Books with author Heidi Herman

A compelling story about love, loss, betrayal and redemption, as one woman discovers a family secret that changes everything she's ever known.* 2018 Foreward INDIES Book of the Year Gold Winner - Romance Category* 2018-2019 Reader Views Literary Finalist - Romance Category * 2018 American Fiction Award Finalist - Chick Lit/Women's Lit Category Anna Miller's small Midwestern town upbringing led to a safe, uneventful life. Until everything changed. While packing up her parent's home after their deaths, she discovers a shocking family secret. Anna is determined to find answers and follows the clues to a small town in Wyoming. Sexy local rancher Logan Harris crosses her path and for the first time in her thirty years, Anna finds herself caught up in passion she can't resist. Wyoming opens a whole new world to her as she follows the clues to her family's history. Anna embraces the growing new love Logan and a sense of belonging in the small town, finding the start of happiness. As she unravels the secret, present and past collide with lies and vicious deceit, she must find the strength to fight for her future. She must choose the path to her own love and family - Logan's love or her true family heritage. Is her family in the past or the future and is her heart strong enough to decide?

2017 Book Excellence Award Winner for Multicultural Fiction. Trolls and Hidden Folk are a part of daily life in Iceland. This collection of Icelandic folklore and legends comes from the days of the Vikings. The twenty-five short stories are centuries old and have been updated for today's readers of all ages. Children and adults alike will love to delve into this fantastic collection of traditional Icelandic fairy tales and legends. These short stories of trolls, elves with magical powers, and Hidden People have been passed down from generation to generation. First written down hundreds of years ago, the stories are now brought together and updated for a modern audience, so now you too can read about the trolls who freely roamed Iceland, the race of Hidden People with strong magical powers and of the four powerful beings who still protect Iceland from invaders to this day. Packed full of fascinating myths, this collection of folklore is a must for anyone wanting to discover a world of mermaids and mermen, giants, shape-shifting seals and dragons in disguise.

The Legend of the Yule Lads is well-known among Icelanders and has been passed down from generation to generation for over 1,500 years. The country’s rich history of legends and folktales featuring a host of mystical creatures is reflected in this unique Christmas tale about trolls. However, like many of Iceland’s legends, the story of the Yule Lads is virtually unknown outside of the country. This particular story can be traced back to 13th Century and the Snorri Sturlson’s Edda. The Edda refers to the recognized mother of the Yule Lad’s, a horrible ogress named Gryla. In that time, Gryla and her many troll offspring were said to terrorize children, hauling badly behaved children off in great burlap bags to be later eaten. The tales of Gryla and the Yule Lads became so gruesome and disturbing that in 1746 a public decree was issued to forbid parents from using these stories to terrify children. In the years since, the Yule Lads’ character has been softened from horrible trolls to mischievous tricksters. As the legend goes, the Yule Lads come down from the mountain, one each day starting 13 days before Christmas. They stay through Christmas Day, then leave, one each day, in the order they arrived. In 1932, a popular poem was written about the Jólasveinarnir [Yule Lads] by Jóhannes from Kötlum and it first appeared in the book Jólin Koma [Christmas is coming]. As presented in Jóhannes poem, each of the Yule Lad’s name reflects their particular brand of mischief. Stekkjastaur (Sheep Cote Clod) starts things off on December 12th and is best known for stealing sheep’s milk. Giljagaur (Gulley-Gawk) arrives the next day and is preoccupied with sneaking into the barn to steal cow’s milk. Stúfur (Shorty) steals bits of food left on frying pans while Thvörusleikir (Spoon-licker) steals spoons from the kitchen to lick and Pottasleikir (Pot-licker) steals pots and pans for the leftovers. Askasleikir (Bowl-licker) arrives next and sneak away with the bowls of food left for the family pets. Hurdaskellir (Door-slammer) brings his mischief on December 18th by knocking, squeaking hinges on doors, and generally creating thumps and bumps in the night. Skyrgámur (Skyr-gobbler) is next with the primary purpose of pigging out on Skyr, which is a very rich Icelandic version of yogurt. Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage-swiper) joins in on December 20th focused on stealing sausage while Gluggagægir (Window Peeper) keeps himself busy looking for shiny objects to stuff in his pockets. Gáttathefur (Door Sniffer) has a very sensitive nose, which he uses to sniffs out all the goodies he can find. Kjötkrókur (Meat-hook) arrives next and hangs out near the dinner table to swipe any meats he can. The last Lad, Kertasníkir (Candle-beggar) arrives on Christmas Eve and pilfers candles. This modernized version of the Icelandic Yule Lad tale brings new life to this very old story. After accidentally being seen by a human, Stekkjastaur finds he must rely on a young Shepherd boy to keep his secret. He gives a gift just to protect his troll reputation, but the little boy’s happiness made him happy as well. He learns that one of the greatest gifts you can receive is the joy in giving to someone else. One by one, the Yule Lads each take a break from his own mischief, and each one learns the happiness gained from gift-giving. Even from a source as unlikely as a troll, a selfish act wrapped up in the Christmas spirit can grow into something wonderful.

After accidentally being seen by a human, an Icelandic Yule Lad named Stekkjastaur finds he must rely on a young shepherd boy to keep his troll identity a secret. Stekkjastaur gives a gift just to ensure the child's silence, but the little boy's happiness makes Stekkjastaur happy as well. He learns that one of the greatest gifts you can receive is the joy in giving to someone else. One by one, the Yule Lads each take a break from his own mischief, and each one learns the happiness gained from gift-giving. Even from a source as unlikely as a troll, a selfish act wrapped up in the Christmas spirit can grow into something wonderful.Iceland's rich history of legends and folktales featuring a host of mystical creatures is reflected in this unique Christmas tale about trolls. This modernized version of the Icelandic Yule Lads brings new life to a very old story. The legend of the Yule Lads is well-known among Icelanders and has been passed down from generation to generation for over 1,500 years.The original tale was told to discourage bad behavior in youngsters and had a distinctly bogeyman vibe. After a law was passed in 1746 by the Danish government to prohibit parents from terrorizing their children with the Yule Lad stories (and their ogre-mother, Gryla), the Yule Lads gradually became the mischievous pranksters they are in modern stories.

This collection of Icelandic fairy tales and legends comes from the days of the Vikings. These stories of trolls, magic, Hidden People, and creatures from the sea were passed down from generation to generation, told on cold winter nights in front of the fire before being written down a hundred years ago. The stories are brought together here and updated, so now you can read about trolls that wandered throughout Iceland, the race of Hidden People with strong magic powers and the four powerful beings that protect Iceland from all invaders. The mermaids and mermen, giants, shape-shifting seals, and dragons in disguise are here for you to discover.