About
Heather Mateus Sappenfield writes across genres for all ages. Of her two contemporary YA novels, THE VIEW FROM WHO I WAS and LIFE AT THE SPEED OF US, the latter was a Colorado Book Awards finalist. Her literary story collection, LYRICS FOR ROCK STARS, was featured on Colorado Public Radio, earned a Ben Franklin Award, an Earphones Award from AudioFile magazine, and was a finalist for the Audies. The stories also won the Danahy Fiction Prize and the Arthur Edelstein Prize, garnered six Pushcart Prize nominations, and were a finalist for the Flannery O’Connor Award. Her most recent MG novel, THE RIVER BETWEEN HEARTS, is a Moonbeam Awards Medalist, a Nautilus Awards Medalist, and winner of a 2023 Reading the West Award. Heather lives with her husband on the banks of Gore Creek in Vail, Colorado.
Featured Work
The River Between Hearts
READING THE WEST AWARD WINNER
On an ordinary Monday, Rill Kruse left for third grade with a dad, but when she came home, he’d been stolen. By a river. One year and thirteen days later—on the first morning of summer vacation—Rill still insists he’s on his way back home. When Rill’s cat, Clifford, leads her to the family tree fort on the mountainside, she discovers a stowaway, Perla, who appears to be on the run. As Rill considers the events that led Perla to this moment, she embarks on an adventure that tests her understanding of the world and forms a friendship that defies boundaries. The lessons Rill learns nudge her—and all those she loves—toward healing.
Other Works
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Lyrics for Rock Stars
2020
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Life at the Speed of Us
2016
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The View from Who I Was
2015
Awards and Recognition
- Reading the West Award
- Audie Award Finalist
- Sovas Award
- Nautilus Award
- Moonbeam Award
- Colorado Book Awards Finalist
- Danny Fiction Prize
