Harper and Atticus oversee everything...

Time is flying by and I’ve been hard at work on the secret project. I hope to have news about it sometime soon.  And, I know… you’re waiting to hear about the third book in the NCW series.  I’m hoping to get time to write that soon.  Thanks for all the encouragement on that, guys!

So, I thought you might enjoy a picture of my writing desk, complete with the two feline mascots — Harper (Siamese/Rag doll) and Atticus (black American shorthair).  Atti has been trying to dethrone Harper from the top bunk of the cat tree and now that he’s finally a little bigger than she is, he did it!  This picture was taken on one of the last days of her reign…

Anyway, these two buddies keep me inspired and laughing.  They like to jump down onto my writing desk, so if you ever see typos in my books… well… I blame the cats.

I’ve been sitting on this funny ball, because they say it’s better for your posture.  But, being the hunched over writer girl I am, I don’t think it’s going to help.  Still, as I write to you — I *am* sitting on the silver ball, so I guess the jury’s still out on whether or not it will eventually make a difference.

Thanks for stopping by the site to leave comments and say hello.  I love hearing from my readers and I’m so happy to be bringing you a new story soon.

Love & Light,

Heather

At Vegas Valley Bookfest with awesome fans Nieves and Velvet!

I can’t believe it’s 2012.  I knew that I was looking forward to a fresh year – a fresh start – but here it is and I feel so behind.  I’m in the finishing stages of polishing a secret project (CATS!) and getting lots of emails about if there will be a third installment in the Never Cry Werewolf series.  There is so much to be done.

I can say that I’m starting the year grateful for the year we’ve just finished.  I went to Rome, published the Sometimes by Moonlight e-novella, was nominated for a RITA award for The Clearing, and saw the debut of Wherever You Go, which is getting awesome reviews.  It’s been a busy year.

I’m so thankful for all of you readers — especially those of you who write in to tell me how you liked the book.  It seriously makes my day and makes me remember why I write.  I write to entertain (myself and you) and I write to inspire.  I hope all of my books remind you to be who you are and to go for what you dream of.

Happy New Year — love and light!

Heather

WHEREVER YOU GO is officially out on Monday, November 14th!  That means this week is book birthday week.

We celebrated with a launch party at my favorite indie bookstore, Queen Anne Books in Seattle, on Friday night.  It was great to see so many friends and to celebrate together — but I’m still eating the leftover cupcakes!  And, though I didn’t make any of the great food Holly cooks in WYG for the party, we ended up at a pizza/pasta place after the bookstore, which seemed fitting for the Santucci/Mullen family.

The other big thing happening this week is that Harper, my cat, is getting a little brother kitten.  I’m going to post pictures on Facebook when Atticus finally gets here.  He’s been in a foster home for a month or so, getting ready to live with people after being rescued.

Light and Love, everyone!

Heather

Next month is release time for WHEREVER YOU GO, so I’ll likely be back online, posting more often as things start to gear up for the launch.

For those of you who follow the doings of Harper, my business manager, she’s been spending the summer sunbathing in the window and batting around water bottle caps.  I pay her way too much.

Hugs!

Heather (and Harper)

We’re starting to hear some good buzz on the book, including a rumor of a great review by a big, scary literary journal, so I’m getting those butterflies in my stomach. This is my third book, my second in hardcover.  It’s a lot of pressure, but in a good way.

Before a book of mine comes out, I’m always wondering if people will like the story, if they will relate to the characters, if they will take away something from the novel — a little piece of the story or dialogue to carry in their mental pocket for a while.

That is always my hope –  that in reading my books, you will find something that speaks to you, that reminds you of something you’d forgotten, that illuminates some dark area or blind spot in your life. Heaven knows I’ve had a few of those in mine.  It makes me happy to think that at the very least you’ll be entertained and find a few hours away from whatever is troubling you.

So, without getting too heavy, what I really want you to take away from the new book is this:   You are never alone.  You are never unloved.

I think that’s a good thing for us all to hear.

Love and Light,

Heather

Congrats to YA Scavenger Hunter Melissa Layton, who won my giveaway prize pack of The Clearing and an ARC of Wherever You Go!  

Thanks to everyone of you who entered — over 200 hunters! — and I hope you’ll check back for another contest as we get closer to the November release date for Wherever You Go.

Also, I hear from Colleen Houck, that we’ll do another YA Scavenger hunt later this year — how cool is that?

Happy Summer, everyone!

Heather

but there is still time to enter my giveaway for a copy of The Clearing and a hard-to-get-a-hold-of ARC of my fall book — Wherever You Go. 

Click this giveaway link for the contest.

I’ll accept entries until Friday August 5th.  And hey, you guys are readers, so please read the instructions.

Thanks to all the readers who participated in my giveaway so far.  It’s been fun reading your entries.   I love all the places you read – tree houses, kayaks, poolside, and just on your comfy couches.  The truth is, any place is a great place to read a book.  Well, except for underwater — the pages stick together.

So, thanks for hunting along with me!  I loved meeting new YA authors and reading all those Hunt exclusives right along with you.  And I have to give a huge shout-out to Colleen Houck, who put this amazing event together.  She rocks, obviously.  Oh, and the GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the Scavenger Hunt is Anne Liu of Richland, WA.  Way to go, Anne!

Happy Summer Reading~

Heather

Basically, readers will visit the different authors’ websites to “collect” the goodies.  I think it will be super fun.  Look for more info coming soon, including exact dates.

I’m not sure what I’ll be contributing yet — I have to make a decision this week — but it may be some behind the scenes info on either The Clearing or my upcoming book, Wherever You Go.  Hmm… going to ponder that with my business manager Harper, while I enjoy this gloomy summer morning!

Hugs,

Heather

Last week, I got to go to New York City to see how it would all turn out.  If you’ve never attended the RWA conference (Romance Writers of America) it’s huge and crazy.  Speakers included Diana Gabaldon, Jennifer Crusie, Tess Gerritsen, and one of my heroes, Meg Cabot, was the emcee of the RITA awards. It’s a very cool conference and a ton of YA authors attend.

Nervously, I went to dinner on RITA night with my lovely editor Julie Tibbott and my champion of an agent, Stephen Barbara.  Seriously, even though we were at delicious Becco Restaurant, we could barely eat because we were so excited.  Here’s a picture of me and Julie with the gorgeous flowers she brought me.

The only great thing about Julie Tibbott, among the many, actually, is that she truly believes in my work.  She did an amazing job working with me on The Clearing and on my upcoming fall book, Wherever You Go.  Julie was just sure that The Clearing was going to win the RITA.  Man, she really wanted us to win.  As she got more nervous at the prospect of accepting the award with me in front of 2,000 people, I got more nervous.

Stephen did his best to calm us down, but it wasn’t working.  Maybe he was a little nervous, too.

At the ceremony, the YA category finally arrived and The Clearing flashed up on the screen as a nominee.  Julie and I held hands and prayed.  And then– another book took home the award.

The takeaway lesson was this: how wonderful it was to be nominated along with authors I really admire (Lisa Schroeder, come on!) and how much readers love The Clearing.

The Clearing is a book I wrote in the middle of my own devastating heartbreak.  A book I wrote when I had to start over in a new place, just like Amy.  A book that tells of my own hopes to find a true love — one that can stand through tests of time and tide.

And when readers tell me the places in the story where they cried, they are usually the ones I cried while writing.  The hurt was fresh and present when I went to the keyboard each day.

I think when you are a writer, it is your duty to go deep.  To expose the scary places that hurt.  To ask the questions you don’t have the courage to ask in real life.  For me, fiction that moves, that inspires, that takes you somewhere, is the only fiction worth writing.

I am truly grateful The Clearing got just a little of the spotlight last week.  And I’m touched by the love I feel surrounding me and my work.

Thank you.

Heather