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CHRISTINA: I meet a lot of authors online these days, whether supporting each other in a Twitter-fest, working as a beta reader, or just following because I enjoy their content. I am particularly excited whenever I meet someone from the Pacific Northwest like me. Bonnie Jo Pierson is from Idaho—that's the Pacific Northwest, right? And I was super excited to see she published her debut contemporary romance, What Happens in Idaho, in the last month.
When did you first think you had a book to write and how did you start?
BONNIE JO: When my first baby was fourteen days old, we moved away from family and anything familiar across the country to St. Louis, where my husband entered the realm of medical school, leaving me at home to care for this infant. I was blessed with a daughter who slept a lot, like six hours a day, twelve hours at night a lot. To pass the time, I went to the library and read stacks and stacks of books. Until one fall day, I told my husband I wanted to make one of these. His response was, “Why don’t you?” So, I opened my laptop and started writing, starting with a seed of a question: If everything I held dear was stripped from me, what type of woman would I become? Would I ever be able to love again?
I played on my worst fears and wrote myself to a happily ever after.
CHRISTINA: I don't know what to be more impressed with: your baby's sleeping skills or that you wrote a book during her downtime?
What do you wish you had known before you started writing a book?
BONNIE JO: I wish I had known more about querying and how hard it is to get an agent/publisher. Actually, scratch that. If I had known, I don’t know if I would have taken this industry on. And I’m so very glad I did. Haha.
CHRISTINA: Isn't that the truth! It's a rollercoaster.
How has the publishing industry changed since you started?
BONNIE JO: I started querying before QM (Query Manager) when a majority of agents were accepting hard-copy mailed submissions. Of course, they also accepted emailed submissions, but it wasn’t rare to send your submission packet in the mail. So, it’s changed a bit. With a manuscript wish list, it’s easier to research agents and what they want. With QM it’s way easier to keep track of where and when you’ve sent queries.
Right now, I do feel like the market is flooded and agents and editors alike are overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of submissions. Therefore, there are a lot less personalized rejections, and hardly ever any feedback is offered. It takes longer to hear back from anyone. So those in the query trenches have to be that much stronger. But this current market is building more resilient writers.
CHRISTINA: Agree! It's hard to read about some authors' successes while still in the trenches, but the support of others trying to get an agent or book deal or sell books on their own is good for the soul.
What comes first: plot or characters?
BONNIE JO: Definitely the characters. I write in a way where I flesh out the characters. Their emotional wound, their quirks, their origin story, etcetera. And then I allow them freedom of choice. I put them in a scenario, and they choose their way out of it. After I finish the draft, I then look at story structure and make sure it fits in within the structure I want.
CHRISTINA: If you could tell your 21-year-old-self anything, what would you share?
BONNIE JO: To enjoy my 21-year-old body, pre-kids, and pre-middle-aged wear and tear. Haha.
CHRISTINA: I know, right? As a young person, I was so critical. I look at pictures of myself back then and think I was pretty terrific. I hope that when I am eighty, I'll look back at pictures of myself now and think the same.
What is your current project or latest release?
BONNIE JO: I’m working on a sequel for my romantic suspense set to release in 2026 and working on loosely plotting two other contemporary romances. My next book, Extreme Romancing in Idaho (Angie’s story), is set to release on January 14, 2025. I’m really excited for that one! It was a fun one to write.
CHRISTINA: That's very cool. Well done!
Do you put people you know, or their characteristics, in your book?
BONNIE JO: I often use the names of people I know and base some side characters on people in my life, but they always become completely different as I get to know the real character underneath.
CHRISTINA: Do you hide any secrets in your novels only a select few might know?
BONNIE JO: One of the things that drew me to my husband was his love of classic cars. When we were first married, we owned a 66 Mustang named Blue Beauty. Renee’s Mustang is based on our lovely car. We had to sell it to help pay for medical school. And our adventure began in the medical field. I am definitely not a doctor, or a nurse. (Thankfully!) I get a little woozy at the sight of blood. But being married to a medical student, I learned a ton about the process. Watching normal people enter med school and come out as doctors was inspirational. Hence the reason Lili is a trauma surgeon.
Also, some things Maddie says are based on actual conversations coming from my nephews.
CHRISTINA: Best advice for new writers:
BONNIE JO: Find your community and never give up. I wouldn’t be where I’m at without the writing friends I have lifting me up. Not only did they cheer me on and keep me going when I wanted to give up, but they also made the connections that led me to my publisher. My book also wouldn’t be as good as it is today without the many beta reads my writing friends provided. Having a village is invaluable!
CHRISTINA: I couldn't agree more.
Many thanks for taking the time to answer these questions during your exciting book release month. Best wishes on the next also. Cheers!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gifted with a short attention span, Bonnie wants to experience and do as much as she can. Using the great powers of YouTube, she’s taught herself how to knit, crochet, paint with oils, acrylics, and watercolors, coach volleyball, play the piano and cello, ride a motorcycle, renovate a house, sing, sew, raise livestock, bake, and most importantly how to write. With a degree in biology, she’s a lover of all things science, especially in the microscopic world. She and her Navy veteran husband have four children and spent several years bouncing around to various locations in the United States. Now she’s made her home in small-town Idaho, where she’s attempting to resurrect her great-grandparent's one-hundred-year-old farm.
Connect with Bonnie via her social media and her website.
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