Full Bio: Before actualizing what she wanted to be when she grew up, since getting taller didn’t work out so well, Heather held an assortment of jobs, roles, and careers. While always looking ahead, she tinkered with writing. Her cute and fancy storage chest filled with stops, starts, cringe-worthy pages, and moments of pure inspiration. 

It was only when she made the conscious decision to walk away from corporate life, to leave the IT-startup space, and focus on writing that she truly came into her own. Or as many friends have echoed … FINALLY!

Writing about human connection in an isolated industry has been humbling and has expanded how seriously (or not) to take herself. 

• Butt in seat – Serious
• Throwing the laptop across the room – Not serious or stop being too serious

She learned to step away. Play some loud music or some music loudly.

When she isn’t writing, Heather’s hobbies include reading and listening to music, or her ultimate: reading books about musicians while listening to music.

While Mark, her husband of almost thirty years, jokes that her ability to remember lyrics, song titles, musicians and even albums is wasted brain space, he enjoys playing the party trick game of quizzing her using various music streaming services. She’s been known to blurt out two beats in, “I know! It’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ by Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye from the album where Tammi is wearing that gorgeous knee-length emerald green dress!”

Meanwhile her adult children, Nolan and Bridget love to chide her about her inability to cook, as the family joke goes … “Just keep trying!”

Heather’s fuzzy fan club includes two cats, Cora and Callie, who are often found circling around her feet or in her lap as she writes. 

Everyday, Heather does her best to live out her mantra … Run. Write. Dream. BE.

NOSH is her first book.

Short Bio: When she isn’t dashing to the front door to sign for a wine shipment, Heather can often be found listening to various genres of music, reading about musicians, or watching documentaries about music. Or reading something … always reading something.

She and her husband, Mark, have lived in the Pacific Northwest for almost twenty years and have been married for almost thirty! They are the proud parents of their now adult children, Nolan and Bridget. For Heather, it has been a joy to see them grow into compassionate human beings.

While her two cats, Cora and Callie, let Heather think she runs the household, they know better. 

Every day, Heather does her best to live out her mantra … Run. Write. Dream. BE.

NOSH is her first book.

FROM THE BACK COVER: NOSH: What My Sabbatical Taught Me About Connection, One Lunch at a Time is a humorous and heartwarming memoir about what happens when we slow down, reach out, and truly listen.

When Heather L. Cleary stepped away from her corporate role at Starbucks® Coffee Company for a year-long “Coffee Break” sabbatical, she knew trading an office buzzing with 5,000 people for quiet days with only her cats might get lonely. Determined to stay connected, she set herself a challenge: share a meal with a different person every week.