Rebecca Hefner (Weekly Author Spotlight 26 April 2021)

AUTHOR BIO

Rebecca Hefner grew up in Western NC and now calls the Hudson River of NYC home. In her youth, she would sneak into her mother’s bedroom and read the romance novels stashed on the bookshelf, cementing her love of HEAs. A huge Buffy and Star Wars fan, she loves an epic fantasy and a surprise twist (Luke, he IS your father). Before becoming an author, Rebecca had a successful twelve-year medical device sales career. After launching her own indie publishing company, she is now a full-time author who loves writing strong, complex characters who find their HEAs.

QUICK INTERVIEW

Where are you from?
“I grew up in Western North Carolina and now live right outside New York City.”

How long on average does it take you to write a book?
“That depends. For the Prevent the Past series, which is a time travel series, it took me a while because I had to use age calculators and triple check the timelines. On the other hand, I’m currently writing a novella for the Hearts Unleashed anthology and that has taken me about three weeks.”

What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
“I start out with an outline and a basic idea of where I want to go, but the characters always end up taking me somewhere way better than I imagined!”

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
I” think that with each book published, an author becomes a better writer. My first book, The End of Hatred, just reminded me that it was the first step in this long career I’m trying to build.”

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad and good ones?
“I read them less and less lately because I’m just too busy to look. A book is a very personal experience and will resonate with everyone differently. I do like to see which characters resonate with which reviewers because sometimes, it’s completely opposite. I find that fascinating.”

Who/What inspired you to write the Prevent The Past Series?
“I’m a huge science dork who went to Space Camp when I was fourteen and knew I’d write a geeky time travel story with a theoretical physicist female main character one day. When I finally did, I was so excited because this trilogy combines my love of science with my love of romance novels.”

Who/What inspired you to write the Etherya’s Series?
“I’m a huge Buffy fan and a fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, so Etherya’s Earth is probably inspired by both. I wanted to write a series where Vampyres were dependent on Slayers’ blood to survive and the Slayers had to rely on them for protection. When they fall into war, the balance is thrown off and that’s where The End of Hatred begins.”

How do you select the names of your characters?
“For my Etherya’s Earth series, I make up a lot of the names, which is so fun! Otherwise, I just imagine the characters in my head and their names usually come to me.”

Is there any new release we can expect in 2021 or in the future?
“I’m thrilled to say I will be releasing Etherya’s Earth Book 6 in June! Can’t wait to bring it to all the readers who have been patiently wiating for this book for over a year!”

What advice would you give to a writer working their first book?
“Just sit down and write. You can always edit later but you can’t edit a blank page!”