Heather S. Ransom

Life as a middle school teacher for twenty-eight years has allowed Heather an intimate look into the minds of thousands of young adults, most of whom are desperate to find their place in a society constantly changing around them. Many have found escape, ideas for facing challenges, or simply hope for a future where they can make a difference, through reading. So every year, no matter what she is teaching, Heather has her classes read. And they imagine together what their futures might hold, telling stories about advances in society and technology that could change their world.

Heather grew up in a family that loved stories. Her mom told incredible, fanciful adventures where she, along with her brother and sister, lived in a pond with tadpoles, or traveled across the dusty hills as Native Americans, or howled at the moon with the coyotes. As her mom told these stories, Heather became the character. She felt the water moving through her gills as she swam with Wally Wadpole. She tasted the dust in her mouth while riding her horse, Many Moons, on the hunt to bring back food to her tribe. She heard the coyotes calling her to come play, long after the stories were over. Heather fell in love with a good story, one that immersed her in a world that felt so real she never wanted to leave. This is what she hopes to bring to her readers.

Stories hold power. When a story captivates its readers, it expands their compassion and creativity as humans, and leads them to push themselves and others in new directions. Young women and men today need strong voices to guide them on a journey not only of survival but of self-discovery, appreciation, acceptance, and love. Stories give them those guides, through the eyes and voices of their characters, who show them that they are not alone, that there is more out there, and that the world can be the beautiful place they want it to be.

Heather’s first young adult novel, Going Green, was a 2018 Wishing Shelves Best Books for Teens finalist and has been translated into Croatian. Book 2, Greener, is currently being translated as well. Book 3, Back to Green, completed the series in 2020. Heather also has short stories in several anthologies, including "Eyes" in Strongly Worded Women: The Best of the Year of Publishing Women, "Last of Our Kind" in Shout: an Anthology of Resistance, and "The 100th Heroine" in the soon-to-be-released Denial Kills. Her newest adventure in writing has been learning to write screenplays, something she had found remarkably interesting and difficult.

When not teaching or writing, Heather enjoys spending time with the man of her dreams, Marv, and their absolutely amazing kids, Marvin, Danielle, and Jason. Living in Grants Pass, Oregon, affords her the luxury of ample opportunities in the amazing outdoors, as well as helping out at their local businesses, a pizza pub and cigar shop.

One of Heather's editors, Cyndy Holder, once told her, “I believe a good story ultimately finds its own way into the world through finding its best teller. Going Green is an important story for adolescents to hear. The story just waited for you to realize that it was your responsibility to tell it.” Heather believes that we each have a story to tell, and that we each have responsibility to tell it. She says "Find yours. Don’t give up. There’s someone out there who needs to hear it."

Every day brings a new adventure. Dream the dream you want, then find the way to make it happen.