News from Heidi

I listen to WNYC's Leonard Lopate show just about every day. For years, I would hear the debut novelists on the show and think one day I hope that's me being interviewed. Yesterday it was.
You can hear the interview here. Thanks Mr. Lopate! A dream come true!

You want to show your love for The Girl Who Fell From the Sky : you've bought the book or recommended that your local library order it; you've told your friends about the book & can't stop talking about it; and now you want more. More is here: buy a The Girl Who Fell From the Sky tshirt, designed by the wonderful folks over at Zerflin, on Zazzle.com. You're going to love it!

How happy I was to talk to Lisa and Lisa of the Lisa Lisa & the Book Jam podcast during my visit to Dartmouth and the lovely Norwich Bookstore.
You can hear the interview here. You'll find the list of book recommendations here.
And here are more photos from my visit:
Me & writer Ernest Hebert
Me and the lovely folks of the Norwich Bookstore

I had to keep choking back tears on this night. There I was at my dear friend, B.'s home, in Austin--just falling apart because there was just so much love in the room. B., husband, and family put together a beautiful book party for me in their home. Their friends came out in force for the evening. It just meant so much--my friend celebrating the journey. See, still, I'm getting choked up and don't have the words. Daughter Mattie (age 7) introduced me. (Yes, video to come!) She was so adorable. To top it all off, my high school English teacher came with her daughter. She was the best teacher--it was so amazing to be able to share the moment with her. Someone at the end of the night told me that every tear I forced back would take a year off my life. Let the tears loose. I like that advice. Because they were all happy tears.

My very dear friend Sue went to crazy lengths to celebrate my long journey to publication. I think she scheduled some half a dozen events around town from a meeting with Girl Scouts to a reading at Borders and a lovely reception to cap off the weekend. It was amazing. Unfortunately, the cold that had threatened to take me out all week--finally took out my voice. I couldn't speak for the Saturday night reception. But it was totally worth it. My husband, Sue, and her 12-year-old daughter all subbed for me and each read a small excerpt from the book. It was truly beautiful. Here are some of the wonderful moments from the weekend.

These guys put on a first class event. The crowd was warm and lovely (and big). Lisa's introduction was amazing. (I'll post the video soon.) And I had my voice back! Hooray! Marisa Mattarazo really rocked with her reading from her excellent book Drenched.  Check out the photos from an awesome evening!

Okay, the author green room was really cool. But I felt like the un-cool kid --everybody seems to know each other--a writer's mafia of sorts? I got to meet Terry McMillan--she was so lovely! And had a fun time on the panel with Alison Burnett and fellow Bellwether Prize winner Gayle Brandeis.

I was just blown away by this wonderful evening. My Philly family held a beautiful reception for me. Well, you can see the photos yourself. It was an amazing night. Thank you Hart, Hariette, Doug, and Irene. Thank you to the whole family and to my friends who joined in the celebration too.

Oh, man, do I love the Groux family or what? You really can't imagine what a wonderful night this was. Did you see the cake? Beautiful but also delicious. I had the best time and just hope that everyone else did. Thank you Bill, Susan and Elizabeth for such a lovely night.

Thank you family, Swirl Philly, and even people I didn't know. You guys were great. Thanks for all of your great energy. I loved it!