We recently connected with Lisa Heartman and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

I outlined a contemporary romance that I loved when I first started writing. I poured everything I had into the novel. I wrote the story for a year without allowing anyone to provide feedback. A few published author friends offered to critique the story and writing when I was done. I was stunned, and frankly hurt, at how much they disliked the male character, how many basic writing mistakes they pointed out, and how awful they thought the plot was. I was zero for three in the novel trifecta with lackluster characters, lousy writing, and a pitiful plot. One of them even suggested I burn the printed copy so no one could ever get their hands on it. I was crushed. I finally took a chance to make my dreams of publishing a novel come true, and I failed miserably. I’d just spent a year creating something that would never make it to a publisher’s attention. After that, I took some time off to decide if writing was what I really wanted to do. I still loved creating stories and had the desire to entertain others, so I decided to continue my passion. I took a year off from writing to take classes and attend seminars in the areas where I was deficient. When I finally started writing my second book, I was in a much better position. I published High Heels and Handguns in early 2019, and I was so proud of myself for not giving up in the face of failure.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I love reading romance novels. What I admire most about them is knowing that these two people are going to face some challenges and they are going to screw up along the way, but in the end, they will figure out a way to make it all work regardless of who they are and where they’re from. When I started writing, the stories I was reading felt flat and uninspired. Perhaps it was the authors I was choosing, the genre tropes, or just the time. Whatever it was, I was falling out of love with the written word. They say if you can’t find the book you want to read, write it. That is what made me start writing. I believe that love is messy and magnificent, and I wanted to share my ideas about love with others. Nobody’s perfect, so creating characters full of hopes and dreams and fears and flaws that readers can connect with is very important to me. Then I get to send these characters off on an adventure to solve a mystery. Writing is the hardest, most fun thing I’ve ever done. I hope my passion for my characters and stories comes through to my readers. I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve accomplished with my first published book, and I look forward to getting the second book in the series out.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being creative is how many people reach out to me through social media, my website, and events to share their love of my characters and story. There is always that little voice in my head that says things like “this isn’t good enough” or “no one is going to like this.” It’s tough to turn off that negative self-speak. It invigorates me when a reader mentions a section of the story that was particularly hard for me to get through. That positive review or comment helps me turn down the volume of the creativity-killing self-doubt. That’s not to say that every reader loves my book. Some do not for one reason or another. I know I’m not going to make everyone happy, and that’s okay. Art is subjective. But I take the time to read every review and respond to every email. Good or bad, I use what I can to fuel my creativity or learn from a mistake to make the next story even better than the ones before. Connecting with readers is the most rewarding aspect of writing.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

When I’m looking for a new book, I ask friends what they are reading. I trust them, so it makes sense to take their suggestion. I believe the best source of new clients is word of mouth. That’s probably the best source for all business owners, but I genuinely believe getting a personal recommendation from a reader is the highest form of flattery. Online reviews and social media comments are just as critical as trusted friends or family members. I’ve won multiple awards for my first published book, but readers don’t care about that. Maybe some do, but I’ve never heard someone say they bought my book because I won something. I hear, “my sister read your book and loved it so much I had to get it,” or “I was at my daughter’s house, and she was laughing while reading your book, so I bought one to enjoy too.” I use comments like that and online reviews from readers to promote my book because they are real comments from real people. The challenge is, how do you get the recommendations and reviews? Well, you ask, and ask, and ask some more. I am always asking for reviews because I know how valuable they are in decision making. Some people will not give a review, and that’s fine. It’s not their thing. But the ones that do are golden!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lisaheartman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartmanlisa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartmanLisa
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeartmanLisa
• Other: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083HX7RHP Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/heartmanlisa

Image Credits
Photos were taken by Tony Julius of Julius Photography