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Welcome to Author Spotlight! Each week will feature a different author. We’ll get the scoop behind their writing life and dish a little. The authors will also be giving away a copy of their latest book. FUN.

The winner from the last Author Spotlight giveaway is SHIRLEY CHAPEL! Please email info {at} suzannewoodsfisher {dot} com with your mailing address to claim your prize.

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Welcome Robin Lee Hatcher, author of Love Without End, to Author Spotlight! Leave a comment below for the chance to win a copy of her book.

Robin Lee HatcherShare a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester? Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

I’m married, the mother of two adult daughters, and the grandmother of six. I have been a published author for more than 30 years and have been writing fulltime since 1991.

And share something about your writing. What’s your genre(s), your areas of interest.

My November release, Love Without End, is my 73rd release. I am currently concentrating on contemporary romance, but I have written many historical romances as well as contemporary and historical women’s fiction.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?

I didn’t dream about being a writer when I was a kid. However, I was always a storyteller and was always writing something. Not long before my 30th birthday, I got an idea for an historical saga (my favorite type of books at the time) and eventually I had to sit down and see if I could write it.

After you started writing seriously–how long was it before you were published?

I wrote my first book in 1981. I sold it in 1982, but the publisher went bankrupt. I signed a new contract in 1983, and the book was released in early 1984, along with its sequel. I’ve been writing ever since.

Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your “brain cylinders” firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?

I believe the best way to be inspired to write is to simply sit down and write. I work best in my office, although sometimes I grab my laptop and move to the sofa in the living room. I am usually up between 4 AM and 5 AM. After getting in a couple of miles minimum on the treadmill, I make my first cup of coffee and am usually in my office by 6 AM. It’s hard for me to say how many hours I spend creating new words. I think about four to five hours on average. The rest of the time is spent doing the “business of writing.” By that I mean editing, revising, researching, marketing, responding to publisher requests, etc.

What has been the biggest help to you in the journey to publication? Writers’ conferences? Writing groups? Your mom as your first draft reader?

I love spending time with other writers. My single most important trip of the year is my annual brainstorming retreat. This group of writers (11 of us) has been meeting together every July for eleven years and counting. These women mean the world to me, and they are so much more than just writing friends.

What are your biggest distractions?

The Internet and email.

What was one of the best moments in your career and what was one of the worst?

One of the best: Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from American Christian Fiction Writers. Such a great honor.

One of the worst: Ribbon of Years launched in hardcover with big preorders just before 9/11. Book sales died in the months following, and so many of those books ended up as returns and sold for pennies as remainders. It was heartbreaking.

What is the role and importance of an agent?

My agent and I have been together for over 25 years. Her role is so much more than selling my books. She is my champion, advisor, first line of defense, confidant, and more.

What advice would you give to new writers?Screen Shot 2014-12-05 at 9.05.36 AM

Write something every single day.

Pretend I’m a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your book.

Love Without End (Kings Meadow Romance #1) is the story of two people who have both failed when it comes to love. They must let God heal their wounded hearts so that they can learn to love again.

What’s on the book horizon for you?

Whenever You Come Around (Kings Meadow Romance #2) releases in May 2015.

I Hope You Dance (a Year of Weddings novella, also set in Kings Meadow) releases in July 2015.

The third book in the Kings Meadow Romance series will release in early 2016.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

The best place to start is on my website at robinleehatcher.com. From there, readers can see the listings for all of my books, read and subscribe to my blog, sign up for my newsletter, and find links to all of my social media activities.

[Tweet “Interested in being a writer? Write something every single day @robinleehatcher #authorspotlight”]

 


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