New novel by comrade Heather Hildenbrand: WHISPER

Howdy, friends ... 

So I don't ordinarily do this, simply because I don't have time and I don't think of it until it's too late and 'cuz mostly I just don't like to pimp books on the blog as not all my friends are book junkies.

HOWEVER: My dear, darling friend Heather has a new book out. It's called Whisper, and it's a very special story about a girl named, uh, Whisper, who is learning to live again in the face of overwhelming, life-altering tragedy. It's sad, but heartfelt and real.

"But, Jenn, there are lots of stories like that. If I want to read something that will make me cry, I'll pick up The Notebook or any other sapfest by Nicholas Sparks. Besides, crying is overrated. It makes mascara run and noses swell and turn red."

Sometimes it's necessary, though. My girl Heather--she's cool. We met online last year when I started out with Sleight, and became fast friends. We're a threesome--Heather Hildenbrand, Angeline Kace, and me--who've become buddies, dare I say "book sisters," and they're the first gals I turn to when I'm in between therapy appointments. Yes, they're that lovely.

Last year, Heather announced she was pregnant, due in December. Naturally Ang and I were thrilled for Heather and her family, and for the duration of 2011, we eagerly awaited updates from prenatal visits and news of a kicking baby and photos of Heather's swollen feet and the nursery preparations and even received an invite to the baby shower, though it was held in Virginia, a long ways from me.

In December Heather was scheduled for a C-section. We were ecstatic as the days closed in on Herman's birthday ... and then it was upon us. We waited for news, stalked Facebook and Twitter, e-mailed back and forth: "Have you heard anything?" "No. Have you?" "Not yet." After hours of no news, Ang and I started to get nervous.

And then we found out why.

Known as Herman throughout the pregnancy, Tyler was born chubby and with a head full of black hair and the sweetest face ... and a massive heart problem.

He died five days later.

Heather has not been shy about this tragedy. She has handled it with grace and aplomb and the biggest balls I have ever seen on a woman who just lost her child. She has good days and bad days, but the most impressive thing is, she makes it through every single one of them and is stronger at the other end, even on days when she's not. It's truly remarkable that she is able to put one foot in front of the other, that she has not caved to her despair, that she cries when she's sad and yells when she's mad and hugs her kids and makes dinner and writes BOOKS ... all for Tyler. Because, as she says so eloquently on her blog, she wants to be the mom that Tyler would've wanted her to be.

In the few months since Tyler passed, Heather has been writing. Call it her salvation, if you want. I think she might be so bold as to refer to it as such. The product is Whisper, and it is unique in its depth and the very real way that the character deals with her own tragedy. It is a story for young adults--it's clean, i.e., no excessive swearing, no drinking/drugs/issues. It has supernatural elements, a genre that Heather is best known for, but underneath the magic and the legend is a girl who is in pain, who finds her way out of the shadows so that she may once again find peace. Boil this down, and the sugar left in the bottom of the pot is about moving forward. Just as Heather is doing every single day. Not forgetting, but adapting. Being the best Heather she can be.

We could all be so smart.

Whisper goes on sale April 19 for your e-reading devices. Heather's blog is HERE, or you can grab a copy via Amazon US or Amazon UK. Barnes & Noble is taking a little longer but I will add an edit at the bottom of this post when that link is available.


ADDENDUM: Barnes & Noble buyers can get Whisper HERE. Thank you!!!