Chris Heimerdinger (born August 26, 1963) is an American author who has written twenty novels for adults and young adults, most famously the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and most of his stories center on religious themes familiar to Latter-day Saints. Early life Heimerdinger was born in Bloomington, Indiana. His father was a professor in theatre at Indiana University. His parents divorced when he was four years old and his mother remarried. Heimerdinger has one older brother and two younger sisters. Heimerdinger excelled in Wyoming High School competitions for three years in the categories of Humor, Oratory, and Drama. He began to write books at the age of 7, and continued through high school. He also began making super-8 films beginning in junior high, and showed these films to the scholarship committee of Brigham Young University in 1981, earning a full scholarship in 'Theatre and Cinematic Arts' after receiving a Sundance Institute 'Most Promising Filmmaker' award for his film Night Meeting. Heimerdinger read the Book of Mormon at age 18, during his first semester at college, and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct 10, 1981. Books and films Heimerdinger is the author of the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. His first published work was Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites (1989), based on events in the Book of Mormon. Thus far thirteen books have followed in the series, the first of which features three children who discover a secret cave capable of transporting its visitors back in time. The following books continue with the original characters as they go to college, get married, and have kids. The characters also have to deal with death, parenting troubles and time travel. The first books in the series were intended to be a fictional account of the Book of Mormon, while later ones explore other historical eras, including Ancient Rome, Israel during the Roman destruction in A.D. 73, and the time period of the Tower of Babel. The last five novels in this series include research notes at the end of each chapter. In 2005, Heimerdinger began production of Passage to Zarahemla. Originally written in 1999 as a screenplay entitled "Summer of the Nephite" it was published as a novel, Passage to Zarahemla in 2003. The film was released to cinemas in October 2007