more family than friend) are the biggest cheerleaders that I could have ever had. They are the ones that I can bounce ideas off of, that encourage me when I am down, and slide food under the door when I am so locked in a book that I can’t look up, much less stop to eat. With having two girls under the age of 10, and home schooling them, and being a gymnastics coach, it can be crazy trying to find time to write, edit, market, and do all the other things that go with writing. Without them, it would be so much harder to do what I do now. They are the ones, especially my husband, who keeps me sane and keeps me going when it all feels too much. So, they are my shoutout!

Website: PiperBedwell.com

Instagram: Piper.Bedwell

Facebook: /piperbedwell

Other: @piperbedwell on Tiktok