Autor/-in: Heather Louise Madrigal

Heather Louise Madrigal was adopted at four months old and diagnosed with cerebral palsy at nine months, then mosaic Turner syndrome at eight years. Raised in Ohio and Alaska, she settled in Pittsburgh at fourteen and still calls it home, living independently with daily support from personal care aides. A Penguins fan since fifteen - a library cassette of the 1991-92 season did it - she still never misses a game with her friend Andy, who hasn't missed one himself since November 1991. She graduated from Geneva College in 2000, was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania in 2007, and used the platform to advocate for the disability community she writes for. She writes #OwnVoices because she wanted heroines who looked like her, moved like her, and got the full arc of being loved without being fixed first. The Captain's Heart is her debut novel and the first book in the Hearts & Ice series.