Heather Hummel

Have you ever wrote your name on a dollar bill for a contest giveaway or raffle? Well then come along for the ride as one little boy's name written on a dollar bill and a one hundred dollar bill journeys around the USA for twenty-five years touching the lives of eight people.

In In God We Trust, author Heather Hummel weaves a wonderful contemporary literary tale that follows the inspirational journey of a dollar bill and a one hundred dollar bill from 1976 to 2001 that bears the name of ten year old Jack Sampson.

In a span of twenty five years, one little boy's questioning of what 'In God We Trust' means on the bills leads him to write his name on the bills as his way of letting everyone know that he trusts in God, and unknowingly connects eight people from all walks of life around the country when the bills come into their possession, and ultimately coming full circle for Jack in 2001.

Set in Pontiac, Illinois with stops around the US, and told in the third person narrative, the author weaves a fascinating tale that easily engages the reader to follow the bills' journey around the country as they touch the lives of eight very different people. Each chapter is broken down into an individual snippet of the eight people's lives, and how they are changed when they receive and pay forward the one dollar or one hundred dollar bill. The author does a wonderful job of describing what receiving and using the bills meant to each of the people, their stories are touching and will stay with you for a long time. As the bills make their journey around the country for twenty-five years, the reader is finally brought up-to-date in 2000-2001 with a now thirty-three year old Jack Sampson, and how the memory of writing his name on both the bills back in 1976 now comes full circle with a new understanding of the meaning of loss and found that will ultimately change his life forever.

In God We Trust is an inspirational and feel good contemporary literary tale that will pull at your heartstrings, touch your soul, and leave a smile on your face.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2015/12/in-god-we-trust-journey-of-jac...… (altro)

Samantha Sounder has been looking for love in all the wrong places for many years. When her latest boyfriend Robert broke up with her, she did the unthinkable, she quit her job as an office manager the next day, and decided to follow her dream to become an author. Samantha also decided to seek out answers to why all her past relationships didn't last, and why she couldn't find the love she so badly wanted. She contacted a therapist, Ragnar Axel, who recommended that they should explore her history of failed relationships, and encouraged her to read her journals from the past seven years to see if there were any patterns that may have developed from the relationships. While rereading her journals, she discovers that they contained a pattern of negative thoughts, a lot of complaining and venting, which was a real eye opener for her. She realized that she had been continuing the cycle of creating negative experiences in her relationships over and over again. She decided from that point on she had to change her way of thinking and writing, so she started a new journal of "Positive Thoughts," where she would focus and write only positive thoughts down in the hope of transforming her life for the better. As she begins writing her first novel, Winter's Truth, at her favorite coffee shop, she meets Craig, a fellow aspiring author, who assists in helping her learn the ropes. With the support and guidance of Craig and her best friend Amanda, Samantha embarks on a journey of self-discovery, where the power of positive thinking could change her life if she followed its doctrine to believe, to allow and to have unconditional faith that everything you desire can come to fruition.

Last October, I read the author's first book from the Journals from the Heart Series, Whispers from the Heart, and absolutely loved it, so I was eager to read the second book, Write from the Heart, which did not leave me disappointed. Write from the Heart is a warmhearted, feel good story that captivated me from the beginning, and resonated deep down in my soul. The author provides a storyline that is well written and intriguing, it compels the reader to follow along on Samantha's journey of self-discovery, and ponder about their own life and way of thinking. This story is so much more than the typical chick-lit romance story, the author provides the readers with a lesson in the power of positive thinking concept, and how effective a tool journal writing can be if one wants to go on their own journey of self-discovery. I was really intrigued by the concept of the power of positive thinking and journal writing, that I'm considering keeping a journal. The characters were realistic and fun, their engaging personalities made it so much fun to get to know them. I really admired Samantha's character, and was cheering her on as she went on her journey of self-discovery. I could relate to Samantha's character in a lot of ways, and the lessons she learned on her journey gave me a lot of food for thought about my own life. I absolutely loved Craig's character, he is everything that a woman would be very happy to call her own. I liked how the author also gives the readers a look inside the author and publishing world, I thought it was fascinating, and it gave me a new appreciation for all the authors that provide us with such wonderful stories.

Write from the Heart's positive and inspiring message is one that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. This novel is a must read, it provides the reader with a nice mix of romance and positive personal lessons that will not leave you disappointed.

Disclaimer: At the request of the author, publisher and Chick Lit Plus, a Kindle edition of the book was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest review and participation in the virtual book tour event.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Monday, March 12, 2012, in association with Chick Lit Plus, author Heather Hummel participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews. http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/author-guest-post-heather-humm...

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/03/write-from-heart-by-heather-hu...… (altro)

If your looking for a fun, light-hearted, romance with some heartfelt issues, then this novel is right up your alley.
Madison was a fun, relatable character, she has trust issues with men esp. because of her ex, Rick, who was borderline abusive and neglectiful of her, and who left her a bit scorned and bitter. This book deals with many important issues such as suicide and abusive relationships and for those issues that were discussed in the book, I really enjoyed the novel.
Now lets talk about the romantic aspect of this book, this for me was what lead to the three star rating. The whole story builds up budding relationship between Madison, and Phil. They both seem to have fallen hard for each other and three-quaters of the book builds up this relationship, yet there's this "weird, stalkerish" man who pops up everywhere throughout the story, wherever Madison is, so is he and within the last thirtyish pages of the book she drops "Good Guy" Phil and falls for the stalker? with little to no closure with Phil, it was just over and I didn't get it, it threw the whole story off for me.
There was a lot of things I really enjoyed about this book, in fact if Michael (the stalker) didn't exsist at all in the story I honestly think the book would have had a higher rating from me. I've read other reviews and nobody else mentioned this, so maybe the relationship dynamic was just a personal problem that didn't sit well with me, I would definitely give this book a try, esp. if your a fan of the Chick-Lit genre.… (altro)

Through Hazel Eyes by Heather Hummel
Published by PathBinder Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 0-9776232-8-9
At the request of the author, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: (from back of book): Through Hazel Eyes is a journey of life as seen through the eyes of Madison Ragnar, a high school English teacher who is struggling to recover from an emotionally abusive relationship. Madison's speckled view of the world is seen through her troubled students, a fellow teacher, an intriguing man who enters her life, and a haunting past. Yet everything comes into focus when she learns to trust in herself for the first time in thirty years.
Madison discovers that the most commanding role played throughout out lives is fate. There are times when we embrace it, times when we curse it, and always times when we are blinded by it. As a result of blinding fate, Madison's past catches up to her, and with the help of her students, she learns what a mockingbird is worthier than a diamond ring.
My Thoughts and Opinion: One of my criteria as to if I think a book is good is when I can be transported into the story line and vividly imagine the characters, sense their emotions and can picture the setting through the descriptive words written by the author. And that happened when reading this book. I could sense Madison's fear as she escaped from her boyfriend to start a job many states away. Her anxiety when she was always thinking he would find her. Her trepidation of starting a new relationship. Picturing her in her classroom teaching her students who she so much cared about. And the lessons she learned from her students as their young minds interpreted the classic, To Kill A Mockingbird. However, and this is my opinion only, I was a little disappointed that some parts of the storyline were not more extensive and detailed than it was. Some that I will not state, due to spoilers, but one example is her relationship with Michael, someone, who at one time, she thought was a stalker. Overall it was a likeable read.
My Rating: 3… (altro)