About Boyce – S. M. Boyce

The official bio I send to reporters journalists ink slingers

When S. M. Boyce graduated with a degree in creative writing, she realized that made her well-qualified for serving French fries. It would take years of writing hundreds of thousands of words of all kinds before she became the fantasy and horror novelist she is today.

Boyce is known for action-packed epic fantasy, powerful heroes, and riveting magical stories filled with twists and intrigue. And, of course, a bit of humor sprinkled through it all. Prepare to get lost in the journey.

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The real authentic true me

S. M. Boyce is a pseudonym I’ve had since middle school. I’m really Sarah Michelle Boyce, but the nickname “Boyce” suits me fine. It’s my writing hat. My creative hat. My it’s-totally-legal-to-kill-this-person-because-he’s-fictional hat.

(GASP did she just tell us her real name?!)

Some readers call me Sarah, but I prefer Boyce. So, you know, 10 internet points if you do it right.

I’ve thought long and hard about what to share with you here. For the longest time, I was floored and flattered that people want to know anything at all about me. But you are among my favorite people (my readers!), and I suppose I can give this a go.

I like lists, so hey. Let’s try a list in timeline format.

When I was 16

2004. I got the idea for what would become the Grimoire Saga. Intimidated by my lack of experience, I sat on the concept because I didn’t think I could make a living from writing books.

When I was 21

2009. I wrote 3 "trunk novels," which are books that are so bad they'll never see the light of day. Every author has at least one of these collecting dust in a drawer somewhere.

When I was 22

2010. I graduated from Florida State University with a dual degree in Creative Writing and Marketing. I loved writing, but hadn’t yet figured out how to make this whole pay-the-bills thing work.

When I was 23

2011. I published my debut novel, Lichgates (Grimoire Saga #1), while working full time as a software tester. (I have a natural gift for breaking things, so it just kinda worked out.) Two weeks later, I held my paperback for the first time and cried like a friggin’ baby. In the parking lot of an apartment complex. In the rough part of town. Fun times.

Total books published: 1

When I was 24

2012. Lichgates (Grimoire Saga #1) hit the #6 spot on Amazon’s Top 100. I was in talks for optioning the film rights. Even though the movie talks didn't work out, I was still excited. Maybe I could make this writing career thing work after all.

Total books published: 2

When I was 25

2013. A stranger recognized me for the first time. I lost my shit with excitement. There was giggling involved. I was fangirling my fan. I’m pretty sure I looked like an idiot.

Total books published: 3

When I was 26

2014. I quit my day job. Thank god. My goodbye cake said “Fine, Sarah, just leave.” I loved it. I still talk to some of them.

Total books published: 4

When I was 27

2015. I drove across the country and moved to Washington state. It was life-changing and terrifying and fabulous. After unexpected mold and health issues, I wrote my first horror novel as a means of venting the anger. Dark times. I got better.

Total books published: 5

When I was 28

2016. I started ghostwriting to help boost my career. It was a fabulous opportunity to learn, grow, and push myself to improve my craft. All of these books were published, and even though my name isn't on them, I'm proud of how they turned out.

Total books published: 9

When I was 29

2017. I dipped my toes into the romance world with my first secret pen name, and while it wasn’t a meteoric success, it was still a lot of fun. This year was all about exploration—experimenting with genres, finding my voice, and deciding what I wanted out of this whole writing thing.

Total books published: 14

When I was 30

2018. Ghostwriting was still my bread and butter, but I was also figuring out what I wanted to do long-term. Spoiler alert: you don’t need to have it all figured out! This was also the year I decided kids weren’t for me, embraced the childfree life, and realized I could be the cool aunt to everyone else’s kids instead. Win-win.

Total books published: 23

When I was 31

2019. This was the year I threw on a wig, donned a fake name, and wrote romance for fun—and, surprise, it worked even better than I expected. Did I have a life outside of work? No. But I got a lot done.

Total books published: 34

When I was 32

2020. Do we even need to talk about 2020? You know what happened. The world shut down, everything was a mess, and I spent most of the year trying to write while hoarding hand sanitizer. Let’s just call it a “character-building experience” and leave it at that.

Total books published: 36

When I was 33

2021. Wraithblade hit bestseller status, and honestly, I’m still not sure how I managed to function because it was such a surreal experience. 18 years of hard work, relentless passion, and caffeine-fueled chaos finally paid off—and it felt amazing.

Total books published: 37

When I was 34

2022. The Wraithblade Saga didn’t just meet expectations—it exceeded them. Watching the series take off was a dream come true. I was (and still am) so grateful for every reader who made this possible.

Total books published: 38

When I was 35

2023. The year I barely survived—literally. Between nearly dying (twice!), undergoing heart surgery, and getting diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, I also earned an honorary PhD in trauma. Someone close to me endured a life-shattering nightmare that left us both broken, PTSD included, but somehow I kept writing through the cracks. Was I broken? Sure. But writing has this sneaky way of helping you glue yourself back together, one word at a time.

Total books published: 39

When I was 36

2024. This was my “phoenix rising from the ashes” year. I got divorced, embraced my fresh start, reclaimed my life, and dove back into writing like it was my first love—because honestly, it is. There’s something magical about rediscovering your creative spark, and let me tell you, it felt so good to be back in the game.

Total books published: ...still 39

Throughout my career, I’ve explored, screwed up, learned, succeeded, tried new genres, ghostwritten, started new pen names, and connected with hundreds of fellow authors the world over to hone my skill.

I consider myself a lifelong learner, and the beauty of writing is that there’s always room to grow. Though I’m proud of my abilities, I know there are always more techniques to learn, more people to meet, more readers to speak to, and more connections to be made.

The only failure is in giving up entirely, and thus every mistake has brought me here, to where I am. As I look at this new chapter in my writing career, I’m excited to see what I discover.

And, of course, who I get to meet.

As a fiction novelist, I plant seeds. That’s my job. These seeds are subtle, almost invisible when you read the story, and they grow slowly over time. The themes of self-reflection, connection, heart, bravery, self-discovery, and more in my novels… all of those blossom through the months and years that follow finishing a novel.

It’s a blessing to see something click for someone, when they realize years later that a certain scene or character taught them how to interact with people, how to solve problems, how to think critically, or how to grow as a human.

That’s a gift. It’s why I do what I do.

An author’s job is to plant seeds, to ignite growth and self-discovery and connection, all through the stories they tell.

I’m glad you’re here. I look forward to the magic we’ll create together.

As for what I do in my limited free time?

I’ve watched Futurama more times than I can count, and my friends think I’ve watched it more than the creators of the show. Which… not necessarily a bragging right, but whatever.

My favorite authors are Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin.. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is probably my favorite book, though that’s a bit like choosing a favorite child. Or so I’m told, anyway, because I don’t have kids.

I enjoy cartoons, animated movies, board games, oreoes, and woo-woo things like crystals and tarot cards.

I make shit up for a living, and I love every second of it. This writing life of mine has been a roller coaster, and half of it is liquor and guessing. My writing career has been a well-researched experiment peppered with “why the fuck not?” moments, and that approach has led me to some of the best decisions of my life.

My goal? To create legendary art that heals, inspires, and connects the world. You’re a part of this journey with me, and I am so grateful for you.

I’ll see you around. Don’t be a stranger.

Author S. M. Boyce

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Note: please do not send requests to join blog tours. I love to help other authors, but at the moment my schedule is crazy full. Thanks for understanding.