Heidi Harris Writes-Dreaming with my eyes open
1) What is your Author name; use your Pen name if you have one.
I write under the name Heidi Harris.
2) What inspired you to become a writer?
I was 5-years-old and making my own folded book sitting on my bed. I decided the best job ever would be to be an author. It took a little longer to become a published author.
3) Do you prefer writing dialogue, action or other scenes?
I love to write dialogue and telepathic dialogue.
4) What is the hardest challenge in being a writer?
Editing and marketing are the biggest challenges in being an author.
5) What is your favorite part about being a writer?
I love dreaming up a new dream. Creating worlds is so challenging and rewarding. It’s fun to name each character, develop their personality, and see what they do in their world.
6) Which book, other than your own, would you like to see turned into a movie or T.V. show?
I love Lori Wick the Princess. I also love Saga and Epic. It’s about a video game world becoming currency. It’s similar to Player One.
7) What is your preferred method of reading a book? (Audio, paperback, hardcover, or eBook)
I prefer paperback, but eBooks are much faster and easier to access.
8) If you had to write in any other genre, what would that be and why?
I started out writing fantasy. The Zelle Saga is based in space. Jahni has been adopted by the Jareneikians. She is actually a Zellian. When her old best friend Sloane shows up, her telepathic abilities start working again. Sloane can walk through walls. Of course Jahni has to save the day. Along the way, Jahni starts falling for her best friend. There isn’t any spice. Jahni is 16 and they only share a kiss or two. Jahni’s brother and sister have been kidnapped by the evil Ratillians. Jahni and Sloane break in and rescue them. Jahni learns who she is and what she is capable of.
I decided I wanted to give Historical Romance a try, so I wrote the Collins’ Ranch Trilogy. I watch a lot of Hallmark and Amish movies. I read a lot of them as well. I wanted to see if I could write a love story since it was outside of my wheelhouse.
I was working in preschool and decided to write a kid's mystery series, so I started writing the Trice Strawly series. It’s written for 8 to 10-year-olds. Trice is an eleven year old detective that solves mysteries in his town like the Case of the Haunted School.
Caelin Chronicles: God Save the Queen-I hadn’t written an action book, so Trey and Celeste (characters) were born. They had been competing since they were kids. She becomes a queen. He becomes a spy. He ends up rescuing her from kidnappers.
I wanted a happily ever after kind of story during the pandemic. I wanted it to be predictable, easy, and fun. I prayed about it and the Storyteller Series was born. Emma finds out that she is a Storyteller when she is 17. Every Storyteller has a soulmate. She meets Kasen. Kasen tells her about the Quest. In order to keep your Storyteller powers, you have to stay 1 year in an imaginary village called Angeline. It is a replica of the first Storyteller’s home. The first part of the Quest, they find themselves in a chapel married. They think the marriage is fake, but when they find the rules and read them, they find out it was a real wedding. There are dragons, wolves, waterfalls, and the challenge of getting to know each other.
9) Name one of your favorite authors.
Patricia C. Wrede-Dealing with dragons
Madeleine L 'Engle-Wrinkle in Time series
C. S. Lewis-Narnia
10) What is one book that is currently on your To-Be-Read list?
I don’t usually have a to be read list. If I want to read it, I read it that day. I am a quick reader, so it doesn’t take me long to get through a book. I have read somewhere around 45 ish books that weren’t mine this year. I have been busy writing, so I haven’t read a lot this year. I was thinking about getting into some audio books. My friend Dennis McFarland had me read his story Razormist. It was about an assassin who decided it might be wrong to be an assassin and she becomes a teacher. Of course, she still has to use her assassin skills to help her new friends. I was painting with my sister-in-law and we listened to Twilight on Audio again. I recently read a book about Newsletters. I read Faking with Benefits not too long ago. I’ve thought about re reading the Princess by Lori Wick, but I haven’t yet.
11) Villain, hero or “show stealing” side character? Which would you be?
In book 12 of the Storyteller Series (Mr. Write), I named one of the kids Zane Write. I needed a Mr. Write For Zamfira in book 16. The book was already written when I got a message from one of my readers asking if I was going to write a story about Zane. She was thrilled to hear it was already written and ready to read.
In the Zelle Saga, it felt like Jahni’s little brother was yelling at me to write a story with him as the main character, so I wrote a few from his perspective.
I created the Drecians as the bad guys of the galaxies. The Nomads is run by Martel Kikucolin. He is against slavery. The Martel Kaltavon is his relative. He secretly is ready for the slavery to end, but he’s trying to figure out how to keep the peace in Book 4 of the Zelle Saga. When Jon and Rose find The Martel Kaltavon’s son, Xandermalion Avadartanrisan, hiding on their shp, they feel obligated to get him home. Jon names Xandermalion Avadartanrisan Zander. Side note: Jon and Rose’s mother is one of the people sitting in the museum. The Martel Kaltavon is grateful and grants Rose and Jon each a “wish”. Rose asks for her mother’s freedom. Jon wasn’t sure what to ask for, so he takes a chance and asks for all of the Zellians to be released and not to be captured anymore. The Martel Kaltavon agrees on the condition that Jon becomes an Ambassador and sits on their council. Zander basically adopts Jon as a big brother and keeps visiting him.
12) What is the name of your book/series? Tell me a little bit about them.
Here is an easy link to my series: https://linktr.ee/heidiharriswrites
I talked about many of them. Here are a few I didn’t.
Adventures Unseen was actually the first book I wrote. It never felt ready, but I decided this year to do one last read and let the birdie fly. I published it in April 2022. Jay Koo has a blue ring that turns him invisible. Ashla has a red ring that lets her shrink items and speak telepathically. Jesse has a green ring that lets plants grow and he can tell time out of anything. Jesse’s cousin, Tasha, receives a yellow ring that lets her control light.
Holly’s Jolly Christmas- Holly finds her childhood friend Bryan by the side of the road. Some kid ran him off the road by accident in the rain/slush. He lives on the same street, so she gives him a ride home. They reconnect and the years disappear. They walk through memory lane and live happily ever after.
Dream it & Do it is about embracing who you are and your dream. It talks about what keeps you from your dreams and how to take down those barriers, set goals, and get back on track. It has a workbook too.
God, Addiction, & Healing- My husband battled addiction. We got together when he was clean and separated when he wasn’t after we tried rehab, doctors, moving, jail ect. He had some clean times in the middle, but he ended up dying on May 17, 2021. This book was written during our separation. I am a writer, so I had to write. Once it was written, I decided to publish it. (I told him what I was planning before he passed. He told me do what you want, which is one of the reasons I married him.)
13) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?
Link is the link tree.
14) Where can we find and follow you? (Name your social media platforms.)
All links are in the Linktree: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, my Website, Amazon. Look up HeidiHarrisWrites (https://linktr.ee/heidiharriswrites )
15) If there anything important that you would want my readers to know about you?
I am a Christian author. I keep the spice out of my stories. I love books where the couple is married by the middle of the book or on page one. I think it’s more fun if the couple is learning to make it work. If I get an opportunity to include a fight scene, I add it. Dystopian Locket has a few good fight scenes. Jon and Rose are martial arts experts. Basically, I am a Christian, Sci-Fi Geek.
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