Heather Ivester has a heart for parents who feel called to write, as she is the mother of five school-aged children, and writing is the only way she can complete a sentence around her house.
She’s the author of From a Daughter’s Heart to Her Mom: 50 Reflections on Living Well (Thomas Nelson) and is a contributing writer to several books, including What Really Counts for Students, The Rainy Day Book, A Cup of Comfort for Mothers to Be, and Soul Matters for Mothers.
Her essays and articles have been published in Guideposts, HomeLife, CrossWalk, and International Living magazines, among others. She also contributed monthly columns to West Georgia Ladies magazine, Christian Women Online ezine, Spirit-Led Writer, Writer Interrupted, and the b5 media network.
In her blog, “Mom 2 Mom Connection,” she interviews authors, writes media reviews, and shares essays about the high calling of being a parent and writer.
Heather is a magna cum laude graduate of Auburn University, where she majored in English (giving her an excuse to read novels all the time). She interned for Atlanta Magazine, then spent two years teaching English in Osaka, Japan, before heading home to earn a degree in Japanese Language and Literature from the University of Georgia. She also taught high school English while finishing her master’s in secondary English education, also at UGA.
In Japan, Heather worked as a teaching assistant for Kansai University of Foreign Studies, earning a Certificate of Asian Studies. She enjoyed learning from the locals about Japanese flower arranging, tea ceremony, cooking, brush painting (sumi-e), calligraphy, and poetry. As much as possible, she surrounded herself with Japanese children, who taught her the fine art of folding paper cranes, cicadas, and samurai.
Heather received the 2005 Writer of the Year award from American Christian Writers and is currently working on her first middle grade novel. She lives on a small farm in west Georgia, where she takes care of children, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, and a very sweet dog. She has been married 15 years to a guy she met in her third grade language arts class. They’re still reading books together!
If you would like to invite Heather to visit your school or organization to present a workshop on Japan or writing, please contact her at the email address to your left. She has spoken to groups as young as preschoolers, on up to adults. She finds a special joy in teaching children to love books!
(c) 2005-2010 Heather Ivester.
