Welcome to Three Questions with Van Heerling. This is where you get to meet authors, actors, painters and anyone else that is bent toward the arts, but on a more personal level.
Today we welcome Heather Hummel, author of Whispers from the Heart, Write from the Heart and Signs from the Universe.
VH: If you knew the exact date of your death down to the minute, what would you change about your life starting tomorrow?
HH: Because I believe our soul lives through many lives, I am as much at peace with the idea of death as I am with life. In fact, there are many days in this lifetime that I look forward to the ones in my next life and the ones thereafter. I also have insight to many of my past lives, and the kinds of lessons I’m here to learn in this one that I didn’t in past ones. With an expansive view such as this, I live my life with little fear of death, and there is not one thing I would change about how I live my life. Those who know me know I’m an adventurist. A free spirit. A soul passing through this life in hopes to learn the lessons I’m meant to because Karma really can be a bitch.
VH: For what are you grateful?
HH: I am most grateful for a short, yet poignant, relationship I had when I was in my late thirties. It acted as a catalyst to leaving a ten year dead-end relationship that wasn’t working for me. But more importantly, it catapulted me into a spiritual awakening. Since knowing this particular man, I have not seen life in the same way, and I’m most grateful for my new-found spirituality and personal growth because of our time together. People come into our lives as teachers and there are times when we don’t see the lesson until after the relationship ends (be it friend, romantic, or otherwise). It’s the timeless gifts this man gave my soul that I am most grateful for.
VH: At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?
HH: For me, being seventeen was probably the happiest time of my life. Funny that I was the happiest at an age when people are often the most troubled. But, when I look back on that year, I was still a virgin, so men didn’t impact me the way they did later on. (Why does sex have to complicate everything?) I hadn’t known the pain of losing the love of my life. I had a few great friendships, some several years older and others my age, but none of them were filled with angst, agendas, or teen drama. I was active, healthy, ambitious, and carefree. I knew I wanted to be a writer and a photographer and at the time, it seemed like nothing would get in the way of those goals. Yes, seventeen was a good year to be me.
VH: Heather what a delight it has been interviewing you. I must say that my seventeenth year was far from what you just described. Maybe one day we will sit down together, coffee in hand, and I will tell you all about my awkward years.
VH: If you knew the exact date of your death down to the minute, what would you change about your life starting tomorrow?
HH: Because I believe our soul lives through many lives, I am as much at peace with the idea of death as I am with life. In fact, there are many days in this lifetime that I look forward to the ones in my next life and the ones thereafter. I also have insight to many of my past lives, and the kinds of lessons I’m here to learn in this one that I didn’t in past ones. With an expansive view such as this, I live my life with little fear of death, and there is not one thing I would change about how I live my life. Those who know me know I’m an adventurist. A free spirit. A soul passing through this life in hopes to learn the lessons I’m meant to because Karma really can be a bitch.
VH: For what are you grateful?
HH: I am most grateful for a short, yet poignant, relationship I had when I was in my late thirties. It acted as a catalyst to leaving a ten year dead-end relationship that wasn’t working for me. But more importantly, it catapulted me into a spiritual awakening. Since knowing this particular man, I have not seen life in the same way, and I’m most grateful for my new-found spirituality and personal growth because of our time together. People come into our lives as teachers and there are times when we don’t see the lesson until after the relationship ends (be it friend, romantic, or otherwise). It’s the timeless gifts this man gave my soul that I am most grateful for.
VH: At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?
HH: For me, being seventeen was probably the happiest time of my life. Funny that I was the happiest at an age when people are often the most troubled. But, when I look back on that year, I was still a virgin, so men didn’t impact me the way they did later on. (Why does sex have to complicate everything?) I hadn’t known the pain of losing the love of my life. I had a few great friendships, some several years older and others my age, but none of them were filled with angst, agendas, or teen drama. I was active, healthy, ambitious, and carefree. I knew I wanted to be a writer and a photographer and at the time, it seemed like nothing would get in the way of those goals. Yes, seventeen was a good year to be me.
Whispers from the Heart
Whispers: The heart's way of speaking...
Madison Ragnar is a high school English teacher determined to connect with her students, to finish the next running race with a respectable time, and to avoid ever falling in love again.
But life has other plans for Madison. A man named Michael shows himself in the most unexpected places, raising questions from her best friend, Olivia, and issues around Madison's last relationship.
In the classroom, the death of a student prompts her grieving ninth graders to depend on her for answers. They turn to journal writing as a form of understanding the weight of what's happened in the walls of their teenage existence.
When Madison meets Phil, who throws a wrench in her declaration to not fall in love, it seems that her escape through miles of running is the only real footing she has in life.
Will fate determine Madison's life? Or will she have a say in its outcome?
Whispers: The heart's way of speaking...
Madison Ragnar is a high school English teacher determined to connect with her students, to finish the next running race with a respectable time, and to avoid ever falling in love again.
But life has other plans for Madison. A man named Michael shows himself in the most unexpected places, raising questions from her best friend, Olivia, and issues around Madison's last relationship.
In the classroom, the death of a student prompts her grieving ninth graders to depend on her for answers. They turn to journal writing as a form of understanding the weight of what's happened in the walls of their teenage existence.
When Madison meets Phil, who throws a wrench in her declaration to not fall in love, it seems that her escape through miles of running is the only real footing she has in life.
Will fate determine Madison's life? Or will she have a say in its outcome?
Write from the Heart
Journals are a woman's best friend...
When Samantha Sounder quits her office manager job the day after yet another boyfriend breaks up with her, the emotional havoc of these two events launches the beginning of her new life.
Samantha dives into therapy with Ragnar Axel, a traditional therapist who explores her failed relationships and sends her on a wild goose chase through her old journals to rediscover herself.
Despite the unsettling reactions of her best friend, Amanda, and Ragnar, Samantha decides to walk away from the corporate world and follow her dream as a novelist. She sets out to craft her first novel, Winter's Truth. Hesitantly, she accepts the unexpected guidance from Craig, an unlikely man she meets at the coffee shop.
Along her journey, Samantha picks up a new journal and titles it her "Positive Journal," declaring to only write positive thoughts in it. Samantha's life transforms from one of despair and loss to hope and faith as she navigates through new territory and explores the possibility of finding love over lattes.
Journals are a woman's best friend...
When Samantha Sounder quits her office manager job the day after yet another boyfriend breaks up with her, the emotional havoc of these two events launches the beginning of her new life.
Samantha dives into therapy with Ragnar Axel, a traditional therapist who explores her failed relationships and sends her on a wild goose chase through her old journals to rediscover herself.
Despite the unsettling reactions of her best friend, Amanda, and Ragnar, Samantha decides to walk away from the corporate world and follow her dream as a novelist. She sets out to craft her first novel, Winter's Truth. Hesitantly, she accepts the unexpected guidance from Craig, an unlikely man she meets at the coffee shop.
Along her journey, Samantha picks up a new journal and titles it her "Positive Journal," declaring to only write positive thoughts in it. Samantha's life transforms from one of despair and loss to hope and faith as she navigates through new territory and explores the possibility of finding love over lattes.
Signs from the Universe
If you've ever felt deep love and then lost it; if you miss a grandparent who has passed away; if you ever had to put a pet down; or if you've ever seen your own Signs from the Universe, you'll "get" this book.
GO BIKE & OTHER SIGNS FROM THE UNIVERSE is a series of vignettes that exemplify events that most would see as “coincidences,” but, as will be understood, there are no such things as "coincidences."
GO BIKE & OTHER SIGNS FROM THE UNIVERSE highlights the author's uncanny knack for receiving messages from the Universe, most of which are delivered to her in the form of license plates, of all things! From GO LOOK to URDSIRE to GO BIKE to WRITE ON to CARMEL to THYKNGDM to HOT4LP and more, the author was shown these license plates only moments after having a related thought or question. As an avid cyclist, for cycling is her muse, she became noticeably aware of license plates while out on daily rides. When she realized these plates were practically screaming at her, she awakened to the Universe’s mode for delivering messages she needed to know.
After eight years of compiling the most compelling vignettes, some of which occurred right up to the final draft of this book, she is now releasing them in this inquisitive and fun book.
If you've ever felt deep love and then lost it; if you miss a grandparent who has passed away; if you ever had to put a pet down; or if you've ever seen your own Signs from the Universe, you'll "get" this book.
GO BIKE & OTHER SIGNS FROM THE UNIVERSE is a series of vignettes that exemplify events that most would see as “coincidences,” but, as will be understood, there are no such things as "coincidences."
GO BIKE & OTHER SIGNS FROM THE UNIVERSE highlights the author's uncanny knack for receiving messages from the Universe, most of which are delivered to her in the form of license plates, of all things! From GO LOOK to URDSIRE to GO BIKE to WRITE ON to CARMEL to THYKNGDM to HOT4LP and more, the author was shown these license plates only moments after having a related thought or question. As an avid cyclist, for cycling is her muse, she became noticeably aware of license plates while out on daily rides. When she realized these plates were practically screaming at her, she awakened to the Universe’s mode for delivering messages she needed to know.
After eight years of compiling the most compelling vignettes, some of which occurred right up to the final draft of this book, she is now releasing them in this inquisitive and fun book.
Gracefully Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age
Discover the Art of Aging Gracefully At age sixty-eight, cover model Valerie Ramsey is the new face of beauty. She has appeared in magazines and ad campaigns and on runways and television. Now, in her wonderfully inspiring new book, Valerie shares a lifetime of hard-earned wisdom, insider secrets, and practical advice on how to look and feel your best--inside and out--at any age. Gracefully includes: Proven nutrition secrets for staying slim and healthy Professional beauty tips for looking your best Personal visualizations for living your dreams Positive workouts for your body, mind, and soul " Gracefully is simply wonderful. Valerie Ramsey is living proof that being older than fifty can be exciting, healthy, and sexy." --Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause, and Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom "Valerie Ramsey is the new face, style, and attitude of aging. In Gracefully she inspires us to bring out the best in ourselves--physically, mentally, and spiritually--in order to make the fifty-plus years the best years of our lives. A terrific, uplifting, and informative book." --Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., president and CEO of Age Wave and author of Bodymind, Healthy Aging, The Age Wave, and The Power Years "I like the snappy way this gal thinks. She sends out a powerful message!" --Rue McClanahan, Emmy Award-winning actress and author of My First Five Husbands . . . and The Ones Who Got Away
Discover the Art of Aging Gracefully At age sixty-eight, cover model Valerie Ramsey is the new face of beauty. She has appeared in magazines and ad campaigns and on runways and television. Now, in her wonderfully inspiring new book, Valerie shares a lifetime of hard-earned wisdom, insider secrets, and practical advice on how to look and feel your best--inside and out--at any age. Gracefully includes: Proven nutrition secrets for staying slim and healthy Professional beauty tips for looking your best Personal visualizations for living your dreams Positive workouts for your body, mind, and soul " Gracefully is simply wonderful. Valerie Ramsey is living proof that being older than fifty can be exciting, healthy, and sexy." --Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause, and Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom "Valerie Ramsey is the new face, style, and attitude of aging. In Gracefully she inspires us to bring out the best in ourselves--physically, mentally, and spiritually--in order to make the fifty-plus years the best years of our lives. A terrific, uplifting, and informative book." --Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., president and CEO of Age Wave and author of Bodymind, Healthy Aging, The Age Wave, and The Power Years "I like the snappy way this gal thinks. She sends out a powerful message!" --Rue McClanahan, Emmy Award-winning actress and author of My First Five Husbands . . . and The Ones Who Got Away
Heather Hummel is a "photonovelist" who blends her love for photography with her award-winning career as an author. Heather's books have appeared in newspapers such as: Publishers Weekly, USA Today and the Washington Post; and in magazines that include: Health, Body & Soul, First, and Spry Living, a combined circulation of nearly 15 million. A graduate with High Distinction from the University of Virginia, Heather holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree with concentrations in English and Secondary Education. She is currently earning a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Sciences.
Her published works include:
Journals from the Heart Series:
Whispers from the Heart (2011)
Write from the Heart (2011)
Nonfiction
Signs from the Universe (2011)
Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age (McGraw-Hill, 2008)
Essays:
Messages of Hope and Healing ( Sunpiper Media, 2006)
Blue Ridge Anthology (Cedar Creek, 2007) with David Baldacci and Rita Mae Brown
Awards:
2009 Mature Media Awards, Merit Award
2009 New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention
Her published works include:
Journals from the Heart Series:
Whispers from the Heart (2011)
Write from the Heart (2011)
Nonfiction
Signs from the Universe (2011)
Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age (McGraw-Hill, 2008)
Essays:
Messages of Hope and Healing ( Sunpiper Media, 2006)
Blue Ridge Anthology (Cedar Creek, 2007) with David Baldacci and Rita Mae Brown
Awards:
2009 Mature Media Awards, Merit Award
2009 New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention
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