Mar. 10, 2008
CFBA Featured Book ~ March 10-12
ABOUT THE BOOK:
 Katherine Clarkson has the perfect life. Married to Brad, a loving and handsome husband, respected in their church and the community. Two grown daughters on the verge of starting families of their own. A thriving ministry. Good friends. A comfortable life.
She has it all--until the day a reporter appears with shocking allegations. Splashed across the local news are accusations of Brad's financial impropriety at his foundation and worse, an affair with a former employee. Without warning, Katherine's marriage is shattered and her family torn apart. The reassuring words she's spoken to many brokenhearted women over the years offer little comfort now.
Her world spinning, Katherine wonders if she can find the truth in the chaos that consumes her. How can she survive the loss of what she thought was the perfect life?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 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. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction (Whispers from Yesterday), the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance (Patterns of Love and The Shepherd's Voice), two RT Career Achievement Awards (Americana Romance and Inspirational Fiction), and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of over 50 novels, including Catching Katie, 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 outside of Boise, sharing it with Poppet the high-maintenance Papillon.
She also likes to blog. Go leave her a comment at Write Thinking!
MY THOUGHTS: I loved this book! I have read several of Robin's books now and one thing that really impresses me is her ability to make all of her books so different. I've read alot of authors whose works all start to read the same after awhile- not so with Robin. She is a gift author. I've shared in past reviews about an author's ability to make me feel like their characters are my close friends. In The Perfect Life, I actually felt like I WAS Katherine Clarkson. I could feel her pain and her struggles, and eventually her healing. I would highly recommend this book, along with any of Robin's books. I'm sure you'll enjoy them too.
I had the honor of interviewing Robin this past week. I hope you will enjoy reading Robin's answers to my questions as much as I did........
Robin~ Welcome to my blog! Thanks for taking the time to visit and share with my readers and me!
Heidi: I just read The Perfect Life and I loved it. I have read several of your other books in the past and I’m very impressed with your writing. So many authors’ books start to sound the same after awhile. Your books aren’t like that at all. The ones I have read have all been very different. So, I’m wondering where you get the ideas for your stories and what has been your greatest inspiration?
Robin: Ideas come from all kinds of places – from dreams, from bit of news on the television, from conversations overheard in restaurants. Sometimes I’m conscious of the exact moment an idea for a novel began.
The genesis for Ribbon of Years was the Columbine tragedy. As I watched it play out on TV, I wondered how the Christian parents of some of the fallen students walked out their faith in light of such a senseless tragedy. Then I began to mull over the question, “What does it mean to walk by faith?” And out of that question came Miriam, a woman who walks out her faith, even in the midst of hardship and loss.
But for most my novels, the ideas seem to creep up on me. The Perfect Life was more the latter. One day I simply recognized I had the premise for a story rolling around in my head, then I began brainstorming the bigger picture and eventually the novel was born.
Some of my novels have come from deep personal experiences. Because God has walked me through dark places and brought me out on the other side, I want to share with others the grace He has shown me. Since I am a novelist, fiction is the main way I can do that. And naturally, the faith element of my novels comes out of my own faith experiences, from lessons God has taught me or is teaching me. Sometimes I’m looking for answers right along with the characters of my books, so writing is a form of discovery for me.
Heidi: I noticed that The Perfect Life was on display front-and-center at my local Borders bookstore. How does it make you feel to see your books, not only in print but on the shelves of stores?
Robin: I can honestly say it was every bit as exciting when I held The Perfect Life, my 56th book, as it was when I held my very first novel (1984). Every novel is a story from my heart, and I pray that each one will bring readers both enjoyment and new understanding. To see it come to fruition is an amazing thing.
Heidi: Do you have a favorite of all the books you have written so far? Why is it your favorite?
Robin: I don’t have one favorite book, but some of my books are special to me for different reasons. For instance, I love Ribbon of Years because my protagonist, Miriam, is the kind of Christian I hope to be at the end of my life. I love The Shepherd’s Voice because God taught me that He can and will do amazing things with what I offer to Him, even when it is so imperfect. I love Beyond the Shadows because I long to let Christians who love alcoholics know that they are not alone and that there is always hope in Christ. I love Catching Katie because Katie was such a fun character and the research was fascinating. I love The Forgiving Hour because God poured that story into my heart and many of the scenes came straight out of my own life (albeit the experiences came more than 25 years before I wrote the book). I love The Perfect Life because I understand Katherine’s perfectionist tendencies and her need to control the chaos. And I always love the next book I plan to write because there is still hope that it will completely fulfill the vision I have for it.
Heidi: Can you give us a glimpse of where you do your writing?
Robin: I have an office in my home (see photos attached). Although I have a laptop, I do most of my writing at my desk on my iMac. Everything I need is at hand in my office – reference books, my character profiles and time line and various notes I write down as my story unfolds. My office is usually a disaster during the writing of a novel. Then it gets cleaned up before I begin the next. Right now it’s a mess. The photos are from when the furniture was new and I had yet to unpack all of my books from my move last year.
Heidi: What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not writing?
Robin: Because I am the caregiver for my 94-year-old mother who lives with me, I don’t do a lot that takes me away from home. But I love to spend time with my kids and grandkids, and I love to play with Poppet, my Papillon. I’m a film buff and get movies from Netflix on a regular basis. I took up knitting last year and have found a lot of enjoyment in that. I love creating items for family and friends, and I pray for the person the item is intended for as I knit. That makes each creation special.
Heidi: So, what’s next from Robin Lee Hatcher?
Robin: I will be focusing on romances for a while. Next up is Wagered Heart, set in 1880’s Montana (May 2008, Zondervan), followed by Bundle of Joy, a contemporary Christmas romance (Oct. 2008, Steeple Hill). The book I’m working on now is When Love Blooms, set in 1880’s Idaho (Jan. 2009, Zondervan). And waiting in the wings to be written is a pair of stories set in the early 1900’s featuring twin sisters as the heroines.
Heidi: No more questions! Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers before we say “good-bye”?
Robin: First of all, thanks for allowing me this time with your blog readers. And if anyone wishes to know more about me or my books, I invite them to visit my web site at http://www.robinleehatcher.com. There, they will find excerpts, book covers, my testimony and bio, the link to my blog, and much more.
Heidi: Robin, thanks so much for taking the time to share with me and my readers! It was such fun learning more about you. Now, I'm going to read!
 Share Your Thoughts
Mar. 10, 2008 - I wish I had more time for reading...
 Posted by proverbsmomof3
this author sounds like someone I would enjoy reading. I appreciate all your reviews and the time you put into posting them.
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Mar. 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment
 Posted by littlebrowngirl
Oh my gosh I love your blog so much
Its so cute !!!!
Mind if i add you/you add me?
-Hannah
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