Author Bio – Heather Murata

Past:

I grew up in New England—Maine, and New Hampshire. I summered at the Doe Cottage, a family home built by my Great Grandfather in the 1880’s in Ocean Park, Maine. The Doe Cottage hosted vacationers every summer. It was owned and operated by my Grandmother (Nana), Barbara Thurber (Doe) when I was a child.

We used to visit her there during the summertime. When I was nine years old, she sold the establishment to my parents. After that, as a family, we continued to operate the cottage. We hosted vacationers for another ten years until, sadly, it was sold. The name has also changed.  It is now called the Ananda Guest House.

Present:

So, where does my author bio branch off to after childhood? Since then, I’ve moved around the United States, finally settling in Hawaii, my adopted home. Eventually, I met my husband, Albert Murata. As a result, I now ecstatically share my life with my best friend!

I live a healthy lifestyle and like to stay fit and active. I enjoy gardening, hiking, tennis, resistance weights (BowFlex), and running (NordicTrack FreeStride Trainer). Most of my gardening occurs in Kona, on Albert’s family’s coffee, nut, and fruit tree farm.

In 2013, I started a creative arts enrichment program for children. Running around all day long with them is also a significant component of my exercise regimen!

I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Before starting my creative arts enrichment program, I worked with children on the Autism spectrum. This was a gratifying experience. I remember thinking in high school that I would enjoy it. Sure enough, it was absolutely amazing!

Passions:

Before continuing on in the present, no conversation about my passions can begin without delving into the past. Therefore, my author’s bio takes a slight look backward.

My main creative pursuits throughout life have been singing, acting, and writing. My mother says that I was singing and dancing by the time I was two. I followed that passion all through school. And, in the summertime, I sang with the Ocean Park Choir. The choirmaster gave me personal singing lessons when I was 16.

Additionally, I played several roles in my high school drama club and directed my senior play. Meanwhile, I was also taking on significant roles in our local amateur community theater productions. I can tell you from experience, the last performance night is emotionally draining. At least it was for me. There is something sad about saying goodbye to the make-believe world on stage.

I am passionate about nature and environmental issues, including sustainability. This passion also began as a young child. I was in love with the outdoors—wildlife habitats, plants, and animals. Today, as far as I’m concerned, wise stewardship of the earth and all of its resources is an important responsibility. It benefits us in the here-and-now and ensures a bright future for generations to come.

Published:

And that segues into the latest development.  My new science fiction fantasy release, Koraalen: Planetary Symbiosis, speaks to that passion and definitely earns a place in the ecological science fiction genre. It is suitable for young adults through adult, and I encourage you to check it out. Just click on the book title at the beginning of this paragraph, or click the book image to the left!

Promoting:

You might think that publishing is the conclusion of my work. Not the case! My book is my baby. It was conceived, then born, then underwent a maturation process. Once it was mature, it was ready to go out into the world. However, not unlike many people leaving home to start an independent life, it still needs support—emotional support, encouragement, and sometimes care packages! This is where promotion comes into play. My book requires me to help it along on its journey. If you would like to help it along as well, your support would be much appreciated. Ways that you could support my work: 

1. Sharing on social media
2. Leaving a review on Amazon
3. Leaving a review and talking it up on Goodreads
4. Talking about it with your bookish friends and family

If you’d like to become an integral part of my support base, please subscribe to my newsletter, where I can build a more unique relationship with all of my supporters.

Plans:

I plan to write more in the Koraalen series (and other books) and will keep you posted as things develop! Please visit my contact page where you can sign up for my newsletter and drop me a line! If you sign up for my newsletter, you will be among the first to hear about:

1. New developments
2. Book launch events
3. Book signings
4. Promotional giveaways
5. Activities relating to recent or current publications 

I would love to welcome you to my support team!