My BFF Lyndley Ellison and my eagle-eyed proofreader Cynthia L. Moyer and are chief among the writers and friends who offered encouragement and guidance. Special thanks to beta readers Kerry Alexander, Maren Custer and Stephanie Kupper.
Savvy final proofreaders Amy Duryea, Akasha Cowdin, Lyndley Ellison and April Johnson made this book shine, and hugely talented Luke Cowdin created the cover.
Most of all, I owe a debt of gratitude to my husband Derek and my parents Randy and Pam Stout, who enabled me to spend hours writing and editing. It means the world to me.
Thank you, and I love you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heidi Joy lives in Happy Valley off Sunnyside Road—and she did not make that up. She is a marketing communications leader for high tech and property firms and she previously made a living as a journalist.
She lives in Oregon with her husband and two small kids. You’ll most often find them fishing, crabbing, clamming, exploring the Northwest or building epic forts in their living room.
Heidi’s first book, A Handful of Gold, is a new fairy tale adventure for children with an un-princess twist.
Heidi’s next book, Tattoo Thief, is a new adult romance about what happens when you leave your comfort zone to explore a new world. Coming Fall 2013.
DEAR READER
Independently published authors are making huge strides in what was once an exclusive industry. But we can’t do it without your help.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Tell your friends about it. Bring it to your book group. Give it as a gift.
When you support independent authors—especially those of us who invest more than a thousand dollars for each book in editing, layout, cover design and proofreading—you’re helping us make up for the lack of marketing muscle and distribution networks that traditional publishers use.
Your support also helps us rise to the top of an increasingly crowded market—because there are no gatekeepers and anyone can publish a book, everyone seems to be doing it, and unfortunately that means a lot of poorly written and edited books are in the marketplace.
Thanks in advance for helping your favorite indie authors succeed! We love feedback, and you can reach me here: heidi.tretheway@gmail.com.
What are you reading next? I’d like to suggest:
Tattoo Thief
New Adult Contemporary Romance
When 22-year-old Beryl leaves her sleepy hometown to become a house sitter for New York City’s richest residents, her first and worst client is the white-hot but seriously messed up Gavin Blakely, front man for the rock band Tattoo Thief.
Ultra-responsible Beryl’s stuck with a dog and the penthouse the reckless rock star mysteriously trashed—and abandoned. As she finds her footing in the city, Beryl is picking up the pieces to learn why Gavin fled, what he’s searching for, and how she can help him find it.
For a special child in your life:
A Handful of Gold
A new fairy tale adventure
If there’s just one thing Audrey wants, it’s an adventure. When she travels through the forest to see the kingdom castle for the first time, she must rely on kindness and courage to outwit bandits, rescue a girl and help a prince.
This captivating bedtime story for kids ages 4 to 8 is told with classic photography, vivid language and an un-princess twist. Find it on Amazon: www.tinyurl.com/ahandfulofgold
Table of Contents
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-SIX
THIRTY-SEVEN
THIRTY-EIGHT
THIRTY-NINE
FORTY
FORTY-ONE
FORTY-TWO
FORTY-THREE
FORTY-FOUR
FORTY-FIVE
FORTY-SIX
FORTY-SEVEN
FORTY-EIGHT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DEAR READER