Nicola Pierce is an Irish writer and ghost writer. Her 2025 book, Great Irish Wives, won the Irish Book Award for Non-Fiction in December 2025.
Born in Tallaght, Dublin, Nicola Pierce attended the Presentation Schools in Terenure and got an Arts Modular degree from University College Dublin.
Her books are aimed at children and young adults. Almost all her books are historical fiction although she has been asked to write history books about some of these historical events. Her first novel âÂÂSpirit of the Titanicâ was selected for seven different âÂÂOne Book One Communityâ Projects. In 2014 her second novel âÂÂCity of FateâÂÂ, about World War TwoâÂÂs Battle of Stalingrad, was considered for the Warwickshire Year Nine Book Award. This novel was followed by âÂÂBehind the Wallsâ about the 1688âÂÂ89 Siege of Derry. Her 2017 novel âÂÂKings of the Boyneâ was shortlisted for 2017 LAI ChildrenâÂÂs Book Award.
In the middle of writing her fifth childrenâÂÂs novel, in February 2018, Pierce was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, finally finishing treatment in 2019. During that time, she released the non-fiction âÂÂTitanic, True Stories of Her Passengers, Crew and LegacyâÂÂ. Her fifth novel, about the doomed 1845 John Franklin and Captain Francis Crozier expedition to the Arctic, âÂÂChasing Ghosts, An Arctic Adventureâ was finally released in March 2020.
Pierce has worked and lived in Drogheda since 2011.