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Robin Lee Hatcher discovered her vocation as a novelist after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and ketchup bottles. However, she's certain there are better plots and fewer calories in her books than in puffed rice and hamburgers. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction (Whispers from Yesterday), two RITA Awards for Best Inspirational Romance (Patterns of Love and The Shepherd's Voice), and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of over 50 novels, including Catching Katie (Tyndale), named one of the Best Books of 2004 by the Library Journal. Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. She is passionate about the theater, and several nights every summer, she can be found at the outdoor amphitheater of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, enjoying Shakespeare under the stars. She makes her home in Boise, sharing it with three dogs, including Poppet the Papillon, also known as "Robin's obsession." ______________________ I’ve seen you refer to Poppet the Papillon as your “little doll,” and I can clearly see why—she’s our most adorable cover girl yet. Can you tell us a bit about your four footed friend? Are there more? Poppet’s registered name is Ma Poupette des Bois, which means “My Small Doll of the Woods.” Poppet, a term of endearment, is the English derivative of poupette. Bois is in honor of my hometown, Boise (the City of Trees), which got its name from the French fur trappers. Several years ago I decided I wanted a small dog as a companion. My big dogs (Misty, the border collie, and Tiko, the sheltie) are growing old and are rarely indoors. My problem was, I didn’t know what kind of toy breed I wanted. I only knew I wanted one that wasn’t high maintenance in terms of grooming. On Thanksgiving Day, while basting the turkey, I saw my first Papillon (French for butterfly) on the National Dog Show. I fell in love in an instant. I headed for the computer and began researching the breed that very day. Next came connecting with the right breeder (I found one I liked in South Dakota), and then I awaited Poppet’s birth. In March 2004, I flew to SD to bring her home. She and I were the center of attention on the airplanes and while on layover at the Denver airport. Poppet is large for the breed, standing twelve inches at the shoulder and weighing eight pounds. She sleeps with me, but when I get up and open my bedroom door, she shoots down the stairs and straight into my mother’s lap. Mom (almost 93) always laughs when that happens, a very pleasant sound first thing in the morning. Poppet brings us a lot of joy. She also barks too loud, sheds too much, and scatters her toys all over the house, but we love her anyway. How long have you been seriously writing, and can you tell us about the first “publishing” experience? I have loved reading since I was a little girl. I also loved to spin stories and to write, but I never thought of pursuing a writing career until my late twenties. In March 1981, after reading a book that I thought ended rather poorly, I decided to give writing a novel a try. I wrote nights and weekends, longhand on legal pads, and then typed the manuscript on the office typewriter on coffee breaks and lunch hours. By November, it was done. In January, I sent out 21 query letters to publishers listed in The Writer’s Market. I received lots of rejections, but one of the two publishers who requested the full manuscript made me an offer. It was very exciting, although the advance was smaller than Poppet. Then the publisher went bankrupt, and I had to start all over again. I sold that first novel and its sequel the following year. The two books were published in 1984. Since you are currently working on your 54th novel, one can only assume that you are a disciplined writer. What is an average working day like for you? For the first nine years of my career, I worked a full-time day job. Mondays through Thursdays, I wrote from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. My Fridays and Sundays were reserved for family activities as were Saturday afternoons. In January 1990, the month my ninth book was released, I quit my day job to write full time. These days, my routine is different. I usually arise between 4:30 and 6:00 a.m. I spend my first hour in Bible study and prayer. Next I handle my first batch of emails and often write an entry for my Write Thinking blog (http://robinlee.typepad.com). I’m usually working on my novel by 9:00 a.m. I write about four hours a day. The remainder of my work day is spent doing the “business” of writing – bookkeeping, more emails, editing, reading galleys, etc. Most evenings, I ride my stationary bike 12 miles while watching whatever mindless television show is on. A few of my favorites to exercise by: American Idol, LOST, Ugly Betty, House, The Closer, Dancing with the Stars. Well in that case, I need to ask—who’s been your favorite Idol thus far? I didn't begin watching American Idol until Season 4. I managed to avoid it those first three years, but then I began watching Fox News on a more regular basis. American Idol, a Fox Network show, was advertised heavily on Fox News. After a month of those teaser ads, I had to tune in that January to see all the misguided souls who listened to the lies of loved ones who told them, "You can sing!" All that to say, out of two seasons, Carrie Underwood is my favorite American Idol. I love country music, and Carrie can really sing it. I was delighted for her the night of the Country Music Awards. She deserved those big wins. Someone who has read an advance copy of Return to Mesaid she could see Carrie Underwood playing the role of country-singer-wannabe Roxy Burke in a movie version. Oh, wow! Me too! (Are you listening, Hollywood? I'll buy the popcorn--you save me a front row seat, ok? :) How does your fiction differ from that of the secular world? The biggest difference for me is the ability to write openly about matters of Christian faith. Certainly Christians can write with a worldview of hope for the general market, but it is more difficult in that market (unless you are John Grisham) to be able to tell stories where Christian faith is a central thread. Things have changed a great deal over the past fifty or sixty years. In the mid-20th Century, novels like Ben Hur and The Robe were published in the general market. Today the general market is open to many things spiritual but few things Christian. Let me say that I don’t believe Christians should only write for the CBA. There is nothing wrong with creating beautiful stories with messages of hope and love for all readers to enjoy. But God has called me to write stories for the body of Christ and so the CBA is the market for me. Have many or any of your books paralleled events that were occurring in your life at the time you were writing? Whatever God is teaching me at the time finds its way into my novels. However, that has more to do with theme rather than with events or plot points. In those few novels where I have borrowed heavily from personal experience, I was looking back to the past (both recent and distant) rather than at the present. I think that’s because I’m too busy living in my present situation (whatever it is), and I don’t know what the final lesson will be or how it will turn out. Hindsight allows me to take those trials, situations, and lessons learned, and craft them into a story that readers will find interesting and entertaining. For several years you wrote secular fiction before changing direction to write Christian fiction. What was the pivotal point in your career? In November 1991, I read the general market release of Francine Rivers’ novel, Redeeming Love. At the time, I was not walking closely with the Lord. I had drifted from church attendance and reading my Bible and in other ways. Certainly I had compromised many of my ideals when it came to my writing – which is why I ask readers not to read used copies of my thirty mass-market romances. I remember crying when I finished Redeeming Love and wishing that I could write something with that much power, with that much truth, with that much beauty. But how could I? How could God use me when I hadn’t been walking with Him as I should? I believe God planted a desire in my heart in that moment and then began drawing me back into fellowship with Him and with other believers. Over the next few years, He healed and restored me in numerous ways, and finally, in 1997, He gave me the idea for The Forgiving Hour, my first novel for the CBA. It was published in February 1999. I’m so grateful for the Lord’s patience and grace. What is the last book that you had published, and can you give us a sneak peek into your novel, Return to Me, that’s due for release in June?
Return to Me, a prodigal daughter story, is set in the present and features the Burke daughters, Elena and Roxy. Here’s the official blurb: When Roxy Burke left home for Nashville, she swore she wouldn’t come back until she was a star. But it’s desperation that drives this prodigal back to her family, and no one is prepared for what happens next. Roxy has crashed and burned. She’s squandered an inheritance, lived a wild life, and wasted her talent. Desperate and ashamed, she now must return to her father and sister, neither of whom she’s talked to in seven years. I’ve heard that some novelists plan out their story from beginning to end before the writing process begins, while others prefer to let the story guide them and unfold on its own. Which method of writing do you find works better for you? I’m an intuitive writer. I feel my stories in my gut more than I envision them. I begin with my characters and let them tell me the story. Each day I get up wondering what will happen to my characters next. The fun is in the discovery. Being an SotP (Seat of the Pants) writer works best for me. I’ve received my share of cards and chocolates on Valentines Day, but for you this day marks a deeper matter of the heart—when you gave your life to Jesus. Can you share that experience with us? Reading played a major role in my coming to faith. The first book the Holy Spirit put in my hands was The Living Bible. I’d tried to read the Bible before, beginning in Genesis with a King James Bible. I never got very far. But when my mother gave me The Living Bible in 1975, I decided to read it beginning in Matthew. In October of that year, I read The Hiding Place. I remember talking to women at work about it. There was the scene when Betsy tells Corrie they should thank God for the fleas because they kept the guards out of the barracks. And the scene when Betsy says there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. All these years later, those words stay with me, and I remember well how they stirred my heart. In late January, I read Woman to Woman by Eugenia Price. I can’t say that I remember anything specific from the book except that it made me hungry to know more. On Friday evening, February 13, 1976, I began reading Merlin Carother’s Prison to Praise. I finished it early in the morning on Valentine’s Day. I was overwhelmed by the understanding that Jesus loved me so much that He chose to die for me. I was overwhelmed by the truth that I could know Him, personally, intimately. I got into the shower because it was the only place I could weep without fearing I would wake the family. And that’s where I gave my heart to the Lord. Over twenty years later, I reread Prison to Praise and was astonished that there really was nothing in it about salvation or being born again. It was a book written for those who were already believers, a teaching on living a life of praise to God. It showed me how the Holy Spirit can use books in ways far beyond what an author imagines. In closing, is there any scripture that God has recently placed on your heart that you’d like to share with us? I began the practice a while back of asking God for a word for the new year. My word for 2005 was “endurance.” My word for 2006 was “victory.” This year, the Lord gave me two words: Peace and Simplicity. I’m looking forward to some of both in 2007. There are many verses in the Bible that speak of God’s peace, but I’m beginning the year with my focus on this one because, in my mind, “disorder” means “a lack of simplicity”: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” To which I say, Amen. Thank you Robin. It has bee a pleasure getting to know you, your books, and your four footed friends. We eagerly wait the arrival of your next novel, Return to Me, this summer. Blessings,
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CWO Cover
Bonnie Hooley
My most recent release was A Carol for Christmas, a novella from Zondervan. Set in 1969, the book tells the story of newlyweds, Jonathan and Carol Burke, as they approach their first Christmas as man and wife. Carol gave up her dream of singing professionally when she married Jonathan, but she spends a great deal of time alone while her husband tries to prove himself to his father in the family firm. Then a broken promise leave her wondering if anything or anyone—even God—can heal her crumbling hopes for their marriage.
sister. After years of being the dutiful daughter, Elena feels resentment and anger toward her wayward sister. Even more problematic is the reaction of Roxy’s former boyfriend. Once a rebel, Wyatt has given his life to Christ and plans to enter the ministry. He and Elena are engaged, but Roxy’s return raises questions that could mean the end of Elena’s perfect future.
