S.L. Woeppel: Exploring secret identities

S.L. Woeppel is the author of Flipping the Birdie, a 2024 Booklife Prize finalist. Her second novel, The Butcher and The Liar, is released on September 16, 2025. Woeppel was born in Nebraska and currently resides in Minnesota. She has collected over 200 tacky souvenir spoons from all over the world, which now reside in a box in her closet.

When someone asks, ‘What do you do for a living?’, how do you respond?

What I do for a living, to make a living, is not writing. Not yet. I tell people I work in public finance during the day. And during nights and weekends, I have a secret identity as a writer.

What are you reading at the moment?

I just started Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. It’s real dark, but good so far.

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina BazterricaTender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

When you think about your childhood, what book comes to mind?

The Scarlet Letter — because it scarred me as a youngster and has stuck with me ever since.

The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter

What did you want to be growing up?

A writer and photographer — National Geographic was the dream job.

What do you think your school-aged self would think of you now?

She’d say, “Took you long enough!” But she’d finally see herself in me.

If you could wrap up a single book and gift it to yourself on your 21st birthday, what book would you choose and why?

A great romance with spice … I went to Catholic school, so …

Which book have you recommended most to friends and family?

Love for books is so personal, so time and person specific. Kristin Hannah is always an easy recommendation. I also recommend Amy Harmon a lot — love her. Otherwise, it very much depends on the person.

Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? Ebooks, audiobooks or physical books?

Fiction all day. I’ve lived in 13 places across five states; I move way too much to collect physical books — and I love reading at night, so my go to is the e-reader.

What’s the best book you’ve read in the last six months?

I really enjoyed The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young and The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman*. (*Love that magical realism!)

Name a book that you feel everyone should read.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Which book do you feel has had the biggest impact on your life?

The early stuff by Tarryn Fisher about from about fifteen years ago (i.e. Mud Vein) — her books made me want to be a writer again.

And The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy*. (*First use of the secret identity in fiction and I love that!)

Are there any books you haven’t already mentioned that you’d want to include on your ‘Top 10’ reading list?

There are so many! Here are a few off the top of my head.

Please tell us briefly about your latest book.

The Butcher and the Liar tells the story of Daisy. At 35, she believes she’s outrun her skeletons. But a mysterious delivery thrusts her back to a childhood where she was raised by a serial killer, manipulated into silence, and haunted by her father’s victim’s ghost. To protect her family, Daisy filled up her life with secrets and lies that, as an adult, begin to unravel. In this dual timeline, Daisy must confront her own past and the people she left behind there — just as the past creeps into the future. It’s a dark and twisty tale of familial legacy, trauma, and redemption.

The Butcher and the LiarThe Butcher and the Liar

If you were to write an autobiography, what would it be called?

*Venting and Other Water Mitigation Techniques … (*It’s both literarily and figuratively the story of my life.)

You can find out more about S.L. Woeppel and her books on her website and Instagram.

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