Heather Gudenkauf

Dragonfly Books is pleased to host an evening with bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf and her new book Little Mercies on Friday, July 18 at 7:00 pm at Dragonfly Books. Join us with Heather as she talks about her new book, shares her stories, and signs copies of her books.

Heather Gudenkauf, the New York Times bestselling author of These Things Hidden and The Weight of Silence, returns with a new, ripped-from-the-headlines novel with Little Mercies. Never one to shy away from hard topics, Little Mercies is a powerful, emotionally charged story about motherhood and justice, where a good woman searches for redemption after a small mistake threatens to change her life forever.

Veteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity– the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a fiercely dedicated children’s advocate and a devoted mother and wife. But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have repercussions that Ellen could never have imagined.

Meanwhile, ten year-old Jenny Briard is forced to leave her father behind and finds herself on her own in a strange city with nothing but the contents of her backpack.When Ellen’s and Jenny’s lives collide, little do they know just how much they can help one another. Little Mercies is a thought-provoking novel that illuminates the harrowing world of social workers as they tackle complex family and relationship issues. Heather Gudenkauf is at her best, deftly crafting a searing portrait of the tenuous grasp we have on the things we love the most and of the ties that unexpectedly bring us together.

Little Mercies (Harlequin Mira 2014) is Heather’s fourth novel. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence (Harlequin Mira 2009) and These Things Hidden (Harlequin Mira 2011). She is also the author of One Breath Away (Harlequin Mira 2012).

Born in Wagner, South Dakota, the youngest of six children, Heather’s family moved to Iowa when she was three. Having been born with a profound unilateral hearing impairment (there were many evenings when Heather and her father made a trip to the bus barn to look around the school bus for her hearing aids that she often conveniently would forget on the seat beside her), Heather tended to use books as a retreat, would climb into the toy box with a pillow, blanket, and flashlight, close the lid, and escape the world around her. Heather became a voracious reader and the seed of becoming a writer was planted.

Heather graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages and continues to work in education as a Title / Reading Coordinator. Heather lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Maxine. We hope to see you out for this wonderful event, but as always, if you can't make it to the event, one of our staff would be glad to reserve a copy of any of Heather's books and have it personally autographed for you. To reserve a signed copy of any of Heather's books, submit your order below by July 17, 2014.

Location: Street: 112 W Water Street Additional: City: Decorah, Province: Iowa Postal Code: 52101 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Little Mercies

As a veteran social worker for fifteen years, Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity, but remains a gifted child advocate as well as a devoted mother and wife. But everything changes one blistering summer day when Ellen races to rescue two children from their mother's dangerous boyfriend and, in a moment of distraction, leaves her own infant daughter in a sweltering car. While Ellen is swarmed by legal authorities and the media, ten-year-old Jenny, who's just been abandoned by her father, is set to cross Ellen's path and change both of their lives for good. Born with a profound unilateral hearing impairment, Heather Gudenkauf found refuge in books from an early age. She has since become the bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden. She also works in education with students of all ages in Iowa, where she lives with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer.

Location: Street: 5233 N. Clark St. City: Chicago, Province: Illinois Postal Code: 60640-2122 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf

In her most emotionally charged novel to date, New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and how the fragile normalcy of our everyday life is so easily shattered.

In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

Location: Street: 1098 Main Street City: Dubuque, Province: Iowa Postal Code: 52001-4723 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)