We were lucky to catch up with Piper Bedwell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Piper, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

Growing up, I always wanted to be a singer or an astronaut or a scientist. I wanted to be something big and in charge, with people knowing my name and who I was. All the while, in the background, I was always creating something. I thought to be happy in life, I needed a job that was guaranteed to have a big pay out. I believed that I needed to live up to others expectations and their value of success. Writing was what came easiest to me, but the most terrifying to think of sharing with others. With other professions, you tend to work within set parameters. Most of them work with facts or industry standards and practices. Writing is open to the writer. It’s a huge world out there to write about, and an endless imagination to be able to pull from. It’s amazing and wonderful and absolutely terrifying.
As a writer, I put so much of myself into each book I write that the thought of sharing that with the world feels like I’m putting myself out there for others to see and judge. That was never something that I wanted to do. I would rather keep it all to myself and not share the worlds I created. I didn’t want to set myself up for rejection and judgement.
Eventually, I got the push that I needed and gained some bravery to publish. And it was absolutely worth it. Outside of my husband and my kids, it’s probably the best thing I have ever done. It’s been an amazing ride and I can’t wait to see how much farther this goes.
So as far as a legacy I am hoping to build, I hope to be able to show others that it is never too late to find your passion and bravery and to be able to take that leap of faith. I want to encourage others to chase their dreams and happiness and to settle for nothing less. I hope they, especially my girls, learn that bravery isn’t the absence of fear, but the ability to face those fears and push through. It’s worth it. Even if your passion isn’t on the same path as those around you, it’s still worth pursuing.
I have no idea what people will say about me after I am gone. Probably that I am a little crazy, very sassy, and hyped up on caffeine. But I hope that I am remembered for encouraging others to believe in themselves and reach for whichever star in the sky they want. I hope to be remembered for helping others, being a good person, and being courageous enough to try.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started writing, really writing, in middle school. It was something my friends and I did together. We edited for each other, encouraged each other, and grew in our craft together. But as I’ve said before, I never wanted to publish. I never wanted to bare my soul to, essentially, the entire world. But I finally did. I think the moments I am most proud of revolve around the reactions of my readers. I love when people who are self proclaimed “non-readers” start sending me messages about how they couldn’t put the book down and asking when the next one comes out. I love when people at conventions are (understandably) skeptical of a new author so they only buy one book, but the next day (or even later that day) they return to get more after only a couple chapters of the one they purchased. I love converting people who have sworn off convention authors into people who advocate for others to take a chance. I love getting people reading and giving people the escape that I so need when I read or write.
Recently, we were in Huntsville for a convention and the lady working at the hotel recognized me and my husband because of my books. She was so amazing in her reaction to seeing us and her enthusiasm over my book. She was louder in her excitement and praise of my writing than I think I have ever felt I had the right to be. It was seriously the boost I needed that night and I can’t wait to return and see her reaction to the others.
As far as what kind of books I write and what the readers can expect, I am a Spicy Author. I write fantasy and non fantasy, plot driven romance books. Yes, they are spicy, but there is always a strong female lead, an aspect of intrigue/suspense in the conflict, and (so far at least) a Happily Ever After feel at the end. I love reading, and I love writing something that I can get lost in when I re-read it. That’s what I hope to provide to my readers.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is honestly the readers and people we have met along the way. They have been so welcoming and wonderful. My husband and I have gone to more than a dozen toy and comic conventions over the last year and half, and the people have been amazing. We’ve made so many new friends along the way. We’ve walked among giants of the entertainment industry and can call so many of them friends and it is humbling and incredible. Sharing my books with others and becoming part of a community along the was has been the most amazing journey. They are the ones that make the fear of rejection and failure less prominent and give the feeling of “I can do this” more ground to stand on. So yeah…the readers and new friends.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have two amazing daughters and I think that was what ultimately pushed me to publish, along with the nudge I received from a friend. How can I create and shape brave women, if I stay hidden and never take the chance? Yes, I want to take care of my family. I have an amazing husband who does incredible work for charity through Extra-Life for The Children’s Miracle Network, and specifically Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and I would love nothing more than to be able to let him focus solely on that mission. We have two wonderful daughters who I want to be able to keep happy and healthy and raise them to be good people. I homeschool them and coach them in gymnastics as well, and I want to be able to give them so many amazing experiences to help them grow into happy, good humans. And I want to be able to help others. We’ve had so many amazing people help us along the way that I want to be able to pay it forward. I want to encourage others in their journey. I want to help other budding authors find their bravery and take their chance. I want to help other creatives get their name out and have their chance. At the end of they day, everything I do is for my family and the ability to help others. If the best way to teach is by example, how can I teach our girls to be brave and put themselves out there if I don’t? I push myself to be a better person, a better writer, for them. I want to be able to show them that anything is possible with the right motivation and drive.

Contact Info:

• Website: PiperBedwell.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/piper.bedwell
• Facebook: facebook.com/piperbedwell

Image Credits
Chelsea Boone-Belcher at Boone Studios.