Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Restless is my first book, based on more than ten years of traveling around Asia with my (ex) husband and two young children. We moved to Japan when my son was only nine months old, with two backpacks and a baby carrier, no knowledge of the language, no job to go to and nowhere to live. We ended up staying there for over eight years. During that time, we continued to take long breaks and see more of Asia, returning many times to trek in our beloved Nepalese Himalaya – with the kids.
I adventurous and incorrigible. If I put my mind to something, I cannot be deterred. And I will go to extraordinary lengths to prove I can do it, no matter what anyone else thinks.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first book is called Restless – Memoir of an Incurable Traveller. It was inspired by all the times we took off with little to no plans, a couple of packs, two young kids and a spirit of adventure.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Some days I want loud, loud music and some days I want silence. But I always want COFFEE in long tall glasses. I also talk to myself.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Demian – by Herman Hesse
The Surprising Asians and People of Shiva – by Frances Letters
Full Tilt – by Dervla Murphy
Writing Down the Bones – Natalie Goldberg
What are you working on now?
Currently working on the sequel to Restless, to be titled Gaijin Live Next Door. It tells about all the fateful and hilarious encounters with the Japanese and their amazing country during the eight years we lived there.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Lots of social media posting – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and generally telling everyone who’ll listen about my book.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going. Sometimes its hard to do that, and sometimes its very lonely. Just write every day and you will get to the end. The first draft doesn’t matter. The writing will be bad. That’s what the editing phase is for. It’s a process.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Only the ideas we live have any value – Herman Hesse
What are you reading now?
Memoirs by anyone, travel stories of Tony James Slater, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, and about 100 more waiting on my Kindle account.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing. It helps me process life.
Keep traveling. It gives me something to write about.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Kitchen God’s Wife – Amy Tan
Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts
Shogun – James Clavell
How to prepare coconut 365 different ways – by whoever writes it
Author Websites and Profiles
Heather Hackett Website
Heather Hackett Amazon Profile
Heather Hackett’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account