Interview With Author Autumn Rivers
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Autumn Rivers
Hi! I’m Autumn Rivers, an inspirational-romance author who writes heart-mending stories about ordinary people choosing courage, kindness, and second chances. I’m obsessed with the small things that make life feel like home—porch conversations at dusk, a well-worn quilt, a handwritten letter tucked in a kitchen drawer—and those details always find their way onto my pages. My books are clean/wholesome (closed-door), hope-forward, and rooted in community, found family, and quiet acts of love.
How many books I’ve written:
I’ve written two novels in my Willows Creek world—The Dawn Within and The Dawn Within: Finding Light After Darkness—with a third book, Hope at Willows Creek, in the works. Readers can expect slow-burn chemistry, faith-tinted healing, and endings that exhale.
About me (the human behind the pages):
I’m a sunrise person and a slow-coffee believer—most of my writing sessions begin after an early walk and a page of scribbled prayers. When I’m not drafting, you’ll probably find me:
tending a tiny herb garden (basil that somehow survives my enthusiasm),
baking something citrusy (lemon loaf is my love language),
browsing antique shops for vintage teacups and old letters,
volunteering at community projects that keep neighbors fed and seen, or
rewatching feel-good shows while outlining the next chapter.
I love stories where home is something we build together—board by board, kindness by kindness. That’s why my characters rebuild porches, reopen diners, make soup for the tired, and learn to trust again. If you enjoy small-town settings, gentle suspense, and that warm “you can sit with us” feeling, I wrote these books for you.
What you’ll find in my books:
Clean, uplifting romance (closed door; lots of heart)
Second chances, forgiveness, and healing after loss
Found family and strong community threads
Letters, recipes, gardens, and porch-swing wisdom
A promise that light does, in fact, follow the darkest night
Thank you for being here and for giving new authors a chance. If you pick up The Dawn Within, I hope it meets you exactly where you are—and leaves you a little lighter than it found you.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
he Dawn Within: Finding Light After Darkness
I wrote The Dawn Within: Finding Light After Darkness because I kept meeting people (neighbors, readers, even strangers in the grocery line) who were quietly rebuilding after a hard season—grief, disappointments, plans that didn’t survive real life. I wanted to tell a love story that honors that kind of courage: the slow, ordinary, everyday kind. The book follows a guarded heroine who comes home to a small town that remembers her kindly, a patient carpenter who shows up with work gloves and a steady heart, and a house full of hidden letters that teach both of them how to hope again. There’s a porch to rebuild, a community that keeps bringing casseroles, and a sunrise that always shows up—eventually.
What inspired it:
Real letters & thrifted history. I collect vintage letters and postcards from antique shops. The way a few sentences can hold a whole life inspired the “found letters” thread in the book.
Acts of service as love. I’m drawn to stories where love isn’t loud—it’s showing up with soup, mending a step, listening without rushing. That’s the heartbeat between my leads.
Home as a verb. I believe we build “home” board by board and kindness by kindness. The fixer-upper setting let me show healing on the page—inside the house and inside the heart.
Faith-tinted hope. My own sunrise walks, scribbled prayers, and the small mercies of community shaped the novel’s gentle, hopeful tone.
If you like clean/wholesome, small-town romance with found family, letters from the past, a slow-burn connection, and a bright, redemptive finish, this book was written for you. I hope it meets you where you are—and leaves you lighter than it found you.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sure! Here are a few of my quirky (but effective) writing habits:
Dawn pages + slow coffee. I draft right after a sunrise walk, when the world is quiet and the coffee is still steaming. If I miss that window, I’m slower all day.
Index-card storyboard. Every scene gets its own card with goal, conflict, and an “emotional color.” I shuffle them on the floor until the story breathes.
Pomodoro sprints. I set a kitchen timer for 25 minutes on / 5 off. During the five, I stand, stretch, or water my little herb garden.
Letters from the characters. Before big turning points, I handwrite a letter “from” each character to the other. It unlocks subtext and keeps the romance honest.
Read-aloud pass. I read chapters out loud to hear the rhythm. If a sentence trips my tongue, I fix it—readers will feel that bump too.
“Senses pass” in edits. One revision is only for sight/sound/scent/touch/taste so scenes feel lived-in (coffee steam, porch wood, rain on tin).
Soundtrack + scent trigger. Each book gets a short instrumental playlist and a single candle/tea scent. Pavlovian focus.
Teacup + lemon loaf. On draft days, there’s a vintage teacup on my desk and something citrus baking. Cozy fuels courage.
Dialogue porch test. If a conversation sounds natural while I’m pacing the porch, it stays. If not, back to the notebook.
Blue-pen paper edit. Final pass is on paper with a blue pen—my eyes catch different things off-screen.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Jan Karon (Mitford Series) – Small-town grace, neighborly humor, and the dignity of ordinary days. She showed me that community can be the main character.
Francine Rivers (no relation!) – Deep, redemptive arcs and tender, closed-door romance; she gave me permission to put faith right on the page.
Charles Martin – Quiet men with big hearts; love that arrives as service before speech.
Becky Wade / Denise Hunter / Joanne Bischof – Clean, emotionally rich romance; steady pacing and heartfelt payoffs.
Lisa Wingate – Found family and the ache of memory; how the past can heal the present.
Wendell Berry (Port William stories) – The holiness of work, seasons, and shared tables. He slows my sentences down in the best way.
L. M. Montgomery (Anne books) – Wonder, wit, and the courage to choose joy; she taught me to notice the bright thread in an ordinary afternoon.
“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” (Shaffer & Barrows) – Letters as lifelines; how epistolary voices can carry warmth, wit, and history.
Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs) – Post-war resilience and compassionate sleuthing; how to write strength that is gentle.
Julie Klassen / Lynn Austin / Roseanna M. White – Historical atmosphere without heaviness; faith woven through character, not lectures.
Mary Oliver (poetry) – Seeing with all five senses; she reminds me to put steam on the coffee and rain on the porch roof.
Anne Lamott, “Bird by Bird” & Stephen King, “On Writing” – Craft courage: one honest page at a time, clear prose over clever prose.
Ursula K. Le Guin, “Steering the Craft” – Music in sentences; how rhythm carries meaning.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m juggling three happy things:
1) Hope at Willow’s Creek (Willows Creek Series · Book Two)
I’m drafting the next novel—new heroine, new town, the same heart. The story carries a thread from The Dawn Within across the ocean to a riverside community “under the willows,” where a bundle of old letters, a struggling family café, and a patient craftsman collide. Expect found family, porch-light hope, and a slow-burn, closed-door romance that earns its sunrise.
2) The Dawn Within — Hardcover & Audiobook
I’m putting finishing touches on the glossy hardcover you’ve been asking for and outlining the audiobook production so you can read or listen however you love. I’m also prepping a short bonus epilogue for newsletter readers.
3) Reader Extras & Book-Club Kit
I’m building a free packet with discussion questions, behind-the-scenes notes (“letters from the characters”), a cozy recipe (yes, lemon loaf!), and a printable quote page. Perfect for buddy reads or book clubs.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Do you have any advice for new authors?
“Protect a tiny, daily window. 45–90 mins beats “a whole free day.” Use 25/5 sprints and stop mid-scene so tomorrow has a runway.
Plan lightly, then draft fast. Index-card your scenes (Goal → Conflict → Outcome) and write a messy “discovery draft.” You’ll fix it later.
Revise in layers, not all at once.
Pass 1: Story logic (motivation, stakes, timeline).
Pass 2: Character & chemistry (what they want, what it costs).
Pass 3: Pacing (chapter endings = questions/hooks).
Pass 4: “Senses pass” (sound/scent/touch details).
Pass 5: Read aloud, then line edit.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“You can’t edit a blank page.” Draft messy, then polish. The courage to write badly for a little while is the fastest path to writing well.
“Write the truest thing you can say today.” Not the cleverest—just the honest thing. That’s where readers feel seen.
“Small kindnesses change whole stories.” Love shows up with soup, a toolbox, a listening ear. I try to let my characters prove love with actions first.
“Make it smell like rain.” Engage all five senses. When I add steam to the coffee, sawdust on the porch, or the sting of cold air, scenes breathe.
“Leave the light on.” Even in hard chapters, give readers a glimmer—someone knocks at the door, a letter turns up, dawn edges the horizon. Hope isn’t an accident; it’s craft.
What are you reading now?
Lately my nightstand looks like a little book club:
At Home in Mitford — Jan Karon
A cozy re-read. Small town, neighborly grace, and the dignity of ordinary days—this keeps my own stories grounded.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society — Shaffer & Barrows
Letters, wit, and found family. I study how it builds warmth on the page without rushing.
Before I Called You Mine — Nicole Deese
Contemporary inspirational romance with real-world stakes and a tender heartbeat—great for pacing and emotion.
Where the River Begins — Charles Martin
Quiet, service-first love and men with steady hearts. I underline sentences for voice and restraint.
Bird by Bird — Anne Lamott (craft)
A few pages before dawn writing—keeps me brave and honest.
What’s next for you as a writer?
1) Book Two — Hope at Willow’s Creek
I’m drafting the next Willows Creek novel now: a riverside town, a family café that needs saving, and a slow-burn, closed-door romance threaded with letters from the past. Expect found family, porch-light hope, and the kind of love that shows up with work gloves first.
2) New Formats & Extras for The Dawn Within
Hardcover (glossy): final files are ready so readers who love keepsake editions can add it to the shelf.
Audiobook: lining up production so you can listen on your morning walk.
Reader goodies: a free book-club kit (discussion questions, behind-the-scenes notes, a “letters-from-the-characters” extra, and my lemon-loaf recipe).
3) A Cozy Novella (Bridge Story)
Between Books 1 and 2, I’m drafting a short, heart-warming bridge story—perfect for a weekend read and a gentle on-ramp to the series.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Fun one! If I’m stranded with a tiny bookshelf, I’m bringing:
The Bible — for steady hope, wisdom, and the kind of company that makes even a quiet island feel less alone.
At Home in Mitford (Jan Karon) — small-town warmth, neighborly grace, and reminders that ordinary days are holy. I’d ration chapters for morale.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Shaffer & Barrows) — letters, wit, found family; it’s a masterclass in human connection when you’re isolated.
Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott) — craft courage and honest laughter. If I’m stuck, I’m writing—this keeps the pages (and my heart) moving.
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