SSTN Interviews Author Heather-Rose Ryan

by Paul Semendinger

August 14, 2025

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Hello Heather-Rose. It's great to talk again. Soon we'll meet on a podcast, but before then, please tell our readers a little about yourself and your new book.

I grew up in the middle of NYC and became a Mets fan when I was seven years old. That was in 1969, which was a big year for Mets fans! Being literature-minded, I read countless baseball books and absorbed the history and lore of the game. In high school I decided I wanted to be an umpire, and sought out my hero Dutch Rennert after a Mets game to get his advice. He very kindly (and wisely) suggested I get my college degree and then think about it. So I went to Bryn Mawr and became an English major. I wrote a few baseball short stories and began my baseball novel. Bryn Mawr is in PA and in those days it was difficult to follow our teams long-distance. To keep me up to date, my father would cut out the game stories from the NYC papers and mail them to me. I was THAT big of a fan. 

That is amazing. I went to undergrad in Wilkes-Barre, PA, in the 1980s, and the same problem was present. Yankees news was hard to find. My dad cut out articles from the newspapers and mailed them to me.

After graduation, I worked in NYC in publishing and later at an investment bank. I met my husband, a Red Sox fan, before the '86 series (!). While he was in medical school in MA, I worked for a few CEOs and heads of academic departments, doing a lot of writing and editing. From time to time, I'd take a look at the draft of my novel and write a little more. It changed considerably every time I worked on it. But years went by and I wasn't making much progress.

The COVID pandemic was a wakeup call - it reminded me that life is short and time is speeding past. I decided to get moving on finishing the book.

Early in 2022, I got to know former Royals and Cardinals relief pitcher Mark Littell through our participation in a baseball group on Facebook. I remembered seeing him pitch for the Cardinals at Shea. In recent years, he had turned his hand to writing and published three books of memoirs. I read them and enjoyed them a lot. I was impressed that he had written them himself, without the aid of a ghostwriter. I asked him if he would help me with some background on my novel, and he graciously agreed. While he was working on that with me, he started sending me drafts of pieces that he was writing for his fourth book, which he had entitled "Bootheel Boy". I made some copyediting suggestions and then gradually became his editor. I had a lot of fun working with Mark. He was a very smart, funny, creative guy and he truly loved the writing process. 

Mark's manuscript was not quite completed when on September 4, 2022, he died unexpectedly during a heart operation. It was a big shock to everyone who knew him, especially since a couple of weeks before, he had attended the Cardinals' 40th anniversary celebration for the 1982 championship team. 

I felt strongly that "Bootheel Boy" should be published, since he had put so much work into it. I took it upon myself to prepare the manuscript for publication. To make it book-length, I collected stories about Mark from dozens of his friends and former baseball colleagues, including Jim Kaat and Whitey Herzog, and added them as a second part of the book. I also obtained permission from Topps and several photographers to use photos and images of cards to illustrate the book.  "Bootheel Boy" is now available on Amazon along with Mark's other three books: http://www.amazon.com/author/marklittell

As we talked a while back, I had thought of reaching out to Mark and titling his book "One Littell Pitch" referring to the Chris Chambliss home run. After talking with you, and reading his first book, he discusses that at length there. Mark was a very compelling author. (I reviewed that book here.)

What do you most enjoy about writing?

Telling the story and making the characters come alive for readers. I also enjoy the process of creating, which, to me, feels less like invention on my part and more like a gradual discovery of the work's final form. 

I like that. In a very real way, books sometimes write themselves.

Are there any new projects you are working on?  

Yes, now that Mark's book is out on its own, I'm focusing on finishing my novel.

Why are people so drawn to baseball and its stories, legends, and people?

That's a good question and one that I've often pondered. It might have to do with the leisurely pace of the game, in which fans can focus on the dramatic moments like the confrontation between pitcher and batter. It might also have to do with the fact that in the early history of the game, sportswriters were crucially important in popularizing the game and creating its mythic character.  

What is your favorite baseball book? (You can list as many as you wish.)

Ring Lardner's short story "My Roomy"

The Glory of Their Times, Lawrence Ritter

The Long Season, Jim Brosnan

My Turn At Bat, Ted Williams with John Underwood

The Bronx Zoo, Sparky Lyle with Peter Golenbock

Sadaharu Oh: A Zen Way of Baseball, Sadaharu Oh with David Falkner

On the Eighth Day God Made Baseball, Mark Littell

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend: Women Writers on Baseball, edited by Elinor Nauen (and not just because I have a little piece in it!)

Outside of baseball, what is your favorite book and/or who is your favorite author?  (You can list as many as you wish.)

I have far too many to narrow down, but one of my all-time favorites which many readers might not have heard of is The Night Life of the Gods by Thorne Smith. Published in 1931, it's a comedy/fantasy about an eccentric inventor who brings statues of the Roman gods and goddesses to life and then roams around NYC with them having adventures. 

There's a lot of talk about baseball needing to be "fixed."  Is baseball broken?  If you were the Commissioner of Baseball what change(s) (if any) would you make to the current game?

I would get gambling out of baseball. But I think that's impossible now, alas.

I agree 100%. I believe gambling will be the things that ruins sports.

I love to talk about the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Which former Yankee most deserves to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

This may sound strange for a devoted baseball fan to say, but I don't care that much about the Hall of Fame! I love the museum part, but I'm not interested in the enshrining of individuals. It leads to so much controversy and endless arguments. And most of my favorite players aren't in the HoF anyway! So I don't have any opinion on which Yankee should be elected, but my favorite Yankee in the HoF is probably Phil Rizzuto. I spent many an hour listening to his radio broadcasts when I was spending time out of town. It was the only way I could find out what was going on in the Mets game since the Mets radio station signal was too faint to pick up. That's how I became a big fan of the Scooter. 

What is the greatest baseball movie of all time?  (Yes, you can list a few!)

That's a tough one. I would say my favorite is Eight Men Out by John Sayles. I admire the cast's acting and the recreation of the period.   

What is your favorite baseball memory?

Both from 1986: 1) the 16-inning playoff game between the Mets and the Astros, and 2) the ball going through Bill Buckner's legs! 

My dad is a life-long Red Sox fan. I was roioting for the Sox in 1986. That ground ball was heartbreaking.

Please share anything else you'd like with our audience.

As Mark used to write when signing his photos, "You gotta mix in a strike, better yet, mix in an out!"

That was great. Thank you so much. We will be talking soon!