Heimerdinger excelled in Wyoming High School competitions for three years in the categories of Humor, Oratory, and Drama.
[5] 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.
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.
[6] Originally written in 1999 as a screenplay entitled "Summer of the Nephite" it was published as a novel, Passage to Zarahemla in 2003.
In August 2005 Heimerdinger joined with Hearts and Hands for Humanity in American Fork, Utah to help collect tennis shoes for children 5 to 12 years old.