They didn’t speak past their initial hellos. She didn’t know he was coming to the picnic, and he found out during the ride to her aunt’s house that she wasn’t expecting him. The day went completely downhill as they avoided each other due to extreme shyness. It didn’t help that the eye of every family member present was on them; watching, waiting to see if Will and Heather would hit it off.

Twenty-nine years of wedded bliss are a testimony to the fact that they did. Together they’ve endured everything from career changes to parenting to becoming empty nesters. Now, with the raising of their son, Joshua, marked in the milestones of Eagle Scout, red belt karate student, and gainfully employed, multiply certified welder, Heather has returned her attention to filling up her time with writing and reading.

She spends long hours at the laptop, sometimes churning out page after page of great writing and sometimes staring out the patio doors trying to envision a scene and translate it into words on the screen. Perseverance, as well as a highly beneficial hiatus from social media, allowed her to focus on her writing, and the result is the publication of her novel, Realm, and another manuscript under her belt ready for editing.

Now it’s time to reconnect with her audience, which is what brings you here.

If you spend any time looking around Heather’s blog, you’ll quickly learn that she’s a lover of books and storytelling. She credits her mother for instilling her passion for reading, which led her to cultivate a vivid imagination as a writer and inspired her to finally put her stories on the page. As a member of Beth Tikkun Messianic Fellowship, her faith also plays a significant role in crafting her fiction. Heather has a vast and growing personal library, loves tea and classical music, and is a self-proclaimed bourbon snob. Along with her husband, Will, she maintains a home in her native Ohio that they share with five high-maintenance cats.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed reading this brief narrative of Heather’s life, the purpose of which is to initiate a lasting friendship through her writing. While she’s chosen to publish under the pen name HL Gibson, her desire is to maintain an openness with her readers. After all, everything she creates is done so with them in mind.

If you, too, enjoy reading and/or writing well-crafted stories, be sure to say so in the comments below. Heather would love to hear from you.