For readers who love stories that feel emotional, warm, and quietly hopeful, it’s time to meet Erin Olivier—an author who writes straight from the heart and invites you to settle in and stay awhile.

Erin’s path to writing has been anything but ordinary. After a decade working in neuropsychology and another as a stay-at-home mom, she now spends her days choosing story over housework—bringing to life the characters who have taken up residence in her imagination. Her books reflect the kinds of stories she loves most: heartfelt, comforting, and filled with hope.

A proud introvert, Erin is happiest at home with her family—her husband, two teenage daughters, and their troublemaking dog, affectionately known as Dammit Dolly. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking, reading, traveling, or diving into her latest obsession (currently Formula 1). She also enjoys true crime podcasts, football, and quiet moments that recharge her creative spirit.

Erin writes the stories she loves to read, and it brings her so much joy to share them. Her hope? That her words leave readers feeling just a little lighter—and a lot more hopeful.

Get to know Erin Olivier as we dive into a quick Q&A and explore the heart behind her stories.

Q&A

Tell me a little bit about your writing inspirations and/or how you got started.
I first remember wanting to be a writer in elementary school after I fell in love with the Babysitters Club series. As I got older, those dreams got shoved aside while I pursued other career interests (psychology/neuropsychology), but I never lost my love of reading or my desire to write.
After college, I wrote a screenplay, and during my early years of motherhood, I drafted several more books; however, I never did anything with them. I was writing only for myself as a creative outlet, and my writing was sporadic, sometimes going years between projects. It wasn't until the pandemic hit that I started writing with purpose, making it a part of my daily routine. When I finished writing my fifth book, my husband pushed me to publish one, and with his encouragement, I took the plunge and moved from a hobby writer into a self published author.
Can you explain your journey of being a self-published author? Are there any tips you would give an aspiring writer you wants to self-publish?
After deciding to pull the trigger and self-publish, I started learning as much about the process as I could. Reddit was incredibly helpful, as was the book community on Instagram. I just did lots of research and would reach out to fellow indie authors when I had questions.
I remember reading a post on Reddit a few years ago that suggested most self-published authors won't see success until they have ten books in their backlog. Holding onto that idea has kept me from getting discouraged and it's removed the pressure to make every book a runaway hit. Instead, my desire is for incremental growth, aiming for each new release to outperform the one before it.
My biggest tip is to be realistic with your expectations. More than likely, you won't be an overnight bestseller, and that's okay. Slow and steady growth is still growth!
How do you handle writer’s block or periods of low creativity? Are there any specific strategies you use to get back on track?
When time allows and I'm struggling with writer's block, I walk away from the project completely, sometimes for weeks or months at a time. That distance allows me to return to the project with fresh eyes and a renewed sense of excitement. But when I'm on a time crunch, I let myself jump around and write chapters or scenes out of order, knowing I can work backwards to fill in the blanks later. Really, my best of advice is probably to just keep writing!
What have been the most rewarding moments in your writing journey? Conversely, what challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?
Last year, one of my readers commissioned a piece of art featuring a beautiful stack of her favorite books, and she included Every Now and Then! Seeing the spine of one of my books alongside books by some of my favorite romance authors was a surreal, pinch-me moment that made me realize I was an author! (Imposter syndrome is so real...)
Challenges? The most terrifying thing for me is when I'm faced with a bad review. They're to be expected, of course. Books, like any other form of art, are subjective, and my books won't find an audience with every reader. But the bad reviews stick with me for much longer than the good reviews do. Learning that lesson the hard way, I now refrain from reading reviews unless I'm tagged in them. (And then I pray to God that my readers will be nice and only tag me in positive reviews!)
How do you connect with your readers? Do you have any memorable interactions or experiences with fans that stand out to you?
I connect with my readers through social media, Instagram specifically. Though my time spent online is sporadic, especially when I'm writing on a deadline, I love to pop in and catch up when I can. I feel incredibly lucky to have found readers and authors who have become friends!
Can you tell us about a scene or character that was particularly challenging to write? How did you overcome those challenges?
I'm an empath and an Enneagram 9w1--the peacekeeper--so I'm naturally a conflict-averse person. That makes it challenging to write the intense, heavy, high conflict scenes. While pivotal in moving the plot forward, I dread writing them! I have to be in the right headspace, so often those chapters will be ones that I start and stop several times before completing their first draft. I've found that it helps to break them up into layers, focusing first on dialogue, then description, and lastly exposition. Tackling each component separately makes the scenes more manageable for me.