We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heidi Boyd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Heidi , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
As a full-time author, I’m constantly putting my heart onto the pages of a book and handing it to the masses to read and judge. It’s a scary and vulnerable process, and it’s easy to let imposter’s syndrome creep in. I work really hard and hope readers will love my words, but doubt slips into my back pocket and follows me wherever I go.
This year at a spring market, a woman purchased my book, <i>Paint the Grass</i>, on the first day of the event. I happily signed it for her and when she went on her way that afternoon, I never expected to see her again. But the next morning, she came back. She waited for several minutes as I signed books for others, and then with tears in her eyes, she grasped my hand with both of hers and said, “I wasn’t planning to come to the spring market this year, and the only thing I ended up buying was your book. When I got home I opened it thinking I would read a few chapters before dinner. But when I started reading, I couldn’t stop.” She started to cry. “I read the entire book in one sitting, and when I finished, I knew I had to come here today to talk to you.” She pulled me in for a hug and said, “Your book saved me.” She told me she’d lost her husband, and after years of being alone, she’d gotten married again. Not long after the marriage began, her new husband betrayed her and left with no warning, and she’d been blaming herself ever since. For nearly a year she’d been depressed and unhappy, and pulled away from everyone close to her. She then said, “I don’t know if you believe in God, but I do, and I think He sent me to this market so I could meet you and read your amazing words. They saved me. I now know what I need to do to move forward and be happy. Thank you for writing. Never stop.”
Nothing makes me happier than hearing my words made a difference in someone’s life. It’s always my goal to lift readers with my books. Words are powerful, so I try to make mine count.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Heidi Boyd and I’m a women’s fiction and romance author. I write under the pen name H.R. Boyd, the R stands for Richards, my maiden name. I’m the wife of a fly-boy, mother of three sons, and lover of words. My mother claims I started speaking in full sentences before age two, telling stories every waking moment. I’ve always loved words, and growing up I attended writing institutes during the summer while my friends went camping or hung out at the lake. When I graduated high school, I went to college and earned my business degree with a minor in English Literature, so I could run my own writing business someday. After dedicating ten years to raising my family, my focus turned back to telling stories. I’ve won several awards for my writing, and I’ve completed six novels and published three. I write emotional and empowering books in several genres: women’s fiction, contemporary romance, and paranormal fiction. My books always have a lot of humor in them, I believe laughter truly is the best medicine, but several of my books will also bring readers to tears. When my words help readers feel emotion, I consider it a huge success. I’ve spent nineteen years honing my craft, attending several writers’ conferences each year to learn necessary skills, reading craft books, and writing millions of words as I practiced my personal style of wordsmithing. When I had a book I considered ready for readers, I started a publishing company and got to work. Copper Crow Publishing is dedicated to creating beautiful books that uplift, entertain, and inspire. I’m currently working on three separate book series. My <i>Paint the Grass </i>series is an uplifting and empowering series that focuses on Bethany Taylor as she navigates a new stage in her life and finds her second act. My<i> True Love </i>series focuses on women who don’t believe in true love as they meet their significant others and find their happily-ever-afters. My <i>Paragon Witch</i> series is paranormal fiction that focuses on two sisters and their two daughters as they hone their unique talents and abilities. I’ve been described as a wordsmith, and hope my books stand out because of the care I put into writing them. I focus on adding emotion through the craft and art of writing. My current published works are <i>Paint the Grass</i>, <i>Paint the Town</i>, and <i>If True Love Wasn’t Fiction</i>. <i>Paint a Thousand Words</i>, and <i>If True Love Doesn’t Fly</i> are my next planned releases. The <i>Paragon Witch </i>Series will be in the works soon after. I enjoyed small-town Montana life for sixteen years and love my home state, and I now live in Northwest Arkansas in a house full of boys with two cats who continually compete with my computer for dominance of my lap.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I first started in the publishing industry traditional publishing was the only path for authors. I began my journey with the idea that I had to be picked up by a big five publisher in order to be successful. For years, I didn’t feel as if my work was good enough to even attempt publication. But I learned and studied, I wrote half a dozen books and entered contests, and eventually I began winning awards and feeling confident in my work. So I started querying literary agents. I spent fifteen years querying and writing, and over these years I received hundreds of rejection letters. I also had dozens of full-manuscript requests and even had three phone calls with agents, but each time, they wanted me to change significant portions of my work to fit industry wants and trends. I started to get discouraged, and considered quitting on several occasions. During this time the indie publishing industry began to gain momentum. I started researching both paths and found a lack of compensation for creatives in the traditional field. Several of my traditionally published friends were making less than a dollar a book. Another concerning aspect of traditional publishing is that authors and illustrators have to sign over the rights of their creative ideas to the publishers in order to enter into a contract with them. And while this is a fine path for many authors, I decided to prioritize keeping the rights to my creative works. So I pivoted and decided to start my own publishing company. It was a steep learning curve at first, but I found a creative partner whose knowledge of indie publishing compliments my own skills, and together we focus on making beautiful and inspiring books. I like to say that through the indie publishing world readers get to experience the most authentic version of a book because indie publishing is the most direct path from author’s imagination to a published work. We work hard, we hire editors, we make changes, we have alpha and beta readers, and we make it the best book that we can just like traditional authors do, but we have control over the creative process. Our book ideas stay ours. We have ownership over our creative products, and it’s a beautiful thing.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The goal of my creative journey is to help readers feel and reflect on their life and happiness. When I’m able to create an emotional experience with my words, I consider it a job well done. If a reader tells me they laughed or cried or had to read a section out loud because it moved them, I feel as if I’ve reached my potential as an author. And when the theme of my book makes readers reevaluate their thoughts on a subject, or helps them turn inward and consider their happiness or the strength of the relationships in their lives, I’ve done my job. My goal is to write beautiful and impactful words that will change lives for the better. For me it’s all about the words. Our words matter. They’re powerful. And I intend to use mine for good.
Contact Info:
- Website: hrboyd.com
- Instagram: hrboydwrites
- Facebook: H.R. Boyd, Author
- Twitter: @heidi_boyd
- Other: TikTok: H.R. Boyd Author
Image Credits
Tricia Jones, Alayna Sperry, Hillary Sperry, Heidi Boyd