Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers.
Originally, from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband, two daughters, and their three dogs.
In 2012, Heidi turned her passion for reading into a full-fledged literary career, writing over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Forever My Girl.
When writing isn’t occupying her time, you can find her sitting courtside at either of her daughters’ basketball games.
Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, and opened in theaters on January 19, 2018, and is now available on DVD & Digital.
To stay connected with Heidi visit http://www.facebook.com/authorheidimclaughlin or heidimclaughlin.com
Random Questions:
- What is your favorite restaurant? Moe’s Southwest Grill! Taco’s any day of the week!
- Where is your favorite or dream vacation spot? Anywhere on the beach, where I can just sit and relax. And Disney!
- What do you eat and drink while writing? I try not to eat while at my desk, and I’m usually drinking water.
- What is your biggest fear? Dying
- How often do you curse? Every day
- What is your favorite movie? Grease
- What is your favorite TV show? I’m currently hooked on Law & Order SVU reruns.
- How many siblings so you have? 3
- When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Everything! I think my dream profession changed on a weekly basis.
- What is something you are obsessed with? Obsessed is a strange word. I’m not sure I have an obsession or current hobbies that occupy a majority of my time. But if I have to choose, I’d say my dogs.
This or That:
- Fireman or Policeman? Fireman
- Vodka or Rum? Rum
- Summer or Winter? Summer
- Baseball or Football? Baseball
- Toilet paper: Over or Under? Over
- Beer or Wine? Neither
- Fruits or vegetables? A little bit of both
- Puzzles or board games? Definitely both
- Pasta or pizza? Neither
- Day or night? A little bit of both
Book Related Questions: **SPOILERS AHEAD**
I have read 4 of your books. I started with Third Base because I love baseball. Why a baseball series? I love baseball. I always have. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest so I was always a Mariner fan by default, but college and high school games are just as fun to watch. There’s nothing like the sound of a fast pitch hitting the bat.
Why did you write this book from just Ethan’s POV? Well, it’s sort of from both, but mostly because I wanted the allure of Daisy being behind the scenes.
You changed the cover of Third Base…why? I did not. This was a publishers choice after they bought the series from me.
Home Run was a very emotional book compared to Third Base. Why add those extra emotions? Every story needs to be different or they don’t stand out on their own. And life isn’t without conflict and I try to make my novels as true to life as possible.
Cooper was really down to earth. Why make him so relatable instead of an alpha-male who comes off as a jerk? Because I don’t do the alpha-male jerk role very well. I often want to strangle my characters who come off like that.
Ainsley’s mother has cancer. Why did you choose to give her cancer? It’s something I’ve dealt with, with my grandmother having cancer and passing away. Using something I’m familiar with helps achieve the right emotions.
Stripped Bare was a pretty quick, sexy read. It had the vibe of Pretty Woman. How did you keep the book original, even with a plot and plot twist that has been used in the past? Honestly, it was fairly easy. I love Pretty Woman, it’s a fun movie and when it came to Stripped Bare, I wanted more complex and deeper characters so I added, made them more well rounded.
Sexcation was a very interesting book. Where did you get the idea for it? This is one of those books where single people dream of what could happen on vacation come to life. The idea literally popped into my head one afternoon, made me chuckle, so I started working on the plot. Next thing I know, the story is half done and I’m loving every bit of it.
Forever My Girl was made into a movie. How was that process? Honestly, the making of the movie I had nothing to do with. However, the red carpet was pretty amazing.
I am going to name a few more of your books and/or series. Using 5 words, explain each book:
Blind Reality Series: Big Brother meets Married at First Sight
The Archer Brothers Series: Romantic government conspiracy gone wrong
Blow: The bad side of One D
Lost in You Series: Poor boy, meets rich woman
Beaumont – Next Generation Series: Fame, fortune and love wrapped in a bow
Roman: A mythological spin on vampires
Random Ending Questions:
- Is it hard to write duel POV? It’s not. It’s nice to have both sides of the story.
- Who are your one-click authors? I haven’t one-clicked in a bit, but my paperback collection is deep – Sawyer Bennett, Hannah McKinnon, Samantha Chase
- Do you write full-time or part-time? Full-time
- If you had to write yourself as a villain I one of your books, what type of villain would you be? The Dexter kind
- What was the most difficult scene you have written? Sex scenes – haha! They’re horrible to write (for me). Also, death. It’s hard, especially when you’ve seen loved ones die.
Final Questions:
- What can readers expect in the future? Chasing My Forever (The Beaumont Series – Quinn) will come out in September, plus I have a wedding novella (The Beaumont Series – Noah and Peyton) this winter. Also, coming in November is another novella which 4 other authors contributed too called Christmas with You distributed by Grand Central and Little Brown UK. Plus, before this summer is over, I hope to get Forever Mason out there.
- Anything you would like to say to your readers? Thank you! Without readers, authors write words that no one sees.
Books by Heidi:
The Beaumont Series:
Other books in The Beaumont Series:
Boys of Summer Series:
The Archer Brothers Series:
The Lost Series:
Reality Series:
Society X Series:
Standaones:
Books with Kathy 
I know I have some of her books on my cloud, but I don’t think I’ve ever sat down with one, I need to remedy that travesty – ASAP
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I want to read all of her books! I do enjoy reading your interviews. From my bar managing days I made up a wonderful drink that included both vodka and white rum so can I sneakily have this and that? (it also included peach schnapps and 1 was enough but it tasted great 🙂 )
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Great author spotlight. Loved the interview.
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I loved the interview! I definitely want to read her books.
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Great spotlight, I’ve never heard of Heidi McLaughlin before, even with all those books she has written.
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I knew the name looked familiar and when I saw the covers I knew why, because I have three of her books downloaded on my backlog. Great interview.
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Great post and interview, I’ve been dying to read any book by Heidi McLaughlin for a long time now because I heard nothing but great things about her book. I hope I can check out her books soon, thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
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