Welcome Author Heidi McLaughlin

I am so excited and honored to Welcome Heidi McLaughlin to my blog! I just finished reading Forever My Girl this weekend and absolutely loved it. My thoughts on the book will be posted on the blog later this week. 

B: Heidi, thank you for stopping by my blog. Tell us a little about yourself. When did you figure out you wanted to be a writer?

H: I’m married with two daughters. Both are active athletes and my husband coaches high school football. I've always wanted to be a writer – I love the creation that comes with it. It wasn't until recently that I was encouraged to put my work out there.

  

B: How did you come up with the concept of Forever My Girl and did it take you a long time to write it?

H: I saw a picture and had this story just flash before my eyes… A man who was looking for forgiveness and determined to win his lost love back. It didn't take long at all. Everything flowed so easily I couldn't write everything down fast enough.

Heidi McLaughlin

B: What is the hardest part of writing for you?

H: Time. Working full-time and having two active kids… time is my enemy.

B: What projects are you currently working on?

H: I’m currently working on a standalone New Adult novel and the second book in the Beaumont Series.

B: Do you envision a certain "real" person as the character before you actually "create" him/her for the story?

H: No, just the opposite. I plot out the story and add the “faces” later.

B: So being from Texas – When I read Beaumont – I immediately thought of Beaumont, TX. Is that were this story takes place?

H: When I wrote Forever My Girl I wanted it to take place everywhere. I wanted readers to think that Liam existed in their hometowns. I purposely didn't pick a location because of the amount of research that would have to go into it. I don’t like it when an author uses either my hometown or current state and doesn't get things right. So when people read Forever My Girl, I want them to think this could’ve been them.

The short answer – no, the story doesn't take place in Texas.

B: So I guess it worked, because I totally saw it as being my Beaumont Texas!  

How did you get involved with Bandit Publishing (Jillian Dodd’s Publishing Company)?

H: Jillian is a very good friend. Before I published we had started talking about her starting her own boutique company. I didn't want some generic label, so we decided that Forever My Girl would be the first non-Jillian book published under Bandit.

 

B: What book are you reading now?

H: I’m about to start Fragments by Dan Wells.

B: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

H: I started off as a reviewer and reading three books a week didn’t really allow me to pick a favorite.

There are series that I like a lot; The Body Finder, Under the Never Sky, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Slammed, That Boy           

Forever My Girl Collage by Smitten Book Blog

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after. 

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. 

And now I’m going back. 

After ten years. 

I hope I can explain that after all this time. 

I still want her to be my forever girl.

Thank you Heidi for stopping by and answering a few questions. you can also check out Heidi's website for more information on her upcoming projects:  http://heidimclaughlin.com. Tomorrow on the blog, we will be taking a look at some of the inspirations Heidi had when writing Forever My Girl. Now who is ready to win some books!

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