How Heather Hildenbrand Balances Writing, Coaching, and Creativity
Heather Hildenbrand discusses her love for fantasy, the challenges of self-publishing, and how the Law of Attraction shapes her writing. She shares insights on character development, industry evolution, and balancing creativity with business.
Heather Hildenbrand is a storyteller who thrives on imagination, weaving paranormal and fantasy romances that transport readers to richly crafted worlds. With a deep love for adventure sparked by The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia, she has built a career not only as an author but also as a mentor, guiding fellow writers through the evolving landscape of self-publishing.
In this exclusive interview for Reader’s House Magazine, Heather opens up about her journey—from the challenges of breaking into the industry to the balance between writing and coaching. With candid insights and invaluable advice, she offers a glimpse into the resilience and passion that fuel her creative process.
What inspired you to start writing paranormal romance and urban fantasy?
As a kid, my favorite books were The Hobbit and the Chronicles of Narnia. I read those stories and immediately fell in love with the idea of entirely made-up and fantastical worlds. I started writing my own story when I was about 13. I got eight pages into it (handwritten on notebook paper) before my hand got tired and I gave up. I still have that story in my closet somewhere!
How has your experience with the Law of Attraction influenced your writing journey?
I got into self-development for the same reasons I started writing: to escape a particularly terrible event that disrupted my family and made reality hard to cope with for several years. Both LOA and fiction-writing gave me the outlet I needed to escape and to process hard feelings. And I think I just can’t help turning my passions into businesses. So, today, I split my time between writing fiction and coaching/teaching authors using LOA and mindset. I think they’re perfect mirrors for one another as Law of Attraction is the process of creating reality with your mind…and isn’t that what we’re doing when we write a book?
Can you share any insights into your writing process and how you develop such engaging characters?
I wish I had a process! I’ve always been a daydreamer so ideas and scenes just come to me. I definitely take inspiration from my favorite books and media, but I’m big on “how does a scene or story make you feel?” And then I want to take that feeling and create an entire story from it. I’m a mood reader and probably a mood writer in that way.
What challenges have you faced in the publishing industry since your first book released in 2011?
Everything about the industry is a challenge, and I think that’s what I love (and sometimes hate) about it. This industry has been evolving rapidly since I arrived to it and the name of the game has always been to keep up. In 2011, self-publishing was still so brand new and there weren’t any guides or courses or how-to’s for any of it. We taught ourselves everything about writing and business from the ground up. Now, I can’t believe how many resources there are for new writers. It’s kind of awesome, actually, but leaves me saying things like “back in my day, we had to walk uphill both ways to work…”
How do you balance your writing career with your coaching and other creative pursuits?
Carefully! I am determined to do both as I love them both but that means making smart choices about time management. When coaching took off about two years ago, I had to slow my publishing schedule to accommodate, and that was a big adjustment. But turns out, the rapid pace of indie publishing isn’t a hard and fast rule anymore. And writing less books hasn’t meant losing out on any level of income or readership. Right now, my time is split about 50/50 between the two, and that feels good for me.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors looking to build a successful career in self-publishing?
Invest in yourself. Admit you have so much to learn. It’s not just about writing. You are now a marketer, a CEO, a content creator, a social media persona—and there’s no way you can know how to do all of these things without investing in yourself to build those skills. I’m not saying you have to pay an arm and a leg for courses or creative writing programs. But we’re always paying in either time or money. You can spend money on a (great) course in order to hit the fast-forward button and have that knowledge handed over. Or you can spend time learning as you go, internet searching your way there. There’s no wrong way except to think you won’t need either one. Every time I hear an aspiring author say, “I just want to write the books and not worry about the other stuff” I wince. Even with a publisher behind you, no one will care about your books as much as you do. There is no one else invested in your success like you are. Take ownership of that and you’ll go so much farther than if you don’t.
