The Code Book Signing with Thomas Poppe and Johanna Paungger

When: Thursday, November 3, 2011, 7:00 pm

Where: R.J. Julia, 768 Boston Post Rd., Madison, CT 06443

What: Your most important and powerful piece of self-discovery is your birthday. Come and find out how and why at R.J. Julia Bookstore. Thomas Poppe and Johanna Paungger will show you how to discover the root of who you are, and why people in your life function the way they do.

Before the event, unlock out The Code behind your birthday here. Don’t forget to share your findings with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Jessica Maxwell, author of Roll Around Heaven at Ghost Ranch

When: Sunday, November 6, 2011

Where: Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico

What: In Roll Around Heaven, Jessica draws upon the deep wisdom of Judaic-Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, and Native American traditions gathered first-hand during her travels. She also sees frofound (if sometimes hilarious) visions, hears the voice of God, is regularly visited by light beings, angelic and otherwise, uses Second Sight to help clear people of crippling emotional traumas, and even heals a paralyzed squirrel with prayer.

Jessica will be at Ghost Ranch for a four-day interactive workshop. Learn more here.

Go here for more Beyond Words event listings. 

Juanita Crampton of McMinnville said of Jessica,”You have a kind of joie de vivre, a love affair with life and a way of showing that spirituality is not just serious business and certainly not concepts to be learned and followed, but rather a way of living life that brings out the native gladness and generosity that dwell in all of our hearts.”

And Carol Zinda, also of McMinnville said “Your sense of humor is delightful, entertaining and yet inspiring. Thank you so much for being you and for opening up to God’s calling to help so many.”

Jessica shared in greater detail the lessons she is learning along the RAH path, and with the help of The Holy Pig Farmer himself, helped everyone see the wonder of their own life experiences.

Jessica will be taking her RAH show on the road very soon. To stay up to date on where she will be, visit her website www.rollaroundheaven.com.

The Visionary Awards are judged by retailers and seasoned professionals who evaluate each title based upon content, presentation, and their own knowledge of the industry, as a guide to what best represents metaphysical, mind/body/spirit books, music, and products with positive energy and flair.

We were thrilled by the results–two winners and three runners-up!

2010 COVR Visionary Awards for Beyond Words Publishing:.

• Roll Around Heaven for Auto- / Biographical Book Category
• Infinite Possibilities for Conscious Living / Self-Help Book Category
• Frequency for Spirituality / Alt. Science & Spirituality Book Category
• Something Unknown for Video / DVD Category
• The Living Matrix for Video / DVD Category

The COVR winners are in bold.  All others are “runners-up.” We would like to thank all involved, especially our award winning author and filmmakers!

Roll Around Heaven is an all-true accidental spiritual adventure that led one nonbeliever to lunch with Deepak Chopra, dance with Stephen Hawking, heal animals with Yogananda, sing Christmas carols with an enlightened rabbi, banish evil spirits with a Himalayan Rinpoche, talk all night with the daughters of Islam, find true love in a Presbyterian choir, share Celtic visions on the isle of Iona, and learn an abiding respect for all paths to God.

Jessica has received some terrific reviews for her book. More magazine wrote:

If you want laughs, you don’t usually turn to spiritual memoirs. But Jessica Maxwell’s Roll Around Heaven is so full of LOL moments, it fits the bill…. Maxwell is exuberant, grumpy, skewering, wise and so gosh-darn good-hearted in her quest to understand the universe, I couldn’t help wanting to tag along for the ride—er, roll.

To hear more from the author who the great Tom Robbins once described as “Empress Tizzie Izzie of adventure writing,” click here to listen to the Coast to Coast episode.

Even better, join us at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside, Portland, OR, on Friday, November 13 at 7:30 PM where Jessica will be reading from Roll Around Heaven and encouraging a passionate and fun discourse!

The best part (at least gastronomically) was the flying pig cupcake lollies made by the Itsy Bitsy Bakeshop. They were adorable and delicious! Imagine cake on a stick!

Another highlight was getting to hear from the Holy Pig Farmer himself. He flew down especially for this event, and his toast to Jessica was really touching. I can understand why she learns so much from him.

Visit our Facebook page to see photographs of the event—and become a Beyond Words Facebook fan at the same time!

“She’d be rolling out dough for chicken-and-dumplings, trying, as always, to make her dumplings turn out as good as her mother’s–a near impossible mission that would vex my mother mercilessly if she let it. “You can either roll around heaven or roll around hell,” she’d say with a laugh, “the choice is yours honey.”

It turns out this folksy saying is also featured in a beautiful song written in 1949 called “Lucky Old Sun.” The line goes like this: “But that lucky old sun has nothin’ to do, but roll around heaven all day.” The song “Lucky Old Sun” has been covered by some of the most incredible performers of all time. With Jessica’s words in my head, I went a searching on YouTube and found versions by everyone from Louis Armstrong to Johnny Cash. There is even a version of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty singing the song together.

But, far and wide, the version I love most so far is Aretha Franklin’s. When you listen to Aretha Franklin sing this song, you will get a feel for the meaning of the title, and a sense of the bliss, angst, and transformation that Maxwell expresses in her “all-true, accidental, spiritual adventure” Roll Around Heaven.

Not only that, but Ms Maxwell will be in town tomorrow for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Fall Show.

I can’t stop talking this book up—it is so fresh, exuberant and spiritually satisfying. Sometimes you find one book from a season that just clicks with you.

When I started reading the early galley of Roll Around Heaven I carried it around with me everywhere, and my conversation started being peppered with little examples of what Jessica had experienced, apropos of… well, not that much really. I think I just liked having her voice inside my head. But it was when the cover art was finished that I gave a squeak of joy and did a happy dance. Perfect! The cover is Perfect!

I’m afraid you all will have to wait a little longer (pub date is October 6) but I couldn’t resist sharing my happiness with you. I hope that you will be equally as excited and enlightened by Jessica’s book  as I was. And if you happen to be at the PNBA Fall Show on Friday, pop by our booth and say hello!