Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Hein.
Hi Heather, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
A lot of people who write say, “I’ve been writing since I was young!” The response is usually an eye roll. For me, it’s true. The first time I was asked this question, I had to cast my mind back into the past to find the answer: I was the editor of my elementary school newspaper. And then middle school. I was accepted to the Iowa Writers Workshop in high school and edited my college newspaper.
A few years ago, my husband informed me that he no longer wanted gifts for Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc. He said I was wasting my talents by not using my “gift of writing” and he wanted short stories instead of presents. The first story I wrote for him ended up being published! That’s when my real writing career started. Although I had no delusions that all of my work would accepted, my confidence was boosted. I was on my way.
Before I went full throttle, I needed guidance. It had been twenty-one years since I did any serious, creative writing and it was time for a refresher. I took several adult education courses on fiction writing to hone my skills. Searching for local groups led me to Shut Up and Write, a free group where we meet, chat a bit, literally shut up and write for an hour, and then chat again afterward. I found Northern Colorado Writers, joined and attended my first conference. I was totally hooked!
In 2019 I sustained an injury while trail running and needed extensive surgery on my hip. The problem was, that I had to wait four months to have the surgery. It took me out of work and so I began to plan my first novel—after all, I had a lot of time on my hands. I was introduced to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), an organization that challenges writers to complete a novel every November. It sounds impossible, but it was the perfect impetus to get me going. I completed a 98,000-word novel in twenty-eight days. For those not in the industry, that’s about 300 pages.
After surgery, I had a few months of recovery and then just as I was cleared to return, Covid happened. I was off work for another year, which gave me time to delve deeply into the writing world. The next November, I completed another full novel. These were ugly first drafts, of course, so I spent the next year editing. I joined the Horror Writers Association and was thrilled to find other horror freaks.
We’re a relatively rare breed, and it’s hard to find others with the same passion. Horror fell out of favor in the ’90s and early 2000s, but it’s gained respect as serious writing even though the common assumption is that we are 1) Possibly homicidal maniacs and 2) Not “real” writers. Amazing wordsmiths are doing real work in the genre. When I was called back to the daily grind, I discovered that I never wanted to return. I needed to focus on a writing career. I quit and never looked back.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A writer has to be able to accept feedback and most importantly, rejection. Luckily, I read Stephen King’s On Writing and learned that Carrie, his first full-length novel was rejected over thirty times before it was published three days after I was born. Since he’s my hero, I don’t take rejection as a personal shortcoming.
Getting your work published by one of the “Big Five” (soon to be Big Four) publishing houses… well it’s a lot harder now than it was back in the 70’s. Agents have become the gatekeepers to publication, making the process incredibly difficult to break into. Even small presses have a vetting process, so authors are still not guaranteed to have their work accepted.
Oftentimes, we get a form letter or no response at all. Self-publishing is a great option, but I’m vain. I want that little penguin on the spine when one of my five “big novels” arrives on the bookshelves. I’m still editing. I’m still submitting. I’m undeterred.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Since I began my writing journey, I have written four full-length horror novels and two full-length thrillers. I’ve had several short stories published in anthologies, one of which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and one was the third-place winner of the 2021 Colorado Short Story Contest.
I’ve taken up serial fiction writing for Amazon’s Kindle Vella platform and discovered that horror comedy is something I’m pretty good at. Thus, Gladys the Vampire was born. (Think Christopher Moore’s You Suck meets What We Do in the Shadows.) I was getting paid as a serious writer. Talk about validation! I now have seven serial stories on the platform, which can be read like episodes on a TV show or streaming series.
In October of 2023, Corrupted Christmas Chronicles, a collection of short holiday horror stories, was published by Kiki’s Castle Independent Press, and I’m working with them on a novelization of Gladys the Vampire. The full-length version should hit the bookstores in May!
Some of my work is serious, some terrifying, and some have a dash of humor, but all of it examines the human condition through horror. Now I teach classes at conferences and host panels, and I’m an Organizer for Shut Up and Write, and a writing coach. I’ll be launching a teaching platform in cooperation with Kiki’s Castle later this year.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I don’t have just one mentor. I rely on my Inner Circle of Fabulous Writers. The Horror-ible Writers Critique Group provides me with camaraderie, tasteless jokes, and more importantly, feedback and advice on my work. Shut Up and Write and The Online Creative Collective are wonderful groups that help with accountability—getting my butt in the chair and my fingers on the keyboard.
Writing Heights Writers Association (formerly Northern Colorado Writers), Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, The Horror Writers Association, and Pike’s Peak Writers provide learning and teaching opportunities, and conferences where I can meet like-minded people who’ve proven that all writers are weird and awkward.
I don’t feel like an anxiety-laden outcast anymore. Most of the time, anyway. My writer friends provide everything from counseling, encouragement, laughter, tears, and celebrations of success. I simply couldn’t do this alone, and luckily, I don’t have to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heatherhein.kikiscastle.com/
- Instagram: instagram.com/heatherheinwriter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherHeinWrites
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@heatherheinwriter
- Other: https://linktr.ee/heatherheinwriter
Image Credits
Leon Denny
