Meet The Authors
Alice Heaton (She/Her) and Mars Pierce (He/Him) are engaged high school sweethearts who have spent over half a decade sharing their many creative worlds, beginning with visual arts like cosplay back in 2020 and evolving all the way into writing their debut novel together back in 2024.
Drawn to the complexities of the past, Heaton and Pierce write historical fiction with a focus on emotionally layered, hard-earned romance. In A Monarch's Mark, they explore late-1960s Los Angeles through the lens of a homicidal investigation, weaving in the era's social and political tensions alongside a deeply personal story of love, loss, and consequence.
Alice Heaton
Co-Author | Editing & Management, Concept Art
Alice Heaton (She/Her) has wanted to be an author from the time she could form thoughts. She has explored many creative worlds throughout the years, eventually settling on the one she began with the love of her life to tell a story only the two of them could. She is a lover of all things romance, inspired by the great love stories of princesses with the complexities of contemporary works.
Alice's favorite novel is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. She is currently studying English and Anthropology with intentions to further her writing career. In 2024, Alice began her university's first and only Creative Writing club.
Mars Pierce
Co-Author | Concept Art, Marketing & Web Design
Mars Pierce (He/Him) never had intentions to become a writer growing up, but something at the end of his high school years changed that. A passion for history and politics gave him something to start writing for, and a short dabble in creative writing gave him another skillset entirely. Deep down, he is a lover of the factual and the many things he can learn just by being with others. He credits Alice for turning that passion into something creative.
Mars's favorite novel is Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins-Reid. He completed his Bachelor's of Arts degree in Journalism in 2025 and now works full-time in Higher Education Communications.