Robin Lee Hatcher

 

Robin Lee Hatcher has written over 30 contemporary and historical novels and novellas. Her best-selling, award-winning books have been published by WaterBrook Press (a division of Random House, Inc.), Silhouette Books, HarperCollins, Avon Books, and Leisure Books. There are nearly five million copies of her books in print in North America. In addition, her novels have been translated for publication in other countries, including France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Norway, Russia, and China. Her 1999 hardcover release (also available in tradesize paperback), THE FORGIVING HOUR, has been optioned for film.

 

Page ONE
"You are a past President of Romance Writers of America. Can you tell us a little about RWA and your activities as president? Who is the current president of RWA and are you still active?"

 

Robin Lee Hatcher
"My stint as President of RWA seems like ancient history (1992-1994), and the activities I performed back then are quite different from those performed by the current RWA president, JoAnn Ferguson. RWA is growing and changing all the time.

In a nutshell, RWA is a professional writers organization with over 8200 members worldwide. If the same statistics hold true now as when I was president, approximately 18% to 20% of the membership is published in book-length romance fiction. Many members are published in other venues, however. The membership is mostly women (probably 99+%) who are from all imaginable walks of life -- doctors, CPAs, librarians, teachers, archeologists, mothers, grandmothers, students, secretaries, scientists, police officers, lawyers, etc. You name it, one of our members has probably done it and may very well be an expert in it. RWA has well over 100 chapters in North America, plus several special interest chapters. Many of those chapters have Internet presence, as does nationals

Yes, I'm still active in RWA. I attend the RWA conference every summer, enter the contests, vote in the elections, advise and/or serve when able. I also attend my local chapter's monthly meetings regularly."

 

Page ONE
"Tell us a little about your newest offering, The Forgiving Hour. There seems to be a spiritual theme in this story -- Are you going into a different direction with this novel than you have in past books?"

 

Robin Lee Hatcher

"THE FORGIVING HOUR is my first (a) contemporary (b) Christian (c) hardcover release. It does represent a different direction for me for all three of those aforementioned reasons. And, yes, I plan to continue writing novels for the CBA market (Christian Booksellers Association). I have found it to be a great joy as well as a tremendous challenge.

When the story idea for this novel first came to me, I knew it couldn't be told without the spiritual aspect as an integral part of the plot and God as a central character. A brief synopsis: After years of bitterness and anger over her ex-husband's betrayal, Claire Conway's life finally seems to be on track. But when her son, Dakota, brings home his fiancée, Sara Jennings, everything falls apart. For Sara turns out to be the same woman Claire's husband had an affair with twelve years earlier. And though Claire has moved on with her life, there are some things it would take a miracleto forgive . . .

This book takes a page (actually several pages) from my own life. I truly believe it is one of my best works. Which is, I think, why sales have been so strong and why it has been optioned for film."

 

Page ONE
"Christian fiction is a quickly growing genre -- What do you contribute this growth and why?"

 

Robin Lee Hatcher
"First, a caveat: I don't claim to be an expert on CBA fiction. I'm still learning myself. But in my opinion, the growth in this market is due to (1) strong voices of excellent storytellers, many of whom honed their skills in the ABA market first, and (2) a realization by CBA publishers and booksellers that providing excellent Christian fiction to their customers was a benefit for all. Reason #1, of course, is by far the biggest reason for the growth. And I believe readers are hungry for what CBA writers are providing."

 

Page ONE
"You have written over 30 books. Nearly 5 million in print --- What do you know today about writing a novel that you did not know 30 books ago?"

 

Robin Lee Hatcher
"Well, I know I haven't received that seven figure check I was expecting very early in my career.

Seriously, I've learned many, many things, including but not limited to:

(1) It gets harder, not easier.
(2) I'm not curing cancer, but I can provide a few hours of pleasure.
(3) I'm fortunate to make a living doing what I love to do.
(4) It's more important to have passion for what I'm creating than to be atechnically great artist.
(5) Be professional, be courteous, be tenacious, be myself, keep a sense of humor.

(6) Writing is done one word at a time, one sentence at a time, one paragraph at a time, one page at a time. It doesn't get done until I sit down and do it."

 

Page ONE
"The Forgiving Hour is published by Waterbooks a division of Random House --- Because bookstores are carrying less and less titles for less time, do you see writers turning more to the internet to reach readers?"

 

Robin Lee Hatcher

"The great thing about CBA fiction is that it remains in print longer and can be ordered from any bookstore. However, to answer your specific question, yes, I believe the Internet will continue to grow in importance. Publishing is changing before my eyes, and I'm not very good at predictions. I just trust I will keep up with the changes as they come.

Personally, I shop almost exclusively on the Internet these days. It's so easy to browse the "shelves", place my order (even at 2:00 a.m.), and then have the books delivered to me in a few days. I love it! I think this kind of shopping will become the norm in the next decade."

 

Page ONE
"And what's next on your literary agenda?"

 

Robin Lee Hatcher

"TAKING CARE OF THE TWINS, my second Silhouette Special Edition, was released in mid-June.

WHISPERS FROM YESTERDAY, my second WaterBrook Press release, comes out in September 1999. This book has two settings: the first story is told in traditional format with a contemporary setting in SW Idaho; the second story is told in the pages of a journal of a woman who traveled from her home in Oregon to Denmark in the years just preceding WWII until 1943. (Advance reviews have been strong.)

DADDY CLAUS is my third SSE and is a December 1999 release. (I'm very fond of this book -- the story of a divorced pregnant mom who needs a pretend hubby for the holidays.)

At present, I'm working on a Great Depression novel for WaterBrook, entitled THE SHEPHERD'S VOICE. The hero served time in prison for killing his brother. The heroine is a shepherdess in the central Idaho mountain
country."