Chasing North Star: A Novel

Written by Heidi McCrary

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

Germany, 1940. While struggling to survive at an orphanage, young Didi crosses paths with a rebellious, quirky girl who will either help her escape a life of abuse and uncertainty or lead her down an even darker path.

Fast-forward to 1970. With help from a worn leather journal, another young girl learns the story of Didi, who escaped war-torn Germany for a better life in America—except her life didn’t turn out as expected. The stories of these two girls intertwine and eventually collide one Christmas night when Didi, all grown up, finally remembers the secret she buried long ago.

Chasing North Star is a bittersweet coming-of-age tale, looking back at a time when four free-range siblings, cigarettes in hand, roamed the streets ’til sunrise and hid from a gun-toting, mentally ill mother who couldn’t help herself. Stingray bicycles, transistor radios, and late nights in the cemetery—just another day in Alamo. That is, until the youngest sibling stumbles upon Didi’s story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: She Writes Press
• Release date: Jul 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798368926063

Heidi McCrary

Heidi McCrary is the youngest of five children. She has worked in the media world all her life; she spent many years with the West Michigan CBS TV station, and is currently in the advertising marketing industry. She is also a contributing writer for a regional women’s magazine. Embracing all that West Michigan has to offer, Heidi can often be found in one of the many wonderful towns along the Lake Michigan shoreline, or on the local golf course, working on her goal of becoming a mediocre golfer. She lives with her husband, Jon, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, just a short drive from Alamo, where she grew up, and owns the family woods depicted in Chasing North Star. Her two sons, Tyler and Phillip, are doing great despite being raised by a mother with no formal training. Chasing North Star is her first novel.