Heroic Hearts

FOREWORD

What makes a hero? Is it a person who goes above and beyond to save someone? Or someone who dedicates their life to a higher purpose? Perhaps it’s just an honorific for anyone who does something unselfishly at the right time.

Personally, I’ve saved a baby from choking, stopped a kid from getting hit by a car, and done volunteer work, counseling work, and a wide range of customer service. I know customer service doesn’t sound like a heroic task, but I have never had more people tell me I was their hero than when I was solving their problems with phones, insurance bills, and food stamps. Maybe the time I gave my cat the Heimlich maneuver when she was choking on a chicken bone qualifies. She certainly thought so.

I wanted to assemble a collection of hopeful stories about courage, bravery, codes to live by, and people you can trust. For this volume I got three main themes: animals, monster fighters, and wise hermits. I’m sure this is because the events of the last few years have given us an appreciation of our animal friends, people who fight injustice, and this odd state of lockdown we’ve been experiencing. I can tell you that producing stories during 2020 was a challenge for every person in this anthology. I’m very happy about how this turned out. I really needed an anthology about heroes with good hearts. We all need to be reminded that they exist.

Enjoy the stories.

—Kerrie L. Hughes