Meet Heidi Hess

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heidi Hess a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Heidi , so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

Risk-taking is a muscle. It’s something that you develop with either time, experience, or both. As a child, I was the cautious one in my group of friends. They would be out doing flips or running along a cement brick wall behind our houses that was eight feet tall and I couldn’t do it. It didn’t seem safe, so I didn’t do it.

Fast forward to now… everything is a risk, rather, anything worth having is a risk. Writing and publishing stories are a risk. Organizing a book festival is a risk. The simple act of loving someone is a risk. The “what if’s” still creep in from time to time: What if no one likes my stories? What if Read It Write It is a flop this year? What if this person or that person doesn’t love me? And you know what – so what. Who cares. At least I tried and in this lifetime thats all we can do.

Listen, if you have a dream, doesn’t your dream deserve to come to life? We work hard for other people, aren’t your dreams worth the risk? I think so.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am an avid reader with an abnormally fertile imagination. Naturally, I decided to start writing but didn’t take it seriously until a few years ago. My best friend reads everything I write and there are times when she scratches her head and says “Where do you come up with this stuff?” Ha. We’ve been friends since the first grade…so she should know.

Painting started as a relaxing thing to do in the evening and then I discovered that people would pay me for my art. Uh.. yes, please!

Read It Write It Book and Writing Festival was an idea that stemmed from a trip to Miami and seeing a need for a local book and writing festival that everyone could attend regardless of education or finances. Some of these literary events can be quite pricey. Read It Write It has been free for readers to attend and always will be. We showcase 35 local authors and offer genre panels and workshops to the public for free. It’s a passion project for sure and I really want to grow it.

Heidi Creates is an umbrella for all of my creative efforts. It’s my author landing page with links to my books, The Short End of Madness and The Short Road to Shadows. It’s host to carefully crafted watercolor original art and of course, home to the Read It Write It Book and Writing Festival. Most creatives enjoy dabbling in a few different things. Creating art and organizing events use various parts of my brain and help with writer’s block! See?
There is a method to my madness.

Currently, I am finishing up a new novel about a haunted house that should be out in time for Halloween. I’ll be attending Fandom Kissimmee on Saturday, September 7, 2024, Not So Spooky Halloween Show on October 6, 2024 and then (one of my personal favorite events) Wizards, Witches and the Weird on Sunday, October 27, 2024.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

These aren’t in order of importance:

1) Risk-taking – Just do it. Whatever dream you have, have the courage to just do it. What’s the worst that can happen?

2) Resilience – When the worst does happen (because it might) remember that you are not defined by whether you fall or how many times you fall but how many times you get up and keep trying. Keep going.

3) Kindness – The world can be a hard place. You just don’t know where people are at or when a kind word will help someone. If you can help someone in their journey, do it.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My biggest challenge is discipline and procrastination. I’m lucky to have a tribe of friends and a loyal group of writers who push me to be the best version of myself. They also hold me accountable. I love that about them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://heidicreates.net
• Instagram: createsheidi
• Facebook: Heidi A Hess or Heidi Creates or Read It Write It Book Festival
• Twitter: createsheidi