A visit with Author Robin Lee Hatcher

Have you always wanted to be an author? If not, what made you decide to write, and how long have you been at it?

No, I didn’t always want to be a writer. Not as a profession anyway. But I have always written for pleasure. Several things led up to the moment when I decided to try to write my first book. The final straw was a book I read with an ending that I found unsatisfactory. So I decided to see if I could write a novel of my own. That book, written in 1981, was published in 1984. Which means I have been writing for over 33 years now.

Have you ever had a funny experience connected with being an author?

Plenty of them. Perhaps the funniest was when a woman came rushing into a book signing, so excited to meet me that she hyperventilated and began to faint. I jumped up and gave her my chair and waited for the “vapors” to pass.

Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a combination?

100% pantser. I get up in the morning and go into my office with one purpose in mind—to see what happens next in my story.

Do you write full time, or do you work it in alongside a full-time job?

Pinky

I wrote my first nine novels while working a full-time day job. But I resigned to write full time in January 1991 and have been doing so ever since.

What do your kids think about your being a writer?

I have two grown daughters. They were ten and twelve when I began writing my first book. I know they are both proud of me, but they also have no illusions about the writing business. A friend once asked my youngest daughter if she wanted to be a writer like her mother. She answered, “Are you kidding? My mom’s been on deadline for over twenty years!”

How do you get your best ideas?

Ideas are a dime a dozen. They come from my subconscious, and I never know what will bring one to the surface. I just wait until something grabs my imagination and won’t let go. Then that is the story I write.

What do you do to get past writer’s block?

For me, writer’s block means I don’t know my character’s motivation well enough. So I go back to examining that character’s life from birth to the moment the story opens. When I know the character’s history, I’ll know why and how she or he will respond to whatever complications I write into her or his life. That usually breaks me free.  

Do you write every day? What does your typical writing day look like?

I write every day but Sunday. I am usually at my desk around 6:00 AM. I try to begin my day with a quiet time with the Lord. Then I clear out the email that came in overnight. I’m usually writing by 8:00 AM. I write until noon, break for lunch, then in the afternoon, I tackle what I call the “business of writing” (edits, marketing, bookkeeping, social media, etc.).

Do you have any rituals you like to go through before you start writing, such as make yourself a cup of coffee or tea? Do calisthenics to get the blood flowing? Lock yourself in a room and warn your family not to disturb you upon pain of death? Read something inspiring? Pray?

I write with a large mug of coffee on a mug warmer not too far from my right arm (but plenty of distance away from my keyboard and computer). I’m a sipper, so that mug warmer is essential.

Poppet

Writing is a sedentary occupation. What do you do for exercise?

I walk, mostly on the treadmill. My goal is 10,000 steps a day (which works out to over four miles) although I haven’t made my goal on a regular basis in far too long. I wear a FitBit to count my steps. That little device encourages me to get up and move.

Do you have any pets? Do you own them, or they you?

We have a dog, Poppet, and a cat, Pinky, and they own us. No doubt on that score. I cannot imagine a home without at least one pet. They bring me too much joy.

What fun fact would you like your readers to know about you?

My mother always told me my first word was “horse” so it should come as no surprise that I am a passionate lover of horses. I haven’t owned a horse in thirty years, but I passed that love along and both of my daughters and one of my granddaughters each own a horse.

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher—author of over 70 books—is known for her heartwarming http://www.robinleehatcher.com. Links to her social media pages can be found at the top of her site.

and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She and her husband make their home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family, her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat). You can learn more about Robin and her books by visiting her web site at

Make sure to stop by tomorrow, when you can enter to win a free copy of Robin's latest release, The Heart's Pursuit!