Kira Peikoff
is the author of three novels: Living Proof (Tor, 2012), No Time to Die (Kensington, 2014), and Die Again Tomorrow (Kensington, 2015). Since 2012, she has been writing health and science features on a freelance basis for publications including the New York Times, Newsweek, Popular Mechanics, and Cosmopolitan.com. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from NYU and an MS in bioethics from Columbia University. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and possibly the world’s cutest dog. She has been a member of MWA since 2012.
What made you decide to be an author?
Growing up an only child, my favorite pastime was writing stories to entertain myself. Around age 12, I realized that this was a passion I wanted to pursue for real, and I decided I would become a novelist. But it wasn’t until I was after college that I made myself commit to it. I took one year off after graduating and took writing courses while working on my first manuscript full-time. That eventually became published as Living Proof in 2012.
Do you outline or fly by the seat of you pants?
Definitely outline. I need to understand the scope of the narrative and what the main turning points will be before I sit down to write. This way, I can write toward them purposefully, adding foreshadowing and building the logic, so that it will work out. I find this saves a lot of time in rewriting later.
What non-crime books do you enjoy reading?
I enjoy smart women’s fiction and some YA and literary fiction, though if it’s too “literary,” I find that there is no real plot, and my patience thins.
How do you handle rejection or bad reviews?
I used to take it more personally than I do now. I realize you can’t please everyone, nor should you try. I also have learned a lot from certain criticisms, and I think it’s made me a stronger writer. The trick is to glean useful advice from it if you can. Otherwise, just let it roll off your back.
What advice would you give to beginning writers?
Take a writing workshop with a published author, hire a freelance editor to help bring your writing up to a professional level before you query agents, and spend time studying the business of publishing. These three things will serve you well.