Jodie Pierce is an author who has had a fascination with vampires since she was introduced to them as a child.  But she became truly inspired upon reading the Anne Rice vampire books.  Her experiences as a high school exchange student in Brazil have influenced her writing in this genre.  She enjoys historical research, and this is evidenced in her novels.  Welcome, Jodie!

Tell us a little about yourself.  I married the man of my dreams and have a fairy-tale marriage.  I started writing in middle school, but it wasn’t until college, when I started reading Anne Rice books, that I turned my already love of vampires into the subject of my writing.

What is the title and genre of your book, and who published it?  My book Crime Bites and So Do I  was published by my own publishing company, Vampirical Lyrical Publishing.

Tell us a little about your book.  In this police paranormal thriller, people start turning up dead all over town, completely drained of blood.  Are the murders random, or whom/what is the common link?  Does a vampire have civil rights in a human court of law?  When the lead Detective is placed under surveillance, how close will she get to the new man and how much does she really know about him?  How much does she even know about her own life?  The two work together to bring down the murderer, uncover her past, and maybe even make a future together for themselves.  What twists, turns, and surprises will they find along their way?

What inspired you to write it?  I always write about vampires, and I’d been watching a marathon of Rizzoli & Isles. I decided I wanted to write a paranormal crime thriller and push some of the boundaries with vampires and today’s legal system.  There’s lots of twists and turns in the story, and I love the way it came out.

When did you first start writing?  I started writing in middle school, but in high school, my English teacher encouraged me to write and we spent countless hours after school going over my stories.

What authors have most influenced you? How? Why?  I was writing teenage romance stories and found it boring.  When I started reading Anne Rice, I decided to take my love of vampires and include them into my stories, which made them much more interesting.  I also read a lot of Christine Feehan, and she is responsible for my dabbling in erotica.

How and where have you marketed your work?  That’s a trade secret!  No, just kidding.  I have several blogs, belong to various author groups, belong to Facebook author groups, create my own blog hops and Facebook events to promote it, etc.

Do you have other publishing credits?  Yes. I currently have ten published books with three more due out by the end of 2013.  The Vampire Queen, The Vampire Chronicles, Demise of the Vampire Queen, Condemned By A Vampire, The Reluctant Vampire, Tales of the Vampire: From A-Z, Once Sanguist, Twice Bi, Midnight Thirsts 2, In Vein (charity anthology – St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital), Crime Bites and So Do I, Children of the Night (charity anthology), Wild Cards (charity anthology), Bloody Kisses.

What is your current writing project?  I’m working on a new vampire research book.  It’s going to cover things such as the history of the vampire, vampire movies, vampire TV shows, vampire music, vampire books, etc.  It’s been a work in progress for a few years, but I just started working on it full time lately.

Do you have a website and/or blog?  Yes, several. (See below)

Where can your books be purchased?  Amazon, B&N, Smashwords.

What advice would you give to a new writer?  Whichever avenue you decide to pursue (being published traditionally or self published), keep working at it and don’t give up. I sent my first story to a publisher and they rejected it.  Two years later, after Twilight hit the theaters, I resent it back to that same publisher and they took it and three more of my stories.  It’s all about timing.

What do you wish to say to your readers?  I hope you find as much joy in reading my stories as I do in writing them.

Learn more about Jodie:  Website   FB Fan Page   Facebook  Amazon   Barnes & Noble    LinkedIn    Goodreads   Twitter    YouTube    Blog 1   Blog 2    Blog 3