Part II of an interview with Robin Lee Hatcher, author of "The Hearts Pursuit"

Part II of an interview with Robin Lee Hatcher,author of “The Heart’s Pursuit”

When your heart is filled with a lust for vengeance, is there any room left for love? In her latest book, The Heart’s Pursuit , author Robin Lee Hatcher examines issues of the heart that all of us will eventually face: forgiveness and the desire for justice — or even retribution. The Heart’s Pursuit tells the story of two desperate characters who are hot on the trail of the villains who have harmed them. Silver Matlock is a Colorado beauty determined to track down the rogue who left her at the altar and stole the last remnant of her father’s fortune. Bounty hunter Jared Newman, as rugged as the West itself, seeks out the murderer who destroyed his family. Like so many who have been hurt by others, Silver and Jared must face the answer to this question: Will vengeance and payback heal their wounded hearts?

Q: Some of your contemporary releases draw on your personal experiences. Do you relate to the characters in a historical novel like The Heart’s Pursuit? If so, which ones and why?

There are pieces of me in every character I create. Or at least there are pieces of emotions and circumstances I have learned empathy for through my observations of life. And whatever God is teaching me when I am writing a novel will surely find its way into that story in one form or another. Because of that, yes, I do relate to my characters, whether the setting is historical or contemporary.

Q: Silver, your leading lady, has come to believe she isn’t deserving of love. What would you say to the person who feels like God could never love them?

I have seen others take on a hurt that makes them believe themselves undeserving of love, and I’ve witnessed the harm that can cause through the years. Believing God cannot love us almost always stems from thinking we have to earn His love — that there is something we must do or give up that will make us a better person and therefore worthy of being loved. It is a lie straight from the devil’s lips. Reject it! My advice for someone struggling with this belief, and a reminder to myself when I know I’ve tripped up in my walk with Christ, is for us to get into the Bible and discover for ourselves all He has said about His love for us.

Q: At first, Silver and Jared are united in their mission for justice — but the dishonesty that exists between them creates a wedge. What lessons about honesty are there for real-life relationships?

Secrets and dishonesty are enemies of any intimate relationship, whether its nature is platonic, romantic or familial. We must learn to tell the truth in love. That is never easy. In 2003, Randy Alcorn released a wonderful book called The Grace and Truth Paradox that made a huge impact on me when it comes to speaking both truth and grace into any situation. I highly recommend it.

Q: Every generation that experiences war is changed by what they go through. How did the Civil War, which ended eight years before this book opens, impact your characters’ families? In what ways were the protagonists still carrying the weight of those experiences?

The war itself took away Jared’s brothers and may have played a part in the evil that befell the remaining family members after the war. Silver’s father chose to take his family to a place where they could start over, leaving behind the sadness of so many missing young men in their former hometown.

We all carry the weight of what has happened to us in our lives. Our experiences shape us, sometimes strengthening our character and sometimes weakening it. The same is true for Jared and Silver.

Q: What do you want your readers to take away with them after they’ve closed the covers of The Heart’s Pursuit?

My first hope, as always, is that my readers will have been entertained for a few hours and that they will have come to love my characters and perhaps even miss them when the book is over. Secondly, I hope they will have taken one step closer to God because of something one of my characters learned over the course of the story.

Learn more about Robin Lee Hatcher and The Heart’s Pursuit at www.robinleehatcher.com , Facebook or Twitter.