We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Scott McDaniel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I believe in the power of story. Most might say it’s just a novel. Total fiction. What can a bunch of sentences really do? Yet within the boundaries of Chapter One and The End lies the potential of something remarkable. Words have the ability to refresh, motivate, and evoke emotions. I can’t even express how much it means to me when a reader reaches out to tell me my story resonated with them. How they were able to connect to a certain character or situation. Relatability. It’s what it’s all about.

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?

If you pick up one of my books, you’ll find romance, mystery, and a dash of faith. I began writing over a decade ago when I was a young, stay-at-home mama. Writing became my creative outlet. At first, it was just a hobby, something I enjoyed. Then I became more serious about getting published. It was a long journey filled with lots of rejections. Rejections from potential literary agents, editors, publishing houses. I literally have an entire folder filled with “thank you but no” letters. There was a time I felt I’d never get published. But all it took was one “yes,” and here I am seven books later.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I first started writing, I was awful. Like really bad. The sad part was, I had no idea how terrible I was until I submitted my manuscript to professionals. They told me in gentle words that I needed lots of improvement. Instead of getting discouraged, I got determined. I studied the craft. Since I was tending to littles at the time, I did most of my research via the internet and books. I devoted myself to learning the right way to write. It took a bit, but I improved. And since then, I’ve won several awards in the industry. I tell this story a lot to encourage young writers to cling to their dreams but also work hard. Passion and dedication are crucial when wanting to become an author.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I began writing, a lot of industry professionals would say—You need to develop thick skin to survive. I wasn’t exactly certain how to accomplish this. I understood the remark because of the multiple rejections and setbacks a writer experiences. Yet on the other hand, in order to pen the best story possible, I needed to be sensitive to emotion. It was a tricky balance. What I gained from those early years was that I didn’t need to be thick-skinned, but to be aware of where my worth came from. Rejections didn’t define me, not as a writer nor as a person. When I grasped that truth, it felt so freeing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rachelmcdaniel.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel_scott_mcdaniel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelscottmcdaniel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-mcdaniel-7829a5120/