Charlie's Secret: Inspired by a True Story - C. L. Heckman

C. L. Heckman, a small-town writer from Pennsylvania, grew up with a love of words but was never sure exactly how to put them to use. She dabbled in poetry and song writing as a teenager, but never put much emphasis on pursing it as a career. In fact, Heckman spent nearly twenty years riding and showing Arabian horses, and has multiple Regional Championship titles to her name. However, unable to leave the dream of writing behind, she continued to write any chance she got in the hopes of one day accomplishing her dream. When a high school history teacher reminded her of the dream, she ignored him, assuming that it was a far-fetched goal. However, almost a decade later, she finally took his advice and wrote Charlie's Secret on the wordpad app of her IPhone. Charlie's Secret is based off of Heckman's memories that she revisited while in years of cognitive therapy for anxiety, depression and PTSD, but written in a fictional narrative. The story is personal, and heartbreaking, and she almost didn't publish it. She states how terrifying it was to open your heart and soul to the world and have them judge every single aspect of you as a person. However, since the publishing, Heckman has had some amazing opportunities to share the book with other victims, and offer support to them during their own individual journeys. Charlie's Secret has recently been added to several colleges across the US as required reading. After the incredibly positive response to Charlie's Secret, Heckman, a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful daughters, has now written and published 5 more books. The next book she is working on will be a prequel to Charlie's Secret, written from the mother's point of view. She is hoping to publish it in 2019. She spends most of her time outdoors with her two daughters, enjoying the simple things in life. She continues writing, but is exploring other avenues of artistic expression as well. She loves to hear from readers and fans. Please feel free to contact her at the below options. C. L. Heckman- Author page on Facebook Follow @worry2faith on twitter Charliespond@hotmail.com