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Heather Balog

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Heather Balog

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences
Judy Blume

Member Since
April 2013


Heather Balog is a self proclaimed "Bad Mommy" and the author of fourteen novels, including the Amy Maxwell Cozy Mystery Series. She also collaborates with her "Tween-age" daughter on the Lexie Maxwell Series for young readers. She blogs at "The Bad Mommy Diaries" which, according to her family, is mostly obnoxious exaggeration, but it's much cheaper than therapy. When Heather is not writing or complaining on her blog, she's a school nurse, taxi driver, her household Sudoku champion, and a runner with way too many aches and pains to be any good. She lives with her husband and her two children who all make fun of her inability to exist without the help of a Post-It note list on a daily basis. She also has two very needy dogs who do not make ...more

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Heather Balog A lot of times if I can't get past a certain scene in a novel, I will write the next scene and then go back and link them together. Usually that will …moreA lot of times if I can't get past a certain scene in a novel, I will write the next scene and then go back and link them together. Usually that will jump start my creative flow again. If that doesn't help, I will put a book aside for a few week or months and work on something else. Sometimes picking it up and rereading it then reminds me what I hoped to accomplish or the story I wanted to tell. (less)
Heather Balog My favorite thing about being a writer is having the ability to create any character or situation I want to. I am completely in control over what happ…moreMy favorite thing about being a writer is having the ability to create any character or situation I want to. I am completely in control over what happens and it's very empowering.(less)
Average rating: 3.69 · 4,532 ratings · 380 reviews · 23 distinct worksSimilar authors
Friends From the Edge

3.65 avg rating — 1,532 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions
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The 8 Mistakes of Amy Maxwe...

3.69 avg rating — 671 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions
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Letters To My Sister's Shrink

3.76 avg rating — 535 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions
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Note to Self: Change the Locks

3.45 avg rating — 507 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions
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Best Friends & Other Liars

3.60 avg rating — 369 ratings2 editions
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Amy Maxwell & the 7 Deadly ...

3.78 avg rating — 323 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions
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Amy Maxwell's 6th Sense (Am...

3.85 avg rating — 211 ratings2 editions
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The Dead of Summer

3.85 avg rating — 88 ratings — published 2015 — 5 editions
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When the Bough Breaks

4.02 avg rating — 46 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions
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Amy Maxwell & the Long 9 Mo...

3.75 avg rating — 44 ratings2 editions
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More books by Heather Balog…

Give Yourself Grace (Week 7)

I had a pivotal moment in my project to Getting Uncomfortable (Losing 23 lbs in 23 Weeks) this week. I discovered that sometimes, you need to give yourself grace.


It was a busy week…you know, one of those weeks where there truly aren’t enough hours in the day? You have a list a mile long and you cannot possibly get it all done…unless you give up sleep, that is.


While I wasn’t willing to give up slee

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Published on March 11, 2019 17:45
Amy Maxwell & the Long 9 Mo... The 8 Mistakes of Amy Maxwe... Amy Maxwell & the 7 Deadly ... Amy Maxwell's 6th Sense Amy Maxwell's 5th Child: An...
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Dark Money: The H...
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At the Coffee Sho...
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by Heather Webber (Goodreads Author)
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A People's Histor...
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Weyward by Emilia Hart
Weyward
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Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
Half His Age
by Jennette McCurdy
50 copies available, ends on February 19, 2026 Enter to win »
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Weyward by Emilia Hart
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The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline
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A bit strange but still a fantastic read.
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The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline
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Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
Here One Moment
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Dark Money by Jane Mayer
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At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber
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The Last Laugh Club by Kate Galley
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Took quite a while to get into this one but the ending was perfect.
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Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
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I read this for book club and believe it or not, never read it before. Weird, considering so many books are based on this one. Anyways, it was by far my least favorite Agatha Christie book. I really felt it was so improbable that it was almost farcic ...more
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Quotes by Heather Balog  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Kathryn, Shannon's letters are her perception of reality. Whether or not the events happened exactly as she described them or not is actually irrelevant. I am interested in how she thinks these events happened or what she believes was going through her mind even more than I am of what really happened. As well as your perception of what happened. Would you share with me, please?"
 ​I recoiled in my chair, slightly indignant.”
Heather Balog, Letters To My Sister's Shrink

“Blood had been pouring from my body, so much more than could be held back by a simple bandaid. Maybe I had been to the hospital and they stitched it up? Were there stitches underneath this bandaid?  I didn't remember going to the hospital, but then again, I didn't remember much from last night. Why wasn't I in the hospital now? Shouldn't a suicidal teenager be in the hospital? Or some sort of mental institution? Why was I here, lying in my bed?
 ​Confused, I struggled to sit up. "Who put this bandaid here?"
  ​Katie rolled her eyes and leaned towards me, not attempting to help me sit up. "Mom did, of course. You cut your wrist on the glass bottle that you smashed all over my bed." She narrowed her stormy gray eyes at me. "Thanks a lot for that, by the way. We had to throw my bedding out. I guess I have to keep an eye on you at all times, don't I? You're like a baby."
​ I was stunned. They thought I had cut myself by accident! They didn't realize I had done it on purpose! Didn't I make it clear that I was trying to KILL myself? Wasn't my desperate plea for help loud enough?”
Heather Balog, Letters To My Sister's Shrink

“He was mayor and assemblyman, but had died tragically in a plane crash during his campaign for senator. I think fulfilling his father's dreams was part of Brad's drive into politics. So needless to say, I was representing his family, and it was imperative to be presentable at all times in public. No more running to the store in pajamas and hair curlers. Oh, wait, I never did that. That was Shannon, I thought smugly.
 ​"Dr. Wallace," I repeated, my train of thought having completely derailed. "I'm sure you are aware that my sister is not only suffering from a deluded sense of present reality, her memory of past events is also incredibly warped. This.." I lightly touched the notebook paper on which Shannon had written her letter. "Is nothing more than a pack of lies."
 ​Sitting back in the comfortable chair, I crossed my arms over my chest. I was a little sore,”
Heather Balog, Letters To My Sister's Shrink

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