Interview with Heidi Main & a Giveaway

Please enjoy this interview with Contemporary Christian Romance author Heidi Main, who is sharing about The Farmer’s Marriage Bargain, her latest Love Inspired release.

Be sure to comment below by April 8 for a chance to win a paperback copy! (US residents only)

Welcome, Heidi! Tell us a little about yourself and your family.

I’m Heidi Main and I live in North Carolina with my husband and backyard of spoiled birds. Our daughter is a public school teacher and lives about two hours away, but I endeavor to see her at least once a month whether she wants us to visit or not.

It’s nice that you’re close enough to visit regularly. Who was your favorite book character as a child and why?

I devoured the Little House on the Prairie books, so of course Laura was my favorite character. She was a little girl, yet strong and independent, with a lot of spunk. I wasn’t very confident as a youngster, so I think that’s why she appealed to me.

I loved the Little House on the Prairie TV show, but I don’t think I ever read the books. That kind of sounds like a crime now. LOL How and when did you start writing? 

It started with a simple question a friend asked me. “As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?” I told them I’d longed to be an author, you know, like everyone. My friend looked at me like I had three heads and then told me she’d never wanted that. And she’d never heard of *anyone* who had wanted to be an author. 

That day, I wondered if my dream was something unique God had put on my heart. So I started praying. And writing (I won’t tell you how long, because it was a very long time). I wrote eight novels before a publisher took a chance on me. And those first seven novels will never see the light of day! Now, my fourth novel with Harlequin / Love Inspired is out—woot!

Wow, that’s amazing! What genre do you write and what inspired you to write that particular genre? 

I write short contemporary romance for Harlequin / Love Inspired. The funny thing is that I chose this line because there aren’t subplots. And many years ago, I decided that this line would be *easier* to break into since it was a shorter word count. Little did I know that they receive thousands of submissions and can have their pick of authors!

I’m sure that makes you feel pretty good about being one of their authors. What would you tell your younger writing self?

Read *and study* the line you are targeting. When I finished a novel, I’d have my agent submit it and then I’d start writing another book. Looking back, I basically made the same mistakes over and over because I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. 

I never reached out to published authors to ask them if they would help me. I didn’t read the Love Inspired line and tear books apart to figure out what the editors were looking for in submissions. I didn’t read craft books cover to cover. Don’t get me wrong, I own a ton of craft books that I’d refer to when I ran across problems, but I never took the time to read any of them cover to cover to better my writing with each written work. 

Had I done some of those regrets, I may have gotten published quicker. But I honestly believe God had me on my own special path to publication because I learned a great deal of patience and humility through the lengthy process I went through.

I wholeheartedly agree that God uses the writing journey to teach us many lessons, including patience and humility. Is THE FARMER’S MARRIAGE BARGAIN inspired by true events?

Yes, it is. For starters, the lady who helps me with all things country and farm owns a bunch of dwarf Nigerian goats, so that’s why I made the setting a goat farm. But as far as the marriage of convenience, I know a lady who lost her husband to cancer at a very young age. She had three young children, and her husband asked their pastor to find her a husband so that she’d have a partner and so his children would have a father. 

I always found that so neat because I heard this story after I had met the couple and known them for a number of years. They are always holding hands and seem to be completely in love—and they are! Because staying in love in a marriage is a choice. Marriage is work. And this couple started their lives determined to enjoy the rest of their lives together, and it shows!

Sounds like they both had a godly perspective about marriage that helped them love each other and stay committed. Which character in THE FARMER’S MARRIAGE BARGAIN presented the biggest challenge?

Carter McCaw because his wound is related to the arthritis diagnosis he got as a college freshman. I had to take out all the backstory because I just didn’t have the word count to include it, so I had this thread of his arthritis that had made him decide as a young man to never marry. But I also have Emma working with him on diet and supplements through the book, ending with his arthritis feeling significantly better with the help she gave him, along with physical therapy. 

I based this on the arthritis that had started to cripple my hands, which my doctor told me to get used to. But once I made some diet changes and added daily collagen, my hands feel significantly better!

I’m glad to hear your arthritis pain has lessened. Do you have a favorite drink or snack you indulge in while writing?

Dove milk chocolate. And I need to stop!

But it’s so good, right?! For our last question, tell us what’s next for you.

After I revel in the release of THE FARMER’S MARRIAGE BARGAIN, I’ll be announcing the title of my next book, which is the last of the McCaw siblings (Triple C Ranch Series) and will be part of the K9 Companions mini-series. That one will have a late December 2025 release date. 

And of course, I am about to sit down and write the first draft of a book in a new series that I am excited about! To be the first to know about all my writing adventures, subscribe to my newsletter.

Thanks so much for sharing on my blog, Heidi. I pray God will continue to bless you as you write stories for His glory.

Join the conversation. Are you a Love Inspired fan? Have you read any of Heidi’s books? Does The Farmer’s Marriage Bargain sound like a book you’d enjoy? What questions or comments do you have for Heidi?

Be sure to comment below by April 8 for a chance to win a paperback of The Farmer’s Marriage Bargain! (US resident only)

Please share Heidi’s interview on social media to help spread the word about her book!

If you missed Penelope Marzec’s spotlight on Love’s Gift last week, FIND IT HERE!