Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Blanchard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rachel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Ever since elementary school, my English teachers always encouraged me that my class stories were vivid and entertaining, and to never stop writing. This made sense, since outside of school, I could never stop reading! After graduation, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in English, and became a wife, parent, and secondary school teacher.
Once my major life milestones slowed down, I found the space to discover blog posts on book publications, after following my favorite authors on social media. I learned about the helpfulness of reading books about and taking classes on the writer’s craft.
With my mother’s encouragement (since she and I always loved to watch cozy and romantic movies together), I outlined a short lists of scenes which would become my first novel. I was inspired to fictionalize a coming of age story about how I had moved from Florida to Missouri, filled with doubts and fears, but God was faithful through it all! My husband watched our one-year-old for an hour a day that summer so I could get it written and edited. I was impatient to publish it to wild critical and financial success!
However, what I’ve learned as I’ve signed copies for family members, watched my knowledge grow with each book, craft new memories and themes with my pen that embed themselves in my heart, and get to experience fun moments like author signings, the process is truly the reward. A writing career, or any pursuit, for that matter, can crash and burn if you are solely focused on exterior goals. But finding the joy in creation is the true achievement of a creator.
Patience and commitment to keep going, even when the journey feels hard, are just as important as attention to detail or natural ability to the author. You have to be willing to write imperfectly to dive deeper with each new project, polishing your words and experiences into sparkling gems that can be treasured by others.
As a young mother, time and money were barriers to my writing, but if progress and not perfection is your goal, if you are committed to writing for the long haul and building up your readers and body of work, you can achieve smaller goals that snowball into greater opportunities! It can take years of rejection and implementing feedback to start receiving more “yes.”

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 background and context?

I am an independent author who writes faith-filled tales of second chances that feel like home. You can expect my strong, principled heroines and green-flag heroes to grow on their own spiritually and together romantically. As a mother of three, my love for little ones is also woven through several of my stories, and the shorter length of my novels and novellas make it easy to become joy-filled and inspired in just an afternoon!
My characters aren’t perfect, but they will always navigate through emotional and external struggles to reach their happily-ever-after. My work can be found in “The Secret Place,” “ChristianDevotions.us,” “Inkspiration Online,” and “Spark Flash Fiction,” as well as my four books on Amazon. “First in My Heart” is a coming of age teacher romance set in Florida, followed by companion novella, “Finding My Heart,” where a wealthy former hockey player works toward redeeming his mistakes, and maybe even his heart. “Cassia’s Calling” is a medieval-flavored fantasy novella featuring a young woman with a healing gift who takes on a corrupt king. “The Rancher’s Reason” is a Missouri small-town romance where two high-school sweethearts overcome a secret from the past to save a horse rescue.
I am most proud to say that in a very busy season of life, I pushed through feelings of inadequacy and rejection to lean into the truth that I am going to commit to the talents which God gave me. In addition to writing, I’ve enjoyed reading and reviewing Christian fiction books from other authors. My goal as a writer is to encourage others in a gentle way, and to always be learning!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

When I first began marketing/publicity, I had full expectations of thrilling all Christian romance fans! I’ve discovered that even within a common genre, there is a wide range of readers. The truth is that you cannot please everyone, but your writing is going to be perfect for your readers! For me, that means the reader that wants to feel inspired without feeling heavy, and feel seen without feeling hopeless.

If I am authentically myself and I also have a mindset of service to others who may need what I have to offer, the pressure of social media and sales metrics becomes much simpler. Thinking about what they may need or be looking for helps me to come across less “salesy.” For example, I enjoy watching funny videos in my spare time. Can I make a lighthearted video which relates to reading or writing?

Being willing to constantly reassess and adapt when content doesn’t land has been helpful to balance staying the course and keeping my energy up. It takes time and practice to find a community. Participating in smaller contests or writers groups can help you find like-minded creatives who can inspire you to engage more with your audience!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think the amount of independent work and grit required to finish a novel is something I took for granted before becoming an author! Like an athlete training for a big game, writing is hundreds of logins when you feel like scrolling. Hundreds of modifications to sentences when you’re ready to throw a whole document in the recycle bin! Months of work before you get to hold the paperback in your hand, and even then, the thought arises: did I do enough? Will this story mean something to someone else, as much as it means to me? It’s the determination to say, even if not a single person likes my words, they were worth speaking. They were worth spending time with. And believing in yourself no matter what.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rachelblanchardwriter.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelblanchardwriter/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/rachelblanchardwriter?_rdr
• Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21726418.Rachel_Blanchard
  

  @rachelblanchardwr

  https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rachel-Blanchard/author/B09BC9HN56?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Image Credits

Author Photo: Julie Anderson