Local author debuts his first published short story

Tyler Pierson had his first sci-fi short story, “Line of Sight,” published in Bewildering Stories, an online literary magazine.
The story is a self-described “space adventure” that follows two outlaws. The piece opens with a space battle between two alien forces in a distant galaxy, then fast forwards to millions of years later where we meet our protagonist, Abigail, a spaceship pilot who is working on behalf of an interplanetary crime lord, and Thrax, one of the crime lord’s lackeys. The duo endure a tumultuous journey as the reader learns about the nuances of humanity in an indifferent universe, Pierson explains.
Pierson, 24, entered his studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design with the intention of becoming a film director, but found his passion for writing along the way.
“I wanted to be the one crafting the story, not realizing somebody else’s,” Pierson said. “It was during this time of uncertainty on whether I wanted to continue my career path that I fell in love with reading.”
In 2016, after having a light bulb go off about his new found career pursuits on a film set at 3 a.m. in South Carolina, Pierson decided to drop out of school and move back home with his family in Chalfont, PA.

“I locked myself in my bedroom every night after working one of my day jobs and wrote, and wrote and wrote some more,” Pierson said. “Most of it was awful, but I did it every day, and every failure was a teaching moment that showed me what to avoid in the future.”
After writing around 20 short stories and endless rejections from literary agents, “Line of Sight” was born. The first two stories Pierson sent to Bewildering Stories were rejected, but the third time was the charm.
“My story graced Issue 907 of their online magazine, adorned by a cover I commissioned from my friend, Alex Shammas, and here I am, finally standing with my foot in the door,” Pierson said.
“I hope that others can hear this story and think ‘Perhaps I don’t have to stay on a path that isn’t right for me there. Maybe there is something even better out there for me,’” Pierson added.
The short story can be found online at http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue907/line_sight1.html.

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