Heather discovered early in her life the great inspiration and comfort animals can have for us. As an only child, until she was almost eight years old, Heather's family moved every few years due to her father's job. To keep herself entertained, Heather found inspiration in her pets and frequently incorporated them in elaborate stories, and costumes (which she is afraid to admit)! Heather says that her pets were her constant companions in every new adventure she created in her head. When Heather began writing books, she included some of these animals in her stories. "Hopefully, my fictional characters are more comfortable in their costumes and the roles they play than my ancient basset hound was!" says Heather.
Heather turned to writing middle-grade fiction as a response to her ten-year-old daughter’s voracious reading habits and frustration with the lack of female protagonists in the adventure and fantasy stories she loved. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband, her children, a dog, three cats, a rat, and eight chickens. Heather is pictured here with her hen, Legolas - who is quite photogenic, don't you think?
Heather has this advice for the participants of the Taradiddle Youth Writing Contests:
Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid your writing isn't good enough. Or that your story isn't good enough. Or that no one will want to read it. All of that will be true... at least in the beginning. And that's OKAY. No one wakes up in the morning and finds that they are magically a good writer. Like most things (although I'm sure you're already tired of parents and teachers telling you this), writing takes practice. So write every day. If you don't like what you wrote, rewrite it. Still doesn't work? Do it again. Read it to your parents. Read it to your friends. Read it to your cat (cats are very good listeners). And while you're at it, don't forget to read what other people write. How else will you know what a story that works feels like? If a story you love makes you want to write one of your own, that's the highest compliment you can pay an author.
Learn more about Heather and the other Taradiddle Judges here .
