NORWICH – A local author and longtime Norwich resident has released her second book, “My Raging Heart,” a contemporary and unpredictable romance novel, and plans to launch a book trailer set to an original song performed by a professional actor and musician.
Jennifer Heath, born and raised in Upstate New York, moved to Norwich in 2006, not to write, but to work as a chemist for Norwich Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Heath now works as a group leader for the lab at Norwich Pharma by day and moonlights as a writer at home by night.
Despite graduating from the University of Newcastle in Australia with a degree in biochemistry, the self-prescribed left-brain scientist says she has preferred writing as her creative outlet since she was a child.
"As a child, I created my own newspaper and wrote Ninja Turtle fan fiction with my brother," said Heath. "I also wrote short stories in high school just for fun."
"I took a break from writing in college, and it wasn't really until my mom told me about this dream she had that I considered writing again. I thought [the dream] would be a really good basis for a science fiction novel," she added.
Heath and her mom created characters and plot lines for Heath's debut novel, "Neiridians of Ondine." She started writing the book in 2008 and self-published it through Amazon's Create Space self-publisher Print-On-Demand.
"My mom dreamed someone was driving a car down the road and got into an accident. The driver was thrown from the car and turned into a body of water, a lake. When someone came to the scene to inspect the accident, they saw the face of the person in the water," said Heath.
Heath turned her mother's dream into a science fiction story about aliens who come to earth to alleviate overcrowding on their home planet and try to fit in with humans. "The person who turned into a body of water and face in the water became the alien protagonist in the story," she said.
Although Heath enjoyed writing her first novel, she said she likes her second novel's story line better because it's a solid romance novel.
"I think [my first novel] was sort of a mismatch of genres. It's a little bit of everything, not a strong sci-fi," said Heath. "I think [my second novel] fits well in the romance genre, and I think anyone who likes romance would like this novel."
"I also think I found my writing style this time around," she added.
Heath said her romance novel is about the protagonist, Myra, a self-conscious farm girl, and her struggles as a divorcee after being cheated on by her ex-husband. Myra is driven from her small town and moves to the big city, where she meets her favorite musician and celebrity crush. A romance ensues between Myra and her idol, and she finds out who she really is from her unfamiliar environment and unlikely affair.
