Who: Pierce Brown

Claim To Fame: Pierce Brown is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star, and Iron Gold. His work has been published in thirty-three languages and thirty-five territories. While trying to make it as a writer, he worked as a manager of social media at a startup tech company, toiled as a peon on the Disney lot at ABC Studios, did his time as an NBC page, and gave sleep deprivation a new meaning during his stint as an aide on a U.S. Senate campaign. Now he lives in Los Angeles, where he scribbles tales of spaceships, wizards, ghouls, and most things old or bizarre.

Where To Find Pierce: His Website, Amazon, Twitter

Praise For Pierce: “Pierce Brown is a prodigy. As great as the first book of the Red Rising Trilogy is, Golden Son is even better. A wild ride full of suspense, intrigue, and serious ass-kicking bravado, it’s expertly written and emotionally engaging, with top-notch universe-building that begs for further exploration. I want more!” — Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Snowblind

When do you like to write? Are you regimented about your writing routine?

I write from eight am to about three pm most days. For me, consistency is important. Elsewise the guiltmonster will slump my shoulders and eat away my confidence. Truth be told, I can’t always write on command, but I can always work on a project. If the words aren’t flowing or I’ve run afoul plot indecision, I’ll tinker with the worldbuilding until I get a burst of inspiration again.

Where do you like to write? What does your ideal work environment look like?

I used to be able to write anywhere. I guess I’ve gotten more particular as I’ve gone on. My preferred place now is in my office at my desktop computer. It’s easier to leave the writing there when I’ve finished, and not export the mental clutter to the rest of my life.

I think I’ve made my ideal work environment. Right now I’m sitting at my desk with a pot of coffee. The birds are chirping as they eat from the loquat tree just out the window. My dog is snoring in a chair behind me. My reference books are all on the wall. All I need is a live-in masseuse.

Do you have any pre-writing rituals or habits before you sit down to write?

Too many. I should have none. It feels more badass to have none.

Do you struggle at all with that dreaded enemy of writing: writer’s block? Do you think such a thing exists?

Ridiculous. Of course it exists. If someone says it doesn’t exist, they’re either Stephen King, or they’re gatekeeping. It exists for me not because I don’t have ideas, but because I can’t choose WHICH idea to go with. The only way I overcome it is to skip the scene or write through it knowing that I’ll have to come up with something better when I’m done. But as they say, an object in motion stays in motion. An object at rest…

Deciding on an idea to pursue writing about can be the most challenging aspect for a writer. How do you come to find the stories and lives that become the subjects of your books? Are there habits or daily tricks you use to think about book ideas?

I believe in practicing enhanced free association—which is a fancy way of saying to surround yourself with stimuli that are connected (even esoterically) to your story. Music and images certainly summon a strong reaction in me. Often, I find myself trying to channel the emotions conveyed through a song into my story.

What is the hardest part or biggest problem to solve when you’re world-building beyond a single book in a series? Does it get easier or harder?

It gets more difficult because of all the information one has to keep straight. Not a book goes bye that I don’t find myself contracting in some small fashion some of the world-building that went before. It’s enough to make one feel constrained for fear of violating some earlier precept. But to err is human and all that—plus my inbox fills up with readers who noticed the contradiction, so my second editions often have fixes in the text.