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           "Part Annie Dillard, part Anne Lamott."- L.A. Times  

 

"Lende writes emotionally but never sentimentally, giving us the best Alaska memoir of late, maybe the best ever." -Booklist 

 

“The genuineness of Heather Lende’s experience and her thoughtfulness about life’s bad breaks and unexpected gifts—expressed so well in her fine funny writing- make me want to ordain her as the goddess of good sense and song.” - Nancy Lord, Alaska Writer Laureate

Praise for Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs
As the obituary writer for the local paper in Haines, Alaska (population 2,400), Heather Lende knows a thing or two about life and death and dealing with the unexpected. Her first book, If You Lived Here I’d Know Your Name, painted a beautiful and honest picture of small-town life and drew raves from reviewers. Now in paperback, Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs conveys the importance of spirituality and community in life’s lessons. Read more...

Q&A with Heather Lende
Heather discusses raising a family in Alaska, writing about people she knows, being part of a tight-knit community, the role of faith in her life, and . . . chickens. Read more...

Ten* Things to Think About if You Are Hit by a Truck
The people of Haines were tremendously influential in my recovery, as were my family and my faith. Throughout the healing process, I was forced to look anew at so many aspects of my life. You don’t need to wait for a near-fatal accident to take stock of what’s most important, though. I’ve put together this list based on some of the questions I asked myself during that time. I hope these will help you start a discussion with your friends and family about your own spiritual and community life. Read more...

 A note from Heather-

Welcome to my world here in Haines, Alaska-- or at least this web notebook version of it.  For more photos of Haines see my facebook page and the blog. I think friends have to "like" the page to get my updates, as I don't usually use both of my pages, does that make sense? (I am still getting used to this facebook-ing stuff.)

I just completed my MFA in creative writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage in fiction, and am revising my first novel. (It and my thesis essay on Marjorie Rawlings won the UAA Jason Wenger Award for Literary Excellence.) I continue to write obituaries for the Haines weekly paper, the Chilkat Valley News, and my monthly column for Woman's Day Magazine.   

I do my best to answer all your emails, and they all make my day. It amazes me who reads what I write. Thank you is not really adequate. I'm sorry to say that I'm not as good at responding to snail mail, but I do try to get to all of it.

 If you'd like a personalized copy of either of my books (they'd make a nice gift) and can't make it to Haines, Tom and Liz Heywood at The Babbling Book store here are happy to mail you one. Just email them at babblingbook@aptalaska.net for the details. Your book club can also "meet" me via Skype, email, or  by speakerphone.  I don't like to leave home, so getting me to speak in person is harder.

 Please shop for my books first at your local bookstore. Supporting independent stores and businesses in towns across the country is a very good thing.  (The books are both available at most libraries, too.)

Finally, check out the Haines and  Chilkat Valley area links to learn more about the places and people I love and write about. (These links are not paid for by anyone. Nothing on this website is.) 

Thanks very much, again, for stopping by, for reading my columns, and for sharing them and my books with your friends.  I hope you'll check in with the blog often, as well. It is winter here now, so I'm at my desk more. This is all a work in progress, and often fairly un-edited, informal and local, but I'll do my best to make it worth your time.

Heather

November, 14 2011