Heather Huffman's Blog, page 30

Casting Call

One question has come up a few times lately in interviews: “If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?” This is easy for me to answer because I always have an actor and actress in mind as I write.

Just for giggles, I thought it might be fun to pose the question to you. Actually, I guess it’s two questions rolled into one: If one of my books was going to be made into a movie, which one should be first, and who should play the leading roles?

Before anyone gets too excited, there’s nothing in the works. Trust me, when there is, I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops. This is just for fun. I’ll weigh in later; first, I want to hear what you think!

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Friday’s Mark: Footprints

[image error]This morning, I had the privilege of having breakfast with a gentleman who works for LiNK (Liberty in North Korea). In addition to being a really nice human being, he’s the embodiment of the entire “Leave Your Mark” idea. He uses his ability to streamline and organize to help non-profits maximize their ability to make a difference in the world.

The characters in my books use their specific talents to make the world a better place – from the small town lawyer not afraid to fight for what’s right to the big city reporter who leaves no stone unturned in her quest for social justice – they live lives that will leave lasting footprints on this world.

As much fun as I have writing those characters, it’s nice to meet real people who aren’t a figment of my imagination and are making a lasting difference in this world. Whether it’s the reader I met at an event who goes above and beyond every day in the classroom to forever impact the lives of his or her students or the amazing people at the head of organizations on the front lines fighting for freedom and justice, I am humbled and honored every time I hear your stories. I am amazed at the footprints you leave on the various paths you are walking.

So thank you, for sharing your stories with me. Thank you for being a part of my story.

And now, I can think of no better way to end Feet Week than to announce my three winners from this week’s contest. Many thanks to all who participated and tweeted!

Becki B. gets to name a character in my upcoming release, Devil in Disguise!

Kelly C. wins an autographed copy of Ties That Bind & Tumbleweed!

Galit B. is the lucky winner of a $50 gift certificate for DSW!

Congratulations to all of my winners! Look for a direct message on Twitter to coordinate getting your prize.

Happy Friday, all!

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Visiting Elise Stephens

Many thanks to the lovely and talented Elise Stephens for having me as a guest on her blog this week!

Stop by to check out my post about a friend’s kindness that changed my life. While you’re there, take some time to read this delightful post by Elise about retaining innocence in a cynical world.

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Why Feet Week?

I've been asked more than once if I have a foot fetish. (I don't, for the record.) When I started putting feet on the book covers, it just sort of happened.

When we did the photo shoot for Throwaway, the shot that became the cover jumped out at everyone as "the one." When it came time to release Ties That Bind, I had an image in my head of the shot I wanted, and it just so happened to be of Kate holding a purple shoe, obviously barefoot.

The next two books were the same, the image I had in my head of what the cover should be simply happened to contain feet. By that point, though, I realized I had kind of a theme going.

Even though it's an accidental theme, I think it works for the books. All my heroines are strong women who are at a turning point in their lives – they're facing that moment when they decide who they really are, when they find or embrace their true identity.

I also like the feet theme because it tells you a little about the heroine without giving away too much. It gives the reader a glimpse of who she is without putting an absolute picture in the reader's head. I've always hated when the image on the front cover of the book doesn't mesh with the image I have of a character. It messes with me. Maybe I'm weird in that, but I wanted to allow my readers the possibility of letting their own imaginations fill in the blanks.

Of course, another reason for sticking with the feet theme on my covers is that, at this point, it's become sort of a game, thinking up ways to represent books well with feet as a central theme. A game that probably drives my poor book manager (also a Heather) nuts, but she loves me, so she plays along.

Heather is such a good sport, she even suggested today's prize: free shoes!

Today is your last chance to answer my question to win! Remember, you can enter once per day.

Here's the question: Are you a boots or heels kind of girl?  The winner from today's contest will a $50 gift card to DSW!

To enter, tweet one of the below messages:

I'm most comfortable in my boots. Tell @Heathers_mark if you love heels or boots & enter to win $50 for DSW  http://hhuffman.webfactional.com/?p=737

I'm most comfortable in my heels. Tell @Heathers_mark if you love heels or boots & enter to win $50 for DSW  http://hhuffman.webfactional.com/?p=737

Stay tuned – the winners will be revealed on Friday!

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Boots or Heels

Sometimes I think there are two very distinct sides to me. I know we all have layers, but seriously, there are times I wish I could split myself in two so each of those sides could have their way.

About half the time I love nothing more than a comfortable pair of jeans and my favorite pair of boots. Whether that's paired with a flannel, tank top, or a sassy shirt depends on the mood, weather, and purpose. I love my chickens, a long trail ride on a good horse, and the sound of a babbling stream. Few things hold more appeal to me than a summer evening in the country. When I'm traipsing through the Ozark Mountains, I am positive I could quite happily live there for the rest of my life and never look back.

But then there's that other half the time when I want to put on a ridiculously cute pair of high heels, dress up in the latest style, and have an adventure in the city. I love the art, the music, the vendors, and the overall vibe. I love to people watch. I love to explore what makes each city unique. When I'm somewhere like New Orleans or San Francisco, I am positive I could quite happily live there for the rest of my life and never look back.

I think this duality is best captured when you read Ties That Bind and then Tumbleweed, so they've been paired together for this week's giveaway!

This week, I have one question for you, and when you answer it, you'll be entered to win one of four fabulous prizes. You can enter once per day, and the question will remain the same, but the answer and prize will change each day, so check back all week long to find out how to win!

Here's the question: Are you a boots or heels kind of girl?  The winner from today's contest will receive an autographed set of Tumbleweed and TTB!

To enter, tweet one of the below messages:

My favorite shoes are heels. Share your style with @Heathers_mark & enter to win two autographed books! http://hhuffman.webfactional.com/?p=723

My favorite shoes are boots. Share your style with @Heathers_mark & enter to win two autographed books! http://hhuffman.webfactional.com/?p=723

Stay tuned – the winners will be revealed on Friday!

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Feet Week

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I knew I was ready for the Tumbleweed release when I found the right pair of shoes for the launch party!

It's feet week on my blog!

One of the few girly indulgences I allow myself is my weakness for shoes, as one might guess from my book covers. I probably get that from my mother. The woman has more shoes than any human being I've ever met – shelves and shelves of shoes. Lucky for her, she also has feet four sizes smaller than mine. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

I think shoes say a lot about a person – whether they're feeling sassy or sweet, flirty or reserved. One can usually gauge the mood I'm in by the shoes I'm wearing. The right pair of heels can make virtually any outfit. Regardless of the day I'm having, the one thing that can turn it around is to be out and have someone stop me to say "cute shoes."

This week, I have one question for you, and when you answer it, you'll be entered to win one of three fun and fabulous prizes. You can enter once per day, and the question will remain the same, but the way I want you to answer and the prize will change each day, so check back all week long to find out how to win!

Here's the question: Are you a boots or heels kind of girl?  The winner from today's contest will get to pick a name of a character in my next book – Devil in Disguise – to be released this summer!

To enter, tweet one of the below messages:

If I was a character in a Heather Huffman book I'd wear heels. Enter to name a character in her next release! http://hhuffman.webfactional.com/?p=717

If I was a character in a Heather Huffman book I'd wear boots. Enter to name a character in her next release! http://hhuffman.webfactional.com/?p=717

Stay tuned – the winners will be revealed on Friday!

 

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Friday’s Mark: National Donate Life Month

My Friday’s Mark guest this week was a friend in high school. We lost touch, as high school friends often do, until last year. When we reconnected, I found out that in the time since we’d last spoken, Carrie had received a lung transplant.

Carrie is one of those people who brings the sunlight in with her when she enters a room. I really can’t say enough how much I like her, or how privileged I feel to know her. I greatly admire how she lives her life, and how she uses her life experiences to make a difference in the lives of others. She gives talks in schools about organ donation and mentors others who are just beginning the process.

Since April is Organ Donation Awareness month, I asked her if she’d be willing to share her story with us. Thankfully, she agreed. I hope her words inspire you the way they have me. ~ Heather

Carrie’s Mark

A question I get asked a lot is ‘What made you decide to get a transplant?’  And the short answer is ‘I didn’t, at first.’  Which is not the answer the patients I am mentoring expect to hear.  They see a young woman, whom they suspect to be about 25, that they think wouldn’t want for anything more in life than a chance for a new one.  But I didn’t.

The reason I was being faced with a decision to try and get a transplant is because I have Cystic Fibrosis.  Cystic Fibrosis or CF, is a genetic, chronic disease that causes the body to produce a thick, sticky mucous.  This mucous blocks some of the body’s most basic functions like food digestion and absorption.  However, the chronic complication with CF is the resistant bacterial infections that grow and thrive in the mucous in the lungs, causing scarring and permanent damage to the airways, eventually leading to a need for a transplant, or death.

However, for me growing up with CF was easy.  My life wasn’t very different than any other kid while I was growing up.  But, growing sick from my CF was not easy.  And suddenly, my life at age eighteen was very different from other eighteen year olds.  Frequently on intravenous antibiotics, I spent vacations and holidays getting medicine so I could get better to get through another year of college.  I missed my own college graduation ceremony because I was in the hospital, having to fax my final exams and senior projects to my professors in order to finish my classes.  It was hard, and tiring.  And I was beginning to miss out on the things that young adults enjoy, and I didn’t see how getting a transplant would change that.  It’s not a cure, it’s an alternative.  Survival for a lung transplant patient was only 50% after five years.

At the age of 26 my life became all about taking care of myself.  Coughing so hard I would literally pop a lung, causing it to collapse.  Coughing up blood.  Coughing so hard I was getting sick, making my weight drop below 100 pounds.  Which is not a pretty sight on a 5’9” frame.  Tube feedings every night became a new part of my routine.  Not to help me gain weight, but to help me keep from losing any more.   Along with my twice daily nebulizer treatments of up to three medications, and vest therapy, my life was consumed.  My thoughts on transplant were that it would be hard, too hard.  And I was tired of life being hard.

One February day, while in the hospital doing my physical therapy, the respiratory therapist Ms. Yvonne Sledge shared a book she had put together of various patients and their caregivers “Transplant Teddies.”  Depicted in art form were stories of hopes of one day being free from the ‘chains’ the oxygen tubing created, tethering us to our oxygen tanks.  Pictures of teddy bears with big hearts nearly bursting with the overwhelming love and gratefulness for their lung donors because of their gift of life.  Teddy Bears fishing, and playing, and going on picnics, without their oxygen tanks.

Those Transplant Teddies gave me a literal picture of what a life after transplant could be like.  But  then, I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to someone who has CF and had received a double lung transplant through the transplant mentoring program at our local hospital.  Gary, my mentor, described what his two years post-transplant had been like so far.  No oxygen tanks or tubing anymore.  Back to work full time.  Hiking, biking and just back from a snow skiing trip to Colorado.   I couldn’t even imagine!

Then, one day in late April, he offered to come meet me and talk to my parents about transplant.  He looked fantastic!!  And I’m not just saying that because he was handsome!  He was the epitome of health, having pink skin, rather than an oxygen deprived grayish blue.  After hearing more of his story and seeing him in the flesh, looking so strong and healthy, I was convinced.  I had to give this transplant thing a try.

Even though deciding whether or not to pursue a transplant is a big decision, it isn’t the final decision.  It takes organ donors to save lives.  A lot is involved when matching someone to an organ donor, but none of these processes or decisions would even be possible without organ donors.  My donor, Andrew, saved my life.  He was only eighteen years old and yet he and his family had talked about organ donation and made their wishes to be donors known.

My post-transplant story is not easy.  I have had more than my fair share of ups and downs and complications including five episodes of rejection, congestive heart failure, a total hip replacement, and needing various intravenous therapies.  But, as I now mentor patients, like Gary did for me, sharing both of our stories, giving them the opportunity to meet me as my mentor did for me, it gives me great joy to see the hope it gives them-that they need, just like I did eight years ago.

Gary, now my husband, is still giving others hope as well, just like he continues to do for me, ten years after his life saving gift.  As mentors, we don’t ‘sugar coat’ the realities or difficulties that can come with transplantation, but one can’t help but focus on the benefits!  Being able to share the stories of seeing nieces and nephews born, traveling the world, running a first 5K, getting married to the man of your dreams, enjoying anniversaries, time with family, friends, and loved ones, and especially birthdays and getting older (I’m probably the only one enjoying that one) gives patients the kind of hope that can carry a person through a lot of struggles.  Mentoring is something I feel truly connected to, but I also enjoy educating others about how organ donation saved our lives, and how regular people like you and me can do the same for someone else someday.

Learn more about Carrie and Organ donation

Carrie’s Website

Mid-America Transplant Services

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Gateway Chapter

 

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Friday's Mark: National Donate Life Month

My Friday's Mark guest this week was a friend in high school. We lost touch, as high school friends often do, until last year. When we reconnected, I found out that in the time since we'd last spoken, Carrie had received a lung transplant.

Carrie is one of those people who brings the sunlight in with her when she enters a room. I really can't say enough how much I like her, or how privileged I feel to know her. I greatly admire how she lives her life, and how she uses her life experiences to make a difference in the lives of others. She gives talks in schools about organ donation and mentors others who are just beginning the process.

Since April is Organ Donation Awareness month, I asked her if she'd be willing to share her story with us. Thankfully, she agreed. I hope her words inspire you the way they have me. ~ Heather

Carrie's Mark

A question I get asked a lot is 'What made you decide to get a transplant?'  And the short answer is 'I didn't, at first.'  Which is not the answer the patients I am mentoring expect to hear.  They see a young woman, whom they suspect to be about 25, that they think wouldn't want for anything more in life than a chance for a new one.  But I didn't.

The reason I was being faced with a decision to try and get a transplant is because I have Cystic Fibrosis.  Cystic Fibrosis or CF, is a genetic, chronic disease that causes the body to produce a thick, sticky mucous.  This mucous blocks some of the body's most basic functions like food digestion and absorption.  However, the chronic complication with CF is the resistant bacterial infections that grow and thrive in the mucous in the lungs, causing scarring and permanent damage to the airways, eventually leading to a need for a transplant, or death.

However, for me growing up with CF was easy.  My life wasn't very different than any other kid while I was growing up.  But, growing sick from my CF was not easy.  And suddenly, my life at age eighteen was very different from other eighteen year olds.  Frequently on intravenous antibiotics, I spent vacations and holidays getting medicine so I could get better to get through another year of college.  I missed my own college graduation ceremony because I was in the hospital, having to fax my final exams and senior projects to my professors in order to finish my classes.  It was hard, and tiring.  And I was beginning to miss out on the things that young adults enjoy, and I didn't see how getting a transplant would change that.  It's not a cure, it's an alternative.  Survival for a lung transplant patient was only 50% after five years.

At the age of 26 my life became all about taking care of myself.  Coughing so hard I would literally pop a lung, causing it to collapse.  Coughing up blood.  Coughing so hard I was getting sick, making my weight drop below 100 pounds.  Which is not a pretty sight on a 5'9" frame.  Tube feedings every night became a new part of my routine.  Not to help me gain weight, but to help me keep from losing any more.   Along with my twice daily nebulizer treatments of up to three medications, and vest therapy, my life was consumed.  My thoughts on transplant were that it would be hard, too hard.  And I was tired of life being hard.

One February day, while in the hospital doing my physical therapy, the respiratory therapist Ms. Yvonne Sledge shared a book she had put together of various patients and their caregivers "Transplant Teddies."  Depicted in art form were stories of hopes of one day being free from the 'chains' the oxygen tubing created, tethering us to our oxygen tanks.  Pictures of teddy bears with big hearts nearly bursting with the overwhelming love and gratefulness for their lung donors because of their gift of life.  Teddy Bears fishing, and playing, and going on picnics, without their oxygen tanks.

Those Transplant Teddies gave me a literal picture of what a life after transplant could be like.  But  then, I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to someone who has CF and had received a double lung transplant through the transplant mentoring program at our local hospital.  Gary, my mentor, described what his two years post-transplant had been like so far.  No oxygen tanks or tubing anymore.  Back to work full time.  Hiking, biking and just back from a snow skiing trip to Colorado.   I couldn't even imagine!

Then, one day in late April, he offered to come meet me and talk to my parents about transplant.  He looked fantastic!!  And I'm not just saying that because he was handsome!  He was the epitome of health, having pink skin, rather than an oxygen deprived grayish blue.  After hearing more of his story and seeing him in the flesh, looking so strong and healthy, I was convinced.  I had to give this transplant thing a try.

Even though deciding whether or not to pursue a transplant is a big decision, it isn't the final decision.  It takes organ donors to save lives.  A lot is involved when matching someone to an organ donor, but none of these processes or decisions would even be possible without organ donors.  My donor, Andrew, saved my life.  He was only eighteen years old and yet he and his family had talked about organ donation and made their wishes to be donors known.

My post-transplant story is not easy.  I have had more than my fair share of ups and downs and complications including five episodes of rejection, congestive heart failure, a total hip replacement, and needing various intravenous therapies.  But, as I now mentor patients, like Gary did for me, sharing both of our stories, giving them the opportunity to meet me as my mentor did for me, it gives me great joy to see the hope it gives them-that they need, just like I did eight years ago.

Gary, now my husband, is still giving others hope as well, just like he continues to do for me, ten years after his life saving gift.  As mentors, we don't 'sugar coat' the realities or difficulties that can come with transplantation, but one can't help but focus on the benefits!  Being able to share the stories of seeing nieces and nephews born, traveling the world, running a first 5K, getting married to the man of your dreams, enjoying anniversaries, time with family, friends, and loved ones, and especially birthdays and getting older (I'm probably the only one enjoying that one) gives patients the kind of hope that can carry a person through a lot of struggles.  Mentoring is something I feel truly connected to, but I also enjoy educating others about how organ donation saved our lives, and how regular people like you and me can do the same for someone else someday.

Learn more about Carrie and Organ donation

Carrie's Website

Mid-America Transplant Services

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Gateway Chapter

 

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Getting a Makeover

Sometimes we could all use a good makeover to update our look, to put our best foot forward. (The pun was totally unintentional, but I'll roll with it.) I'm excited to say that three of my books are about to get a little makeover of their own.

When my first four books were published indie, the part of the process I most enjoyed was working with my friend and colleague Emily Stoltz to create the covers. (She's the inspiration behind Liz in Ties That Bind!) We weren't concerned about things like thumbnail visibility or standing out in a crowd. At the time, I was simply trying to get the books out there to raise awareness for human trafficking, and we were having a lot of fun in the process. I'm happy with the covers we produced – I'm proud of what we accomplished with no budget or guidance.

When the books were picked up by Booktrope, those first four were re-released quickly, and we were all looking forward to the release of book five, Ring of Fire. With so much happening at once, revamping covers wasn't even on our radar.

Now that the books are out and we have a little window of time before the seventh book (think June!), it seemed like a good time to give three of the books some of the attention they missed out on before. So over the next few months, look for me to unveil new covers for Ties That Bind, Suddenly a Spy and Jailbird!

Curious what the new covers will look like? Here's a sneak peek at the new cover for Ties That Bind!

 

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Dreaming of a Slave Free Easter

With Easter fast approaching, I thought it might be helpful to post a few resources to help those who are interested find slave free chocolate.

Before it was about bunnies or chocolate or hidden eggs, Easter was about freedom from the chains of death. It was about redemption and grace and sacrifice.

It bothers me that my celebration of a holiday so special to me could be putting chains of bondage and death on someone else.

There are websites out there to help us find slave free chocolate. I also found an excellent article that talks about the status of Fair Trade chocolate as of last spring.

I have heard that Dove dark chocolates and Newman's own organics are Rain Forest Alliance certified, which mean they are made in a socially and environmentally responsible way. To see the complete list of Rainforest Alliance products available in the United States, click here.

Tired of having to jump through so many hoops just to be sure your child's Easter basket isn't filled with candy harvested by enslaved children? Consider signing or starting a petition demanding that chocolate companies  stop using slave labor and start investigating real, permanent solutions.

If you start a petition, send it my way – I'll be happy to sign and help spread the word!

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