Note: links may be affiliate links (meaning I receive a small commission if you use the links in my posts at NO extra cost to yourself.)
It is my honor to be hosting author Robin Lee Hatcher for this week's author interview! Now, I have read Mrs. Hatcher's books before, so while she is on my TBR I've loved reading some of her books and fell in love with her writing.
About Robin:
Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of over 90 novels and novellas with over five million copies in print. Her well-drawn characters and heartwarming stories of faith, courage, and love have earned her both critical acclaim and the devotion of readers. Her numerous awards include the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the RITA® Award for Best Inspirational Romance, Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards for Americana Romance and for Inspirational Fiction, the Carol Award, the 2011 Idahope Writer of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement Awards from both Romance Writers of America® (2001) and American Christian Fiction Writers (2014). Catching Katie was named one of the Best Books of 2004 by the Library Journal.
Robin began her writing career in the general market, writing mass market romances for Leisure Books, HarperPaperbacks, Avon Books, and Silhouette. In 1997, Robin felt called to write stories of faith and hasn’t looked back since. She has written both contemporary and historical women’s fiction and romance for CBA publishers (Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Revell, Steeple Hill, Tyndale House, Multnomah, and WaterBrook).
When not writing, Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, and decorative planning. She makes her home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with a demanding Papillon dog and a persnickety tuxedo cat.
Now for the interview!
What is your favorite part of writing?
My favorite part is the brainstorming stage when absolutely anything is possible and all ideas can be considered.
How has writing helped you grow in your walk with God?
I believe writing my novels helps me explore questions of faith. I see how Scripture guides my characters. Often whatever God is teaching me or has recently taught me finds its way into the stories I’m writing.
If you lost your memory do you think you would still write?
I wasn’t born a writer, but I was born a storyteller. God fashioned me that way. It’s been in my DNA from the very beginning. So I don’t think loss of memory would stop me from telling stories. I just can’t be sure I would still tell them by writing them down in a novel format.
When you started writing did you ever think you would be published?
When I wrote my first book, I wasn’t really thinking about publication. I just wanted to see if I could write it. The story had been rolling around in my head for a long while. It was much more about proving to myself that I could tell a story that would fill up that many pages. When it was finished, I did go on to sell it to a New York publishing house. It was almost three years (March 1981 to January 1984) between when I wrote the first line on a yellow legal pad and when I held that published paperback in my hand.
What is your advice to new writers?
Read, read, read. Read everything, not just books in your own genre. Read fiction and non-fiction. Read histories and biographies. Read! And write, write, write. If you write one page per day, you’ll have a 365 page novel at the end of one year. You will learn more from writing one book and then another and then another than you will from studying a book about writing (although I recommend that too).
Of your published books, which is your favorite? Why/what makes it your favorite?
I don’t really like to name a favorite novel, because I wrote all 90+ of them for a reason. Some of my books are meant to challenge a reader in their faith walk. Some of my books are meant to leave the reader with all the feels. I write to bring a moment of relief or of hope to a reader who has had a tough day at the office or while tending to a sick child. I write to make a reader smile as she remembers what it was like to fall in love for the first time. Different books fill different needs.
All of that said, if forced to name a favorite, I have to go with The Forgiving Hour. It was a story that God gave to me in a dream, and the lessons Claire and the other characters learn during the course of the story were lessons God taught me during a deep valley in my life. It has been the book that has opened the most doors for me to minister to hurting women, and so it holds a special place in my heart.
What was your favorite thing about Wishing for Mistletoe?
I love writing Christmas romances. And when I wrote the ending of Wishing for Mistletoe, I was wearing the silliest grin. I loved watching Ariel and Tom find their happily-ever-after. I hope readers will feel exactly the same way I did when they reach the end.
Thank you so much for joining us, Mrs. Hatcher! I had a lot of fun with this interview and I know that I can't wait to get a copy of Wishing for Mistletoe when it releases on the 6th!
Also on Kindle Unlimited after releasing!
When the heart pens its own holiday romance, even a skeptic can find magic under the mistletoe.
On Sanctuary Island, Ariel Highbridge seeks refuge from crippling writer's block and a disillusioned heart. As a writer of Regency romances who's been betrayed by love herself, Ariel struggles to weave tales of romance when her own faith in it has frayed.
Tom Fuller is a devoted schoolteacher and a widower, whose life orbits around his daughter Shauna. He has sworn off the possibility of new love. Yet, the arrival of their enchanting neighbor stirs an unexpected warmth in both father and daughter's lives.
As the island's Yuletide enchantments weave their spell, Tom and Ariel find themselves drawn to each other. Ariel's burgeoning belief in love and Tom's tentative steps towards healing suggest that perhaps, this Christmas, they could write a love story of their own.
But their fledgling romance will soon face its ultimate test, and it will take the magic of the season and the island's charm for their love story to prove the most enchanting tales don't end—they simply transform into new beginnings.
* * *
Welcome to the shores of Sanctuary Island, where six bestselling authors of Christian romance bring you stories of love and redemption. From tender romance to enduring faith, each standalone novel in this series promises unforgettable characters and heartwarming small town charm.
Find Robin on social media, Amazon, and her newsletter here!
Be sure to check back next week for our next interview with a new author!
Commenti