Heather Stearns
Tanya Patton: Columbia County Rural Library District
Meet Heather Stearns - Dayton's Newest Librarian
She hunts. She writes. She plays multiple musical instruments. She can herd cows, fix fence and build websites. And most evenings and weekends you'll find her happily "giving away" books and candy to patrons of the Dayton Memorial Library.
Heather Stearns is a bit of a 21st century Renaissance woman—a friendly and energetic "can do" person whose love for reading and writing makes her a great new addition to our already wonderful library staff.
An only child, born in Fort Lewis, WA, but raised in Orofino, ID, Heather spent her childhood in the world of pretend. "I developed elaborate games for my friends and me and read lots of fantasy books," explained Heather. At age five, she started playing the piano, but switched to alto saxophone in Junior High. High school band bored her so she quit and taught herself to play the tin whistle—a traditional Irish instrument. This began her love affair with Celtic music and a position in a professional Celtic music band.
Heather graduated from Orofino High School in 2003 near the top of her class and matriculated at Lewis and Clark State College in Lewiston, ID, where she majored in English Literature and minored in Music. She met her husband, fourth generation Daytonite James Stearns, on the first day of her freshman year. They were married in July 2005, but by then James had graduated from LSCS and moved back to Dayton to run the family farm. "I spent weekdays at LCSC working feverishly to accumulate enough credits to graduate early, and weekends with James on the farm," remembered Heather. She graduated in December 2006.
A Creative Writing Fiction class in college gave Heather the inspiration and tools to begin writing the kind of stories she enjoys reading—fantasy suspense thrillers. So far, she's published two works of short fiction in e-book form through Echelon Press, and more are in the works. "An e-book is just a book in digital format which can be purchased online and downloaded to a computer," explained Heather. "It's a great format for new authors trying to build credibility." Heather uses a pen name, Ingemar, and her books are both best-sellers in their genre.
Heather also has a passion for hunting. She and James are both involved with the Columbia County Marksmen 4-H Club where Heather is the hunting project leader.
Heather began her library career in May of 2007. Her position is funded by the Columbia County Rural Library District as part of an agreement with the city to increase the number of hours the library is open. "Working at the library is lots of fun," commented Heather. "I love being around all those books and meeting people I probably wouldn't meet otherwise."
Stop by and meet Heather. You'll be glad you did!
Copyright (c) 2007, Blue Mountain News