Novelist Heidi Reimer On Tenacity, Visibility, And Depth

My dear bright stars,

This is a beautiful story of setting an intention and having the courage to not let it go, even when it feels like the whole world is telling you no.

I used to write with the lovely novelist Heidi Reimer at a little café called Saving Gigi back when we both lived in Toronto pre-pandemic. At the time she was working on a novel, and we celebrated when she landed a New York agent after a lengthy search for representation.

Something I’ve always admired about Heidi is her unflappable ability to keep going in the face of obstacles. So when her novel didn’t sell I was not surprised she was already working on another with the full support of her agent.

It took a few more years (really challenging pandemic ones!) plus a lot of tenacity, and finally Heidi landed a Canada/US book deal with Random House and Dutton. Her excellent debut novel The Mother Act launched in spring of this year, and was reviewed in The New York Times. And now in a wonderful reversal, her earlier book—the one that didn’t sell initially—was picked up by Random House too!

I interviewed Heidi on my podcast about the mindset work she did when it seemed like no one was going to publish her books. We also talked about the important mind shifts she made to adjust to becoming visible as an author.

Here are some of the highlights from our heartfelt and very candid conversation:

Suzanne: You recently published your debut novel, The Mother Act, but it wasn't the first novel that you wrote.

Heidi: It wasn't a straightforward path. I've never had the story that you dream of, like, you get the call. They read it over the weekend. They love it. It's always been a long journey of keeping the faith at every step. And even when I get to a new step, there's new levels. You’ve got to keep working, keep believing.

Suzanne: Besides continuing to write and working on your next novel when that initial novel wasn't accepted, how did you manage your thinking in your mind around writing and not just get down on yourself about it?

Heidi: There did come a point where I felt I had a real reckoning with whether or not I could keep doing this. And it wasn't after the first novel didn't sell. But it was after the second novel, which was The Mother Act, didn't find a home right away. For a while it looked like we were starting to reach the end of the list of editors and publishing houses. I was deep working in a third novel. And I had a point of a couple of months where continuing to get up in the morning and pour my heart and soul and mental and emotional energy into this other novel, which would be potentially the third one that no one in the world was interested in publishing. That was hard because I had reached a point where just the creative process, which had always sustained me—I reached a point where I was realizing that that wasn't actually enough.

I wanted the work to be received. I wanted it to be read. The analogy I used was you're creating a play, you're putting on a play and you've done all the work and it's on the stage and you open the doors and nobody comes. There's no audience. So have you put on the play? I felt like, how do I go on? How do I keep writing novels, which is, such a mentally and emotionally and psychologically arduous endeavour. And how do I keep showing up with diligence and faith to this? Because it requires faith as well, like faith that what you're making is going to amount to something. I really had to draw on some very deep wells of my own inner resources, inner belief. It was hard.

Suzanne: I like what you said about having to have faith in your work to keep on going. That really resonates with me.

Heidi: And you do. And I think if your faith is outsourced, It's not enough. It's very nice to get those stamps of approval from outside for sure. And it does help getting grants or having shorter pieces published, you know, in journals or online. But when it comes down to it, you have to believe yourself in what you're doing.

Suzanne: But then everything shifted.

Heidi: Then everything shifted. I was on a therapy call with my therapist and weeping about why can't I get a novel published? Like, I'm in my mid 40s by this point. I have been working toward this goal since I was eight years old. Like, what is wrong with me? You know? Like, bringing it down to that level, because it's so personal. It does feel like it's a judgment on us as people. Like, you are not good enough. Not your book isn't good enough, or books plural, but you are not good enough. I got off that call. And I checked my email and there was a message from my agent saying an editor at Random House Canada is reading the manuscript and is very interested. And that was the beginning of that tide turning. And, and they say it only takes one, but it only takes one. And that was the one.

I got this amazing two book deal with Random House Canada, worked with an incredible editor on it. And on the basis of that edited manuscript, landed a book deal in the US with Dutton and, and they published it simultaneously. So it came out in both countries on the same date with the same gorgeous cover. And so all of these things happened. I mean, there was a New York Times review. It was in People magazine, it was in Chatelaine, like all of these big things that when I reflect back to the self who had to come to that place of nobody in the external world is saying that they want my work and I still believe in my work. It's profound.

Find out what you need to know about author visibility and ways to deepen your characters in editing. Plus, Heidi shares her most effective daily writing practice.

Listen to the whole interview on episode 10 of the podcast.

Apple Podcasts (click Follow)

Spotify (click Follow)

YouTube (click subscribe)

Submit a writing question or dilemma and I’ll answer it on a special upcoming Dear Suzanne episode. (We can use your first name or a pseudonym to protect your privacy.) 

PS: The podcast is an extension of my teaching and coaching. My course, The Sparkle Technique is a refreshing creative reset—perfect for fall! Plus, stay tuned for details on an inspiring new coaching package coming soon.

Share