The Lonely Isle

Thank you to everyone who has read the first book! It never fails to make my day brighter when I hear someone read my novel and enjoyed it.
The second book in the series: Lost and Found: A Fairy Tale

From the back cover of Worlds Collide: A Fairy Tale:

Inside you will read about a group of people you will never meet.

You will read personal accounts of the lives of people who may, at first glance, have nothing in common, and seem perfectly normal, contently living their average lives. And then you will flip a page and see a mystery unfolding, and learn that things are not always as they appear. Just when you have figured out who to trust and who is worthy of another chance, you will get a personal look at why they did what they did, which will give you a fresh perspective, and cause you to learn that there is always more than one side to the story.

Before you realize it has even happened, you will be swept away into a complex drama which will introduce you to characters you will never be able to forget; nor forget the lessons they learn or the friendships they have for each other.

Snuggle into your favorite reading chair, and be introduced to Melinda, a girl with a secret that she refuses to use as an excuse to live a life in fear, Guy, someone who learns firsthand the nature of grace, Emilee, who must learn the hard way that she cannot always control everything, and many others. Oh, of course, and me, Dra, who never would have guessed that a simple conversation with the new girl would have completely shaped my life and taken it in a direction I never could have fathomed.

"...your book was wonderful, and your characters awesome! Cool plot idea! Original. Intricate enough to read the book again and again, simple enough to follow easily." - The Mightimidget

“This is a great story. It's so intricate and interesting that once I started reading 270 pages literally flew by. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I'm hoping that there will be either a sequel or a side story.

A prequel about how Mel's parents met and Mel's time and experiences on the other world would be icing on the cake!

All in all this is a must-read novel and once you read it you will fully agree with me on that!! So drink from your favorite mug filled with hot coco, grab your fleece blanket, wear your fuzzy socks, and let this wonderful story take you places you could only dream of!!!!” - Magma

"This is one of the best books for young adults that I have read all year! I thought that some of the story could have been more detailed. I would also like to learn more about the rest of the 'dunami world (perhaps a series of short stories?). The plot is beautifully twisted, with some surprises on the journey. I say again, this is now one of my favorite books, I look forward to reading other books by Heidi and I am honored to be doing some of the illustrations for her works." - Amber Maria Murrell

"…I'm not at all surprised that people are loving Michel so much. He's an absolutely brilliant character, and full of an incredible amount of depth - especially since we didn't really spend a whole lot of time with him. How you pulled that off, I'll never know. Great work on that one. Amazingly enough, I hated him when we first met him. And now I'm totally smitten. Now that doesn't happen every day…

I was quite impressed with this book. It was engaging and suspenseful. Sure, there were problems here and there, but without the assistance of a professional editor, that was to be expected. Actually, it was a lot better than I ever would have expected anyone to do without a professional editor.

When I first saw that it was 701 pages, I figured that the story probably needed to be tightened up a lot. But after reading it, I think it should be expanded instead. I would like to see this story told over a period of several books. There were some parts that I felt were glossed over a bit too much, and some problems that I think were resolved a bit too quickly and easily. This story as it is now is too long, but no less interesting because of it. I think it would be fabulous if told over the course of several stories, with time taken to flesh out each character and each problem more fully. And after having read this wonderful story, I have no doubt in my mind that Joelle is fully capable of this." - LiJuun

"This book captivated me and threw me into a world I never knew before. Not as much of a fairy tale as a clever science fiction, the author’s down-to-earth storytelling lets you feel like you are inside the characters. ...The plot is incredible. With heart-breaking romances, sneaky politics, secret laboratories, dangerous kidnapping, questionable assassins, and unforgettable characters, this book is actually not long enough!

Discover for yourself the plight of the hidden ‘dunami, and you will never be the same." - Rachael Lynn Thomas, author of Dashwood Avenue

“I read your book over the Christmas break and ever since I read it I wanted to tell you what I thought. I thought that it was amazing. I really enjoyed it. The pages flew by and I was immersed in your work. I was swept away by your characters. I thought that your character development was amazing and one of your strongest points. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book. I also liked how it was written by the characters. I thought that was very interesting to get different points of views. I just wanted to let you know that because I have been thinking to tell you for a while but I have been busy…. Great job and let me know if you write another book. I will definitely want to read it.” - Bonnie

"I really, really liked it. The book kept me enthralled the whole time, one of those books I couldn't put down. (And I plan on reading again many times) The characters were all very interesting. (Go Michel!) I liked how the story ended, it all wrapped up nicely and satisfactory. Overall, very good job, I can't wait for the sequel I hear is coming. =D" - Mary

"First off – I really liked The Tome (Yes, I call it that more often than it's real title – you can thank your sister for that :P) Anywho…

Great job with the story line. I was impressed. Most fantasy is boring, predictable, or full of clichés. And while some parts are like that, it wasn't blatant, and it wasn't often. Very good job with the world travel. The way you explained it was very well done, and I had a pretty easy time imagining it as well as one can with fantasy or sci-fi. I also loved the Stargate references.

The 'dunami race was very well developed. Good job with the culture and all. Though some parts were sketchy or I would have liked to see more of - like the fallen 'dunami - I was overall impressed.

I have to say one of my favorite characters was – you guessed it – Michel. I liked him right away. Yeah, he was originally an antagonist, but he was really cool. He was dark, mysterious, and all around, an awesome character. Bravo! You had me hooked the moment he arrived and I kept hoping he would stay in longer so I could read more about him.

Of the other more minor main characters, I think Emilee was my favorite. She was witty, sarcastic, and brilliant. Sure, she was absorbed in her work, but hey, I still liked her. ...that whole relationship had me going "Wha…?" for a while, but I guess love doesn't consider age.

Speaking of ages, I would have liked to see more set in stone ages. Jer, Mel, Dra (who rocked! And reminded me a lot of you….) and Kara (great job with her too) I could all picture in my mind's eye, but Guy and Emilee were a bit harder for me.

I think a prequel would be really nice, since I'm really curious about Jessica. She seems like a really neat character, but you see so little of her. Same with Garrett though you do see a lot more of him, which was nice.

Anywho, I am sincerely hoping the next one comes out really soon because I really, really want to see more! Course, Midget keeps telling me she's read it and how much she likes it, so that's not helping my patience any either. Katrina's excerpt at the end was a good teaser...you left a bunch of openings for more to continue on and I can't wait to read it!" -Brianna

"...Basically, I just have to say that I LOVED it!! I was absolutely amazed that one head could hold so much dialogue, so many fascinating characters, two fully developed worlds, etc.!! I admit that I was kind of doubting in the beginning (before I started reading) that it could really need 700 pages.... but as I progressed I was amazed and delighted to find that it really was 700 completely worthwhile and necessary pages. In fact, I still felt like it ended too soon. :) Maybe you could pull a Tolkien (well, his publishers, anyway) and turn it into a trilogy, so that it's still the great story but in smaller chunks so there's that sense of completion every 200 or 300 pages. Ha. :)

...Well, I hope all these rambles of mine made sense to you. :) Again, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And your characters stayed in my mind for days/weeks after I finished reading, because I felt like I knew them. :) I found myself, from early in the reading, wishing that we could have some of our time in Germany over again-- because I realized how little I really knew the girl who was capable of writing such a fantastic story!!!"- Emily

"...just went on a week long trip, finished your book and wow, Heidi... I know neither of us are phone people, but I almost called you... It was so incredibly amazing, I cannot tell you how much I loved it and how proud I am of you! I am going to give it to my brother to read next time I am around. Miss you and once again, wow wow wow, you have blown me away!..." - The Sarah