We recently connected with Heather Merillat and have shared our conversation below.
Heather, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I have had to start over many times in my life. Each “do over” has created a layer of fortitude, that has served me well and provided me with experiences that have shaped me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Heather and I write and illustrate under the pen name, H.s.i. Merillat.
I have always been a dreamer, putting my imagination to work through writing and art. The Whim Dreamery is the place where my imagination came alive! I began writing stories at a young age, but adulting eventually caught up with me and the storyteller within lay dormant for many years. When my first grandchild was born, her sweet face inspired me to “waken the Dreamery and my mind began to create a world of whimsey. I started writing again and looked for a way to put my little poems into a format that I could read to her at bedtime.
By the time my grandson arrived, I had fully tapped into that familiar world of whimsey and song and had started to paint the images from my poems. The Dreamery Day was the very first verse that I did. Shortly after that, came The Rainy Dreamery Day and The Dreamery Moon, which haven’t been published yet, but are slated for 2026.
“Frogilly Digilly Doo, A Frogtastic Countdown Book!” was written for my grandson and was the first book that I published. Picture a kick line of frogs dancing and having all sorts of fun!
The second book, Agape Doo and the Extra Big Heart, was the second book in my Swamp Swing series, with the third book, “Frogilly Digilly Doo ABC’s-The Hot Air Balloon Adventure” coming in December of 2025.
All of my stories have a jazz/blues motif, with King Kicker and his Zydeco Band being one of my favorite characters. He is a mix of Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and Boozoo for the Zydeco flair.
From DeBussy to the big band swing of Benny Goodman, there is always music playing in the background when I create.
My mind lives in this musical world where soft colors, alliteration and rhyme are my thought language. In this epic landscape, the swamp came alive and “Frogilly Digilly” Doo was born.
Illustrating was the most daunting when I first began thinking about publishing. But I began to see Frogilly Digilly Doo as a launch pad to create unique and flamboyant characters. I have a very dry sense of humor and my persona often comes across as low-key and chill, but inside I have and orchestra playing in the background while my brain performs vaudeville! That definitely influences The Swamp of Digilly Doo and it will keep growing as long as I can keep it up!
If you ever get the chance to visit Caddo Lake, which is on the border of East Texas and Louisiana, make sure you take a swamp tour. It’s a magical place and my inspiration for the bayou of Digilly Doo and I highly recommend it!
My Dreamery series is motivated by my strong desire to keep our childhood memories alive as we pass down those special experiences to our children and grandchildren. It is the happy place that we should all carry inside!
I would also urge people to read my book, The Legend of the Blue Moon Butterfly. It is a lullaby written for children who may have experienced the loss of a sibling. It is an ode to those beautiful, yet brief, lives, that have graced us, but for a little while, leaving an indelible mark upon our hearts. It is also a timeless tale dedicated to the mothers and fathers who have wondered if their loss has meaning or has grappled with hard decisions when it comes to allowing life to take the course of God’s plan. I wrote it for my granddaughter, Haven, who lived a brief but precious hour after being born. It is a healing book and I wish I could give a hug to anyone who has had to go through losing a child.
All of my books can be found on my website, and they are available on Amazon. I have a a brand of clothing as well. Whim Wear sports designs straight out of my stories! I have other things like bags and tumblers, too. If you are looking for a unique gift or a gift bundle, be sure to check out the Store tab on my website, WhimDreamery.com!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
You can’t succeed unless you try. Failure is just recalibration–that is, if you allow it to be the catalyst that propels you to the next idea. If something doesn’t go as planned or you get a rejection, you have to reset and find another way around the problem.
I really believe that you have to climb the heap of broken dreams, mistakes, and bad ideas to get to where you want to be. I am a product of every good or bad decision that I have made in my life. I would be lying if I said I have no regrets or that I am happy with every choice that I have made, but if it weren’t for all of those experiences, I would be someone else entirely, living a different dream! I am pretty happy with where I landed. I just aim to be the best me that I can be!
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My family has always been extremely supportive of me. My parents instilled in me an understanding of what unconditional love looks like. My dad always told me that the one thing he wanted was for me to be happy. He didn’t care what career path I took, as long as I was happy with it. My mom is my biggest fan. She loves my books and tries to tell everyone she knows about them!
If it weren’t for my husband and my kids giving me the feedback and the support that they have, I probably would have given up. But they have been cheerleaders and proofreaders. I am so grateful for them!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://whimdeamery.com
- Instagram: @thewhimdreamery
- Facebook: @Whim Dreamery Books Hsi Merillat Author Page
- Youtube: @WhimDreameryBooks
Image Credits
I own all of the images that I have provided.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
