Piper Punches

Piper Punches grew up in a rural Missouri town in the far west suburbs of St. Louis. As early as kindergarten, Piper began her adventure as a storyteller. It wasn’t long before others caught on that her talented storytelling was actually a disguise for her tendency to be a pathological liar. Luckily, by the time high school rolled around she got her act together and began to channel her bad girl tendencies into something constructive.

By the age of 16 she had written her novel, Silent Witness; a John Grisham- like tale about the treachery and brutality of the Colombian cartel. Before ever hitting the book shelves, Silent Witness was adapted into a screenplay that was picked up by a major Hollywood studio. It was at this time that Piper learned the harsh lessons of Hollywood and the literary world. NEVER pay an agent one measly dollar until you have a contract in your hands and  listen to your parents when they advise you against blindly sending $500 to have your dreams come true overnight.  Sometimes parents actually know what they are talking about.

For the next several years (okay, about 20 years) Piper held onto her dream of becoming a published novelist, but decided to take up procrastination instead. It didn’t pay well, but it sure felt great to get nothing accomplished and pursue other random dreams. Finally, in 2012, after an eight year period as a social worker and a seven year stint as a business owner Piper decided it was time to get back into the habit of storytelling . . . err, writing. She began freelancing and ghost writing for several popular websites, while continuing to postpone writing her original work.

Piper’s mother had told her during her teenage years that writers write what they know. Of course, she didn’t take her mother’s advice back then and continued to write about drug cartels (because didn’t you know that every 16 year old living in rural Missouri knows about drug cartels? Meth – maybe. Colombia drug runners – no). However, in true Piper fashion, after 20 years she finally took that parental advice.

In late fall of 2013, Piper will debut her first novel as a bona fide adult. The Waiting Room is a novel that started as the title of a short story collection, but quickly proved it could be so much more. It evolved into a story about the complexities of family, the invisible bonds that connect people, and the pain that can reverberate through the choices we make.

Piper Punches lives 45 minutes from downtown St. Louis with her husband and two daughters. She continues procrastinate and write on a daily basis and is excited to share her stories with new readers each and every day!

Crystal Hubbard

I am a mother of four who writes full-time from a suburb outside St. Louis, Missouri. I began my writing career as a newspaper reporter in Boston, but after the birth of my first child, I took a desk job as a sports copy editor at the Boston Herald where I was the only female “rimmie” on the night desk. The men I worked with were incredible and, unbeknownst to most of them, have served as the real-life examples for several of the heroes in my romance novels.

Primarily, I write romance novels and picture books, but I’ve written educational text and young adult novels as well.

I’m often asked which I prefer writing, romance novels for adults or picture books for children. The question is rather like being asked which of your children you prefer.

I enjoy both genres. Both require lots of research and creativity, and both are satisfying in their own ways. I draw on real people and real life for my romance novels, which can turn readers off when a fictional character I’ve modeled after a real person doesn’t behave as they’d like, or if they can’t connect with the character.

For my picture books, I’ve always chosen real people, and I work hard to provide honest portrayals of my subjects. I love the freedom fiction allows me but I also love the unflinching truth of my picture books.

My fiction writing suffered in 2008, when I was diagnosed with colon cancer. The book I was writing at the time is evidence of the anger, frustration, confusion and fear I experienced during surgery, chemotherapy and their aftermaths. Since I put so much of my own experiences and relationships in my books, my writing became muddied by personal turmoil.

I like to think that as I recovered, so did my writing. Cancer gave me a fresh perspective and a fearlessness that I hadn’t had before. My December 2011 release, Everything in Between, marks the end of my romance writing career. (Or so I keep telling myself!) That will be good news to some of my critics, but for those who like my writing, I’m attempting to branch into another genre.

I’m starting over anew, but I feel I’m up to the challenge. I owe my readers a debt of gratitude for their support, interest and encouragement over the years, and not just because they invest their time and finances in my work. In my darkest moments, readers have been the people who pulled me from despair and self pity. Readers are the ones who complete all of my stories, because without them, no story ever truly lives

Alice Muschany

Alice Muschany lives in Wentzville, Missouri. Publications include Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors and Chicken Soup for the Soul True Love.