Meet Simone Stier

We recently connected with Simone Stier and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Simone, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I got it from watching my parents—both incredibly hardworking people who taught me that if you want something, you roll up your sleeves and go after it. I started babysitting when I was eleven because I had my heart set on a pair of cowboy boots. (Spoiler: I got them.) That experience stuck with me—I learned early that hard work pays off.
I’ve carried that into everything I do, especially writing. I’m incredibly disciplined. I believe in showing up, doing the work, and not waiting around for inspiration to strike. Goals don’t chase themselves—you have to meet them halfway, hot tea in hand.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a cozy mystery author living in North Carolina with my husband and our dog Cali—a chihuahua mix of mysterious origin and undeniable star power.

I started indie publishing in 2009 and dedicated myself to the business by 2013. Originally I wrote under the pen name Simone Pond, writing dystopian and urban fantasy. These days, I write as Simone Stier and collaborate with my husband, Peter, on everything from plotting murders (fictional ones!) to managing our publishing biz.

We launched our cozy mystery series in October 2024, and it’s been holding strong on Amazon’s cozy culinary mystery bestseller list ever since. One of my favorite parts of this journey? Connecting with readers. They’re more than fans—they’re part of the world we’ve built.

I love helping other writers take the leap too—whether it’s sharing strategy, encouragement, or just a peek behind the scenes.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

It’s hard to narrow it down to just three, but if I had to choose, I’d say creativity, organization, and perseverance have been the backbone of my journey.

Perseverance kept me going through the early years when I was figuring everything out. Not only the craft of writing but also educating myself on the ever-changing business as well as marketing. Organization helped me treat my writing like a business—managing deadlines, launches, and the mountain of details behind every book and marketing plan. And creativity, of course, is what fuels the stories and keeps the spark alive, as well as the advertising and publicity.

That said, I’d also give honorable mentions to discipline, focus, and flexibility—because without those, I’d still be staring at a blinking cursor and a pile of half-baked plots.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The biggest challenge I’m facing right now is juggling the creative side of writing with the business side—especially growing the business, continued marketing and connecting with readers. It’s not just about making sales; it’s about building a genuine community around the books.

There’s so much noise out there on social media, and standing out in a way that feels true to me and my brand can be both tricky and energizing. I love coming up with creative ways to connect—but I’ll admit, it’s a lot to manage.

Down the road, I’d love to bring on help for the admin and behind-the-scenes work (even though part of me really enjoys spreadsheets and systems). Right now, I’m wearing all the hats—and while that’s rewarding, it’s also a balancing act. But I love every single minute of it.

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