Ohio-born Heidi Renee Mason’s first book, “Investigating the Heart” was released in September.
Ridgefield’s Heidi Renee Mason will meet with fans and sign copies of her debut novel “Investigating the Heart” during a meet-and-greet at Season’s Coffee, Tea & Remedies Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
RIDGEFIELD - A Ridgefield woman will host a meet-and-greet book signing event Saturday for local fans as she celebrates the realization of her lifelong dream of becoming a published author.
“Investigating the Heart” is the new book by Ridgefield’s Heidi Renee Mason. Released in September, Mason’s 170-page debut novel is a mysterious romantic suspense story which follows an intrepid mother-of-three through a trail of emotion and intrigue in wake of a devastating plane crash.
Mason began the project in February after making the decision to finally sit down and write the book she always knew she wanted to. A writer at heart, Mason had some wordsmithing experience. She has penned magazine articles and worked as a staff writer for a small newspaper, but it was her first attempt at writing a full-length novel. Though she had put together the basic idea of a simple, generic love story; Mason said the stubborn, shifting results of her effort eventually took even her for a ride.
“I knew my main character; I knew what the idea was going to be,” Mason said. “But then, all of these people started showing up in my brain … then other things came in and turned it into a suspense novel.”
The story follows Emma McCoy, a coffee-shop owner and mother reeling from the loss of her husband who died in the wreckage of an airplane he never should have boarded. With twists, turns, and a mysterious new stranger, Mason calls “Investigating the Heart” a second-chance story with an ‘M’ rating.
“I have teenage daughters. I wouldn’t let them read it,” she said during a phone interview Friday.
A mother of three herself, the book took Mason about 4 months of writing before she had assembled a story she felt was worthy of publication. After a bit of research, she began preparing herself for a major hurdle: the grueling, torturous slog of finding an agent and marketing the book to publishers.
“It usually takes a long time and you get a lot of rejections,” Mason said. “I figured I might as well get on that.”
She wanted to practice, because she knew the submission process could take a very long time. Many famous authors have watched bills and rejection slips grow into large piles as they tried for months – even years – to convince publishers to print their work. Mason settled in for a long fight.
“It didn’t work out quite like I had planned it, but that was good,” she said. “I submitted and I actually got a contract 2 days later.”
With technology simplifying the process, Mason opted to contract with a mid-sized publisher to bring her work to local book stores and e-book consumers more quickly. Plus, foregoing an agent and a burdensome editing process allowed her to have more control over the finished creation.
The book has earned praise from readers and a 4.5 of 5-star rating on Amazon.com. So many people have asked about the characters’ post-novel lives that she has already penned 25,000 words of a sequel she hopes to release sometime next spring.
Copies of “Investigating the Heart” are available at Vintage Books, 613 E Mill Plain Blvd, in Vancouver, and on Mason’s website at heidireneemason.wordpress.com. The book signing will take place 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Seasons Coffee, Tea & Remedies, 115 N. Main Ave. in Ridgefield.
