Welcome Robin Lee Hatcher

Hello from crisp and blustery Idaho where it isn't hard to believe we are entering the busy holiday season. Brrrrr.

Thanks, Rachel, for allowing me to visit on your blog. I'm looking forward to reading your novel, Lost in NashVegas, about Robin Rae, a country music songwriter. When you read the next few paragraphs, you'll understand that the reason is more than just one writer wanting to read another writer's book.

In the fall of 2004, I was in Illinois and Indiana for a couple of Christian cable TV interviews. Alone in my hotel room on my first morning of the trip, I was supposed to be working on my WIP when instead I wrote these paragraphs:

There exists a strange moment between sleep and wakefulness when dreams cease and realism remains at bay. That was when Roxy's heart spoke to her most clearly.
It’s time to go home.

Roxanne Burke had given Nashville seven years to discover her. She'd offered her voice, her face—and eventually, her body—but despite her best efforts and dedication, despite her desperate grasps at the brass ring, country music and stardom didn't want her. Roxy was worse than a has-been. She was a never-was.

This became the first draft opening for my novel, Return to Me, a book scheduled for release in 2006. But as often happens in publishing, things changed. Zondervan decided they wanted to release the book in July 2007, so they asked me to write a Christmas novella first.

Because I was already over a hundred pages invested in Elena and Roxy Burke, the sister protagonists of Return to Me, I had a desire to know more about the love story of their parents, Jonathan and Carol. And so the imagination began to churn.

I thought back to my first Christmas as a teenage bride and the struggles young couples can have as they try to meld different Christmas traditions from separate families into something new and unique to them. I thought of how difficult it can be for two unique individuals to learn to act as one flesh, submitting to one another, loving unconditionally, no matter the circumstances.

That was the starting point for A Carol for Christmas, but by the time the writing was done, it had also become a story about the desires of the heart and how God wants to change and use them for His glory.

Since both A Carol for Christmas and Return to Me feature women who love to sing country music (yes, I am a fan; I'm a rodeo loving, former barrel racer, Idaho cowgirl), I've been asked if I sing. In fact, one An interviewer asked if I had a good voice or if my dog hid under my bed when I sang. LOL.

The truth is, I love music and have the heart of a great singer, but alas, not the voice. My singing borders on being a "joyful noise." I can stay on key (most of the time), but perfect pitch and a significant range are not among my gifts. Still, in my car or around the house, I am usually singing along to something -- contemporary Christian, worship music, country, golden oldies. The louder it's cranked, the better I sound. As long as I can praise God with my life, I am content, with or without that great musical voice I wish I had. Which is why writing for Him is such a blessing.

In Acts 20:24, Paul says, "But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus -- the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love." (NLT)

The same is true for me. And so I write fiction because that is the work He has assigned to me.

I hope you and your readers will enjoy A Carol for Christmas. It's in stores now. For more information, visit my Write Thinking blog at http://robinlee.typepad.com and my web site at http://www.robinleehatcher.com.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

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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, the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance, and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin writes both historical romance and contemporary women's fiction. A Carol for Christmas (October 2006) is her 50th release, and she has four books slated for release in 2007.
Robin enjoys being with her family, playing with Poppet (her high maintenance Papillon), 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.

Rachel here: It's a great honor to have you stop by today, Robin. Thanks so much. You are today and always, an inspiration. I can't wait to read more about your country girl!