Guest Interview
Books You Can Feel Good About
Pull up a chair. Get yourself something warm to drink. This is the kind of conversation that makes you glad you stopped by.
Today I have the absolute joy of sitting down with Heidi Gray McGill — Christian fiction author, speaker, and the kind of storyteller who sneaks faith into your heart before you even realize it happened. Heidi writes with purpose, with warmth, and with a depth that keeps readers coming back. I have been reading her work for years, and every single time, I walk away with something new. Grab a seat. You are going to love this.
And before we dive in — if you love what you read here and want to be among the first to get your hands on her newest books, Heidi has two wonderful ways to stay connected. You can join her newsletter and snag a FREE Christmas book, or you can reach out to join her ARC (launch) team and read her books before anyone else does. I do both, and I’m so glad I do! Now. Let’s talk books.
Robin says: I have read several of Heidi’s stories over the last several years. I am ALWAYS impressed with the great detail of the characters and their surroundings as well as the solid faith lessons they hold. It seems like I can always learn something new or see a new perspective on things.
Robin: Heidi, thank you so much for doing this interview with me. I feel honored! Would you like to give us a brief bio?
Heidi: Oh, Robin, the honor is all mine — truly! I love what you do for authors and readers, and getting to sit here and chat with you today is a genuine treat.
So, a little about me. I am a Christian fiction author and an author encourager. Before I became all wrapped up in fictional worlds, I spent my career as a secretary, a fundraiser for both universities and the American Red Cross, and finally as the founder and director of an English as a Second Language program (ESL). I did not plan to become an author — writing found me in 2020 when God closed the ESL program because of what was happening in our world in March and made it very clear this was not a suggestion. Obedience, not ambition, got me to the keyboard.
Here is something not everyone knows about me right away: I am legally blind. But that has never once slowed the stories down. If anything, purpose sharpened my focus. My deepest hope is that readers finish my books desiring more of Christ, even if they cannot quite put their finger on when that shift happened along the way. That is my favorite kind of magic.
My husband and I have been married for 35 years, and we live near Charlotte, North Carolina. Our two daughters and three very energetic grandsons make sure life stays full and gloriously loud.
Robin: Concentrating on the wonderful Discerning God’s Best series. Discerning God’s best on the frontier isn’t easy, but the unexpected detours make life an exciting adventure.
Robin: You have a talent for making your characters so real. Is there a certain way you go about writing them?
Heidi: Thank you — your words fill my cup, because those characters feel very real to me too!
Those early characters were the hardest to establish. Physical descriptions are the simple part. The actual work goes much deeper. I needed to understand their personalities, their spiritual upbringing, where they stood at the opening of the story, and where I wanted them to land by the final page. Their backstory drives everything. What shaped them? What hurt them? What made them who they are at this exact moment in time? Getting that right is what makes their responses to conflict feel true instead of convenient.
I create a character bible for each person and kept adding to it throughout the series. For later books, the main characters were already living and breathing on the page, so that groundwork was already laid. The side characters, though, those are pure fun. No rules. I can make them as quirky as I want. I may enjoy those a little too much. (i.e. Reverend Jenkins and how he repeats phrases and can talk the ear off a mule.)
And speaking of characters you will not want to leave behind, the entire Discerning God’s Best series is available on Amazon. All the books standalone, but reading them in order lets you watch these characters grow not just through time, but spiritually. That progression is something I am pleased with. You can find the full series here.
Robin: In your Discerning God’s Best series, you travel from the untamed frontier to high society with a lot of detail. Was the detail in these stories from over the years of research you’ve done, or did you research especially for this series?
Heidi: Great question, and the honest answer is — both, depending on the book.
The first book actually required the least research because I had spent years reading deeply in Christian historical fiction. So many period details become second nature. That said, I still nearly published a historical error. A launch team member caught that bales of hay did not exist in 1858. Out went the bales. In came logs. Lesson learned and bless that reader forever.
The later books required much more digging. One of my favorite research stories comes from Healing of the Heart. I needed to get my character, Thomas, from Missouri to Philadelphia by train. I knew my fictional town of Shumard Oak Bend sat near what is now Poplar Bluff, so I contacted the Library of Congress for help. They were incredible. They sent train maps, schedules, even the exact location of the Philadelphia train station.
There was just one problem. They were missing two years’ worth of documentation. The exact two years I needed. Three librarians took on the case. In the meantime, I built a plausible route and published the book. Many months later, the Library of Congress came back with the missing records. I had gotten everything right. I cannot tell you what a relief and blessing that was.
Robin: You are also so talented at blending God’s lessons with the characters and the problems that they face. Which do you start with first - the character or bible teaching?
Heidi: Oh, this is such a fun one to answer because it actually shifted as the series grew.
For the first two books, the characters came first. But somewhere in the process, something flipped. Now, the spiritual arc usually arrives before anything else. It almost always comes from something I encounter in a devotional, a Bible study, or a sermon. One verse lands differently than it ever has before, even though I have read that same scripture a dozen times. It will not let me go.
Once that happens, I start seeing a character. Who would they have been before encountering this truth? What would walking through it look like? What does life look like on the other side of accepting and applying it? Because the series builds through the years, even though each book stands alone, it is usually clear which existing character fits that journey. And when no one fits? I get to create someone new. That is always a good day.
Robin: Thank you so much for being here and sharing your time.
Heidi: Robin, thank you so much for taking the time to share this space with me. This has been an absolute joy. You are a blessing in so many ways, and I want to make sure readers understand just how much what you do matters.
Reading a book is a gift to an author. But reviewing it? That is a love language. And you go even further. You promote the work; you champion the authors; you build a community of readers who trust your recommendations. That ripple effect is enormous, and I am so grateful to be on the receiving end of it.
Want to Read the Series?
All books in the Discerning God’s Best series are standalones, but reading them in order is where the real magic happens. You get to watch the characters grow through time and through faith in a way that is deeply satisfying. Find the full series on Amazon right here.
Kindle Unlimited subscriber or ebook reader? The Discerning God’s Best Book Bundle — Collection One with Bonus Content is the best deal going. It includes a Christmas short story you cannot get anywhere else. One bundle, one click, and you are set.
Stay Connected with Heidi
Want to go deeper? Heidi would love to have you along on the journey.
Join the newsletter: Sign up here and receive a FREE Christmas book as a welcome gift. It is the prequel to the story and is perfect for a relaxing afternoon read.
Join the ARC team: Read Heidi’s books before they release and help spread the word. Reach out through her contact page to get involved. Let Heidi know you read about it on Books You Can Feel Good About and she’ll get back with you.
ONE MORE THING: Heidi is offering a FREE BOOK. When you comment below and answer the following question, we will enter you into a drawing for the first book in Heidi’s series: Desire of My Heart.
Question: Heidi writes about characters who learn to discern God’s best, even when the path looks nothing like they planned. Has there ever been a moment in your own life when an unexpected detour turned out to be exactly where God wanted you? Tell us about it in the comments for a chance to win!
Robin Willson hosted this interview at Books You Can Feel Good About.
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