Heidi McCrary
Heidi McCrary is the youngest of five children. She has worked in the media world all her life; she spent many years with the West Michigan CBS TV station, and is currently in the advertising marketing industry. She is also a contributing writer for a regional women’s magazine. Embracing all that West Michigan has to offer, Heidi can often be found in one of the many wonderful towns along the Lake Michigan shoreline, or on the local golf course, working on her goal of becoming a mediocre golfer. She lives with her husband, Jon, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, just a short drive from Alamo, where she grew up, and owns the family woods depicted in Chasing North Star. Her two sons, Tyler and Phillip, are doing great despite being raised by a mother with no formal training. Chasing North Star is her first novel. She currently resides in Kalamazoo, MI.
Twitter: @HeidiMcCrary
Instagram: @HeidiPMcCrary
What’s your favorite comic strip or graphic novel?
While I can’t say I follow the genre of graphic novels because many are fantasy/SciFi, one graphic novel that really resonated with me is Stiches by David Small. It centers around my favorite theme, dysfunctional families. The writing is extremely dark and so funny (think, Running with Scissors). Because of my fondness of this book, I momentarily contemplated setting the book I’m currently working on as a graphic novel. Who knows…I could still do it. My reasons for liking this particular book are precisely the reasons why others in my book club disdained it. To each their own…
Favorite non-reading activity?
I half-joke that my goal in life to be a mediocre golfer. I have zero athletic ability so anything requiring agility, finesse, and any sort of physical skill is hopelessly lost on me. Unlike with many other outdoor activities, golf is a sport you can grow old with, so I look forward to that. And while I look absolutely fabulous in my Calloway attire, my first drive will tell you I have a long way to go. You would think that the golf course in my backyard would help in improving my score. One day…
Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
I have bailed on only one book and I vividly remember it—Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. I felt that it was so narcissistic that I simply didn’t care what happened to the main character, and stopped reading it at the half-way point. This is a rare occurrence for me. Generally, if I am not feeling a book, I will (again, about half-way through) kick into speed-reading mode. I have to admit that I probably do this about a third of the time. I still get the gist of the story, and I can still claim to have read the book. The main reason for kicking into speedreading mode? I just don’t like the main character. Sorry, Julie.
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?
I like this question because it’s often the topic of conversation between my husband and me. While he could get lost in the mountains and forests for weeks at a time, I would have to kill myself if you left me alone in a cabin for more than two days. I embrace the big city, and love getting lost within the neon signs, tourists, and vibrant energy that you can only get in the middle of Times Square. My husband once talked about his three greatest vacation getaways, and it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn’t along at any one of them. Hmm…
Is there a work of art that you love? Why? Have you ever visited it in person?
With so many incredible works of art, it is hard to pin it down to “this is my favorite,” but there are a few that stay with me. I tend to appreciate artwork that has a “retro” feel or a style that one could imagine in a creative advertisement. Two pieces that come to mind are Nighthawks by Edward Hopper and At the Moulin Rouge by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. I am so incredibly lucky because both of these pieces are currently at the Art Institute of Chicago, which is a short drive from where I live. Funny, another artwork I just thought about is A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte by George Seurat. It has now occurred to me that my fondness for these paintings probably rests on the fact that they all reside at the Art Institute of Chicago. Something to be said for familiarity.
