Let’s have a little coffee chat with the remarkable Heidi Thomas. Y’all are going to love speaking with this delightful lady. Here we go!
Your books are quite unique in their setting. How much did you draw on your personal experience for this?
I grew up on a ranch in eastern Montana, so I draw very heavily on my experience. I rode horses and helped my dad round up cattle for branding, shipping, etc. It was an isolated, rural area, and that helped to shape my characters. My grandmother was a rodeo cowgirl who rode bucking stock during the 1920s in Montana, so my “Cowgirl Dreams” series was based on her. My books Seeking the American Dream and Finding True Home were based on my mother who emigrated from Germany after WWII. The “Rescue” series continue the Moser family saga with a more contemporary character (not based on a real person, but the great-granddaughter of my original cowgirl character) who rescues horses and works with troubled teens and veterans with PTSD.
Tell us a little about your latest work?
My latest published book is Goth-girl to Cowgirl. This is the “rescue” story told from the character Electra’s point of view. She is a troubled teen, into the Goth persona, who is dragged on a mother-daughter bonding vacation from New York to a dude ranch in eastern Montana (in the middle of nowhere). When her mentor Sam rescues an abandoned, nearly-dead horse, Electra finds love and healing in caring for Apache.
My work-in-progress, Saving the Prairie, is another Montana-based story, about a young ranch woman whose dad is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and leaves her and her younger brother to run the ranch. She is faced with a fight to save the ranch from encroachment by the American Prairie Reserve, a huge non-profit conglomerate that is buying up millions of acres of ranch and farmland to turn into a bison range.
What is the most inspiring feedback you’ve ever received from either a reader or a fellow writer?
When I get a note from a reader, telling me how much he or she enjoyed my book and that it made them feel like they were “there,” (and when is my next book coming out?) that makes the tough work of writing, rewriting, and marketing worthwhile.
As a fellow animal lover, I feel I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask about your self-proclaimed “cat herder” title.
LOL I adopted that term several years ago when I had two cats that were like antagonistic siblings and required constant attention. I also saw the greatest ad on the Super Bowl in 2000 about cat herders—a group of cowboys wrangling a herd of cats. Laugh out loud funny. I now have only one cat, but she herds me, I think!
How long have you been writing professionally and what piece of advice would you give to new authors?
I’ve written all my life, have a degree in journalism, and wrote for newspapers and magazines for many years. My first book was published in 2008 and I now have 11 published books. My advice is perseverance. Never give up. Take writing classes, join a critique group, hone your skills, and keep on trying.
What is the best way for us to follow you along your journey, Heidi? How do we get your books?
My website is http://www.heidimthomas.com and my books are available on Amazon Amazon.com: Heidi M. Thomas: books, biography, latest update
What wonderful words, inspiring advice, and an amazing journey Heidi has taken us on today. Thank you, Heidi, for spending time with us today. Go check out her website and, as always, support your local authors and bookstores.