Author Spotlight -- Heather Rainier: Creator of Divine, Texas, and the Wonderful People of the Divine Creek Ranch Series

Heather Rainier is an author I encountered almost by accident while trolling an

ebook publishing website a number of months ago. I was looking for full-length novels that looked really romantic as well as erotic. Divine Grace caught my eye and I bought it and absolutely loved it!! It was one of the few romantic novels I had read recently that wasn't an

adversarial story--you know, where the hero and heroine hate each other for 3/4 of the book and then fall into each other's arms. This story was very different and narrated the experience of a very

nice, quiet, insecure and industrious woman who had allowed a boyfriend of long standing to abuse and misuse her for years. Through a friendship with one of her customers at the local department story, Grace met Jack, Ethan, and Adam, and through the counsel of Jack's mother and the support and strength of these three respectful and caring men, Grace began a journey of growth and discovery about her own gifts and talents.

These past few days I have been posting reviews about several of Heather's books for several reasons. 1) I hope anyone who stops by this blog will take note and get one of these really good books. 2) I have always made it a point on this blog to highlight authors and books that I have enjoyed and which I believe are stories well-told and beautifully written. 3) As a reviewer I feel I have not only a privilege but an obligation to read and review new authors as well as those who are well-established in the genre. Heather certainly fall into that category. I hope the following information and interview with Heather will pique your interest and give you some insight into this very interesting lady.

ABOUT HEATHER

Heather Rainier lives and writes in South Central Texas. Her stories offer up the content of her fantasies, with autobiographical humor, triumph and tragedy mixed in. With great pride, Heather writes erotic romances exclusively for Siren Publishing, under their Menage Everlasting and Everlasting Classic imprints.

Heather's love of romance fiction began as a teenager when her mom gave her copies of Kathleen Woodiwiss's "The Flame and the Flower" and Bertrice Small's "Skye O'Malley". To this day she's pretty sure that was her mom's version of the "birds and the bees" talk.

Heather writes the type of novel she loves to read: More erotic and edgy than the mainstream, with plenty of sweet romance mixed in and a happily ever after guaranteed. Heather's favorite type of hero is the gentle, lovable giant but readers will discover a wide variety of heroes and alphas on the pages of her novels, from nearly perfect to very flawed. Heather hopes that readers relate to her heroines and the challenges and dilemmas they face head on.

Heather believes that life doesn't always present love to us in neat little sanitized packages. Sometimes we have to seize the day, live life with no regrets, forget the past, never give up, learn to trust, and dare to live, even in outrageous circumstances. Those themes are woven throughout her Divine Creek Ranch Collection which debuted in November of 2010.

When not happily typing at her keyboard, Heather is usually busy corralling her kids, volunteering at local schools, or loving on her smokin' hot husband, who thankfully loves to cook.

INTERVIEW

Q: What's your favorite quote?
A: “Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.” (Mae West)

Q: Where did you get your pseudonym?
A: My husband. I felt it was fitting, because he was there for me, quietly observing as I wrote my first novel, “Divine Grace”, and witnessed the profound affect writing had on me. It seemed fitting that he name me.

Q: How often do you write? What is your writing day like?
A: I write every weekday and on Saturdays as well. I write in the morning and afternoon, and then stay up late correcting and revising. You know you love what you're doing when you don't mind the missed sleep.

Q: What do you like to read?
A: Paranormal romances, contemporary ménage romances, and contemporary BDSM erotic romance. If it has strong romantic / erotic elements I'll read it.

Q: Who are your favorite authors?

A: Leah Brooke, Tymber Dalton, Jenny Penn and J. R. Ward.

Q: How do you develop your heroes and heroines? Where does inspiration come from?

A: Inspiration comes from daily life. From a song on the radio, or someone I'm observing, or from a story someone tells me about their life, or while in the grocery store. A cowboy was in the checkout line in front of me and struck up a conversation, flirting the whole time. He was dressed all in denim, wearing a cowboy hat and boots. He was the real deal, and I knew I had the foundation for one of my heroes. One character was the product of a Google image search. This stunning image of a cowboy popped up, and within five minutes, I knew what his name was, and who his heroine would be.

Q: In regard to writing, what are your likes and dislikes?

A: I love publishers and editors who are willing to be tough, picky, and challenging when it comes to honing a manuscript…and the staff who support them so brilliantly. I like friends who volunteer to read what I've written, and then actually follow through and do it, giving me solid input and suggestions. I dislike children who stand near my laptop with an open beverage in their hands.

Q: What motivated you to start writing?

A: An epiphany at my 25th high school reunion. I worried prior to the reunion about what to wear, what to do about my hair, my weight…my whatever. Maybe I'm a little slow on the uptake, but the night of the reunion I realized none of those people noticed or cared about me, then or now. The ones who mattered were my husband, family and friends. That night, I confided to my husband that I'd always wanted to write, and he encouraged me to do whatever I had to, to pursue that dream. I stopped worrying what everyone else thought and began to pursue what made me happiest.

Q: What did you do when you got the email from Siren, notifying you they wanted to publish your first book?
A: I screamed. I couldn't get my fingers to work the mouse to open the email. I could barely hold the phone to call my husband and tell him the good news. We celebrated big-time that weekend