Q&A With Heather Webber 

I have the honor of doing a Q&A with USA Today Bestselling Author Heather Webber. Heather has written over 30 books. Heather has written The Lucy Valentine Series, The Nina Quinn Mystery Series, and many solo novels 2 of which are Midnight At The Blackbird Café, & her current release At The Coffee Shop Of Curiosities. Under her pen name Heather Blake she has written The Wishcraft Mysteries & The Magic Potion Mysteries. 

Q: Heather, would you like to tell the readers of the blog a little bit about At The Coffee Shop Of Curiosities who haven’t read the book yet? How did you come up with the concept for the book?

A: At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities is a story of two women who are both haunted by their pasts and are brought together by a mysterious letter. Ava is mourning the loss of a friend and wishing she’d made different choices, and Maggie, who’s running her mama’s coffee shop, wants nothing more for her missing mother to return. One of the first seeds of this story came when a Facebook acquaintance shared a story about how in her hidden “other” folder on the Facebook site she found a message from her mother—who’d passed away six months beforehand. It was such a moving post that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Soon, it had me thinking about what a character would do if they received a mysterious message from beyond that offered a chance at happiness… 

Q: I enjoy reading mysteries and magic. What made you choose to write in the magical realism and mystery genre? 

A: I started my career writing romance that had a mystery element. After a few books, I switched to writing mysteries, all of which have a romantic element. Not long after, I introduced magic/supernatural elements into my mysteries. When I realized I was focusing more on the characters and their emotional journeys than the story’s mystery, it was a natural leap to start writing magical realism standalone novels. Each of them have a little mystery, romance, and magic, though the magic in my current books is fairly subtle. Personally, I love writing magic because I want to believe that magic is out there lending humanity a helping hand.

Q: Who in your family and friends were your biggest supporters of your writing goal and talent?

A: I tell this story a lot, but what prompted me to start writing was a dream, literally. I woke up one morning with the *best* story in my head and told my husband it would make a great movie. Then, I quickly changed my mind. It had to be a book, with all its plot twists and details. My husband took one look at me and told me I should write that book. I was twenty-five years old and had three little ones at home. I didn’t have any writing experience. All I had was that dream and all the support I could ever ask for from him. I will forever wonder where I’d be now if he hadn’t given me that encouragement—and continues to do so, twenty-plus years later.  

Q: Where do you get your ideas for your books? 

A: Honestly, sometimes I have no idea where they come from. The ideas are just there. Most of the time, however, an idea comes from a situation I see or hear. It sets off a spark that I then flame into a full-blown plot by playing the “what if” game. What if that happened to one of my characters? Then what if my character did this, did that? Letting creativity run wild is one of the best parts of being a writer.

Q: Where is your favorite spot to plot, write, and edit your work?

A: Home is definitely the best place for me to write. I’m not one of those writers who can write in coffee shops or libraries—I’m too easily distracted. I can usually be found in the recliner in my office with a comfy blanket and a hot cup of coffee or tea nearby. 

Q: Does Hollywood have any interests and rights in your work? The entertainment industry needs new material again. 

A: I’ve had interest through the years but nothing has come of it. Yet!

Q: Are you currently writing your next solo novel, a new book in any of your series or are you beginning a series?

A: I’m currently working on revisions for A Certain Kind of Starlight, another magical realism standalone, which will be out next summer.