Meet Blaire.

Howdy, and nice to meet you!

Hi, I’m Blaire Spencer*: writer of emotionally layered, voicey women’s fiction and proud owner of more hats than I have reasons to wear them. They are proudly displayed on the wall of my office, which is how I justify keeping all of them.

I write stories about complicated families, unexpected love, and the places that change us - emotionally, geographically, occasionally with wine. My debut novel (still seeking representation, but one step at a time) was inspired in part by my honeymoon to Australia, where I encountered beautiful beaches, surprise repeat encounters, and exactly zero sharks. The book is a love letter to grief, growth, and what happens when you stop doing what’s expected and start doing what’s next.

Originally from Los Angeles, I now live in Austin, Texas, where I pretend to be a cowgirl. I have the cowboy boots, craft beer obsession, and Spotify country playlist to prove it.

I studied English and creative writing in college. I thought I wanted to go to med school (so cute, so wrong), but switched to creative writing because it sounded easier and more fun.

It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

I loved it, and it gave me a thick skin that I thank the Literary Gods for every day - twice during my corporate job's annual review cycle. My concentration was creative nonfiction, but I've enjoyed the shift to fiction - though you'll still see lots of elements from my life woven into my writing!

Speaking of my day job: I work in talent strategy, where I lead storytelling workshops and early career programs. I am very lucky to make an impact on so many early professionals. I’ve also built a little corner of the internet on LinkedIn, where I talk about voice, self-discovery, and how to actually enjoy being a person with a job and a dream.

When I’m not writing or working, I’m usually hanging out with my husband and our two cats (both deeply weird and perfect), sipping from my ever-expanding wine collection, or bowling competitively with my team, The Bowled & The Beautiful (currently on temporary hiatus and taking this season off to learn mahjong. If you have any good mahjong puns, we're all ears. Mahjong teams are a thing, right? Ugh, hopefully they cover that in lesson one.).

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you stay awhile!

*Yes, this is a pen name. YES, it feels weird to introduce myself this way.

Fun Facts.

If you've every queried an agent, you know the process is...not fun. But some agents try to sprinkle some joy in there (and we thank them). Shout out to all the agents who asked fun questions for inspiring this section.

If you were a fictional character, who would you be?

David Rose from Schitt's Creek. He's a little (a lot...) bougie, he's passionate, he works hard, and he loves harder.

What's your favorite sentence from your current project?

"No! Focus! We’re here for penguins, not dick!"

Unconventional, but I stand by it.

What authors have influenced you the most?

Drew Perry taught me that readers want to read about real people - messy people. Their lives don't have to be sexy and they can just be regular people doing regular things (until the deer in the yard. More on that here.).

Emily Henry made me fall in love with reading again. Beach Read was...cathartic for me. I'd spent so much time avoiding "genre fiction" and was burnt out. I tried to read Vonnegut by the pool. No shade to Vonnegut, but he's not exactly a pool read. So I said fuck it and finally read Emily Henry. She started a quarter-live love affair with genre fiction and I am a LOUD and PROUD reader of romance, women's fiction, smut, and, on occasion, romantasy. Sorry too all of my professors who tried to tell us genre fiction had no place in their lecture rooms. I have not done you proud, but I think we'll all survive.

Lastly, Ali Hazelwood inspired me to find my voice. In school, I wanted so desperately to write beautiful prose and poetry. To be lyrical like Jhumpa Lahiri. Hypnotic like Ander Monson. Then I read Ali Hazelwood and I had two thoughts: 1) I want to write sex scenes like she does and 2) I want to write like I write. Her distinct, unapologetic voice - a voice that felt so her, that made me feel like I knew her despite having never met...GOD, I wanted to write like that. But in my very own way. Also, please don't read this and think I don't find Ali Hazelwood to be lyrical or hypnotic, I will read anything that woman writes, including the phone book.

What's on your current playlist?

These days, I'm very much having a moment with Role Model and Kip Moore. You can always find me listening to disco jams ("Rasputin" is a serious guilty pleasure). If the weather is good, then yacht rock is absolutely playing. You'll find music makes its way into my writing - I refuse to apologize, it's my love language. Check out the playlists for my current projects: they will tell you all you need to know about my tastes.

Let's talk audience and comps: who would like your writing?

I mean, obviously I want to say Emily Henry and Yulin Kuang, so if you're fans of them, stick around awhile. I aspire to be like both of them, as well as Carley Fortune, Annabel Monaghan, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Jessica Joyce.

I'd like to think my writing will speak to all women, in particular those 30-55. Any woman who has ever felt stuck or wanted to start over. Who has lost someone. Who has found themself in transition. Readers who crave sharp wit, emotional honesty, a vivid sense of place, and a healthy dose of wanderlust and romance will find a home here.

What's the last novel you read or something from your TBR you're excited to read?

I always love a cowboy romance or a messy, chaotic FMC. Some recent reads:

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (duh)
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

What's your most controversial opinion?

Stevie Nicks is overrated and not even a top three member of Fleetwood Mac. And before you come for me: yes, I know she's iconic. But go listen to "Dreams" and tell me Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood don't make that song. Go listen to anything by Christine McVie and tell me it's not fire. Go on, I'll wait.

Exactly.

Cats or dogs?

I don't discriminate, I love animals in general. That being said...proud cat owner. I have two adorable babies, who are absolute menaces to society. They are the lights of my life. I hope to one day have a third cat names Cat Sajak to combine my love for game shows, Pat Sajak, cats, and puns. But my husband (rightfully) is making me wait. Something about how our two existing cats barely tolerate each other blah blah - so responsible.