Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

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The Blue Cross Conference Was Fun

October 20, 2013

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On Wednesday, I flew to Little Rock, Arkansas – a first for me, even after 20 years of doing book tours. I’d been invited to speak about caregiving at this year’s Arkansas Blue Cross conference for Case Managers. The conference took place in Hot Springs, about an hour’s drive from Little Rock, and the organizers put on a terrific event – a day packed with informative and engaging speakers. My talk focused on the need for self-care among caregivers and I shared the many lessons I’d learned in the course of writing You’d Better Not Die or I’ll Kill You, copies of which were on hand for purchase during the break thanks to Gayle at the Barnes & Noble in Little Rock.

Gayle and me B&N Little Rock

So many in the audience stopped by the signing table to buy a book and to tell me about their own caregiving experiences. It was very moving to hear their stories. Lots of courageous people out there.

After the conference, Michael (he came with me to record my speech and serve as my cheerleader in case no one laughed at my jokes) and I drove back to Little Rock and had a fabulous dinner at a place called Brave New Restaurant.

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It had been recommended by some at the conference but I’d also read about it on Trip Advisor and Yelp and it sounded like a winner. Overlooking the Arkansas River with a view of the city skyline that’s particularly attractive at night, Brave New Restaurant (yes, it’s really called that because the owner/chef’s last name is Brave) was spectacular. Everything we ordered – from the shrimp-and-avocado appetizer to my pan-seared tuna and Michael’s dry-rubbed sirloin – was delicious. I heartily recommend.

I would love to have stayed in Little Rock longer. The downtown area is humming with activity – lots of shops and restaurants and music venues. The Clinton Library was closed thanks to the government shutdown or we might have stayed to take a tour. But oh well. It was a quick turnaround to get back to California with fond memories of new places discovered and new friends made.

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Wellness Tagged With: 2013 Arkansas Blue Cross Conference, Barnes & Noble, Brave New Restaurant, caregiving, case managers, Hot Springs, Little Rock, wellness, You'd Better Not Die or I'll Kill You

Now Playing On My Kindle: "Me Before You"

April 8, 2013

Usually, I wait until I finish a book before blogging about it, but I’m making an exception in the case of Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You. I’m about a third of the way into the novel, and I love the setup, the characters and the possibilities of how things will go.

I’ve been writing a lot about caregiving since You’d Better Not Die came out in November, so you’d think Moyes’ novel about a caregiver would have been on my Must Read List. Somehow, it slipped under my radar despite all the great reviews.

Like last year’s French film sensation “The Intouchables,” which I also loved, Me Before You features a quadriplegic millionaire and his unlikely helper. In this case, the helper is a twentysomething British woman who’s out of a job, lives with her family and has no idea what she wants out of life. She has no purpose other than to contribute to the household income. Her charge is a man who once lived life to the fullest – a success in business and in romance. An adrenaline junkie, he embraced adventure and risk. After his accident, he’s angry, bitter, wants to die. What’s a naive, inexperienced caregiver to do?

I’m about to find out.

It seems that caregiving is on a lot of creative minds these days, and I’m not surprised. It’s rare to find someone who hasn’t been or isn’t being touched by the experience personally, so it’s only natural that the subject has made its way into the zeitgeist. The more we share those experiences, the better it’ll be for all of us.

 

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Mainly Jane, Movies, Popular culture, Wellness Tagged With: caregiving, Jojo Moyes, Me Before You, novels, wellness, You'd Better Not Die or I'll Kill You

Everyone's Invited To The "Telesummit" Of The Year!

March 28, 2013

Roberta Mittman is a wellness practitioner with a thriving practice on Park Avenue in Manhattan. She’s all about helping her clients live healthier, happier lives, but she also knows that not everyone can come to New York and meet with her face to face.

So…she created what she calls “Telesummits” for those who want to love their minds and bodies more (and who doesn’t). The latest one will run from April 8th-12th and it’s free! All you have to do is click this link, sign up and you’ll be able to hear the 30-minute interviews Roberta has conducted with over 15 experts in the wellness field (like me!) sharing advice about health, beauty and empowerment. (I’ll be talking about How to Take Care of You While Caring for a Loved One.) You’ll be able to receive special gifts and bonuses from each of the experts too (I’m offering some secret prizes, so go look!). Listen on a computer at home or at work or wherever you happen to be while the Telesummit is taking place or save the interviews in the archive and listen whenever it’s convenient. Personally, I think it’s a brilliant idea and I’d think so even if I weren’t one of the experts Roberta interviewed, so I hope lots of readers will sign up.

Others that will be participating include:

  1. holistic nutrition expert Alexandra Jamieson
  2. anti-aging expert Alison Heath
  3. weight loss coach Andrea Albright
  4. “language architect” Hilary Rubin
  5. psychiatrist Dr. Hyla Cass
  6. cancer specialist Dr. Nalini Chilkov
  7. OB-GYN women’s health physician Dr. Anna Cabeca
  8. Sex-at-any-age expert Dr. Jennifer Landa
  9. Celebrity nutrition and fitness expert JJ Virgin
  10. Herbal medicine expert Kami McBride

And here are some of the topics covered:

  • How to rediscover your IDENTITY, VALUE, AND CONFIDENCE while finding your mission in this life.
    How to navigate through THE AGING PROCESS with expert guidance and tips.
    A WELL-KEPT SECRET to naturally REGULATE YOUR APPETITE.
    How and why EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE could have been responsible for your pain all this time.
    How to ACCESS YOUR INNER PHYSICIAN intuitively and spiritually—something that can save your life.
    How to access the #1 STRATEGY to change your belief about WHAT’S REALLY POSSIBLE FOR YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
    Knowing how to use local, must-try, NATURAL HERBAL MEDICINE for optimal health.
    The secret to why weight loss has been a challenge—FOOD INTOLERANCE.
    How to surrender the struggle and overwhelm with PROVEN STEPS TO FIND FLOW IN YOUR LIFE.
    How messages from the past can block abundance, prosperity, and MONEY.
    How to become a hot, SENSUALLY EMPOWERED woman now.
    What you can do naturally today to prevent any type of CANCER.
    What you can do when starting to EXERCISE! (Do this first if you want it to stick.)
    How to recognize and cope effectively with TRIGGERS FOR EMOTIONAL EATING.
    How to extinguish NEGATIVE SELF-TALK FOR SOARING SELF-ESTEEM.
    How to RELEASE WEIGHT: what’s been holding you back, and how you can overcome those barriers.
    Why you still feel FLAT and UNFULFILLED even when you reach your goals.
    How to handle the inevitable plateau—what you need to know to STAY ON TRACK.

Sounds good, right? Click this link and sign up!

 

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Mainly Jane, Wellness Tagged With: caregiving, Jane Heller, Love Your Body More Telesummit, Love Your Mind, Roberta Mittman, wellness, You'd Better Not Die or I'll Kill You

My Husband, The Star

November 15, 2012

Now that YOU’D BETTER NOT DIE OR I’LL KILL YOU is out and getting lots of media attention, so is Michael. And the scrutiny is a little daunting for him. When this article appeared on Huffington Post the other day, it featured the above photo and I think it finally dawned on him that this wasn’t just my book. It was our book – the story of how he has a chronic illness and I’m his caregiver and how all the other opinions I solicited (caregivers, therapists, health experts, etc.) fed into it.

But it wasn’t until my book party that he really became the center of attention – in a good way. The party was at a beautiful wellness center and spa in downtown Santa Barbara called Alchemy Arts Center.

I’ll have photos of the event soon, but in the meantime suffice it to say we had a great crowd that night and Mary, the co-owner/manager at my neighborhood’s Tecolote Book Shop in Montecito, handled the bookselling honors, and Michael played host with aplomb. What’s more, several people on line to have their copies of the book signed said to me, “After you sign this I want Michael to sign it too.” That was a first.

I gave a little talk before I signed and afterwards one of our friends asked, “I’d like to know how Michael feels about being so exposed in the book.” I acknowledged that my husband was, indeed, “exposed” in the sense that his disease and its complications over the years are on full display. “Before I turned in the manuscript of the book,” I said to our friend, “I made sure Michael read over every word. I told him if there was anything that made him uncomfortable I’d take it out. He did say there were a few things he wasn’t thrilled with, but after a day or two he came back and said, ‘If they’ll help someone else dealing with all this, leave them in.'”

Michael’s a brave man in many ways, not the least of which is that he said, “If they’ll help someone else, leave them in.” He deserves to be the star.

 

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Wellness Tagged With: Alchemy Arts Center, book party, caregiving, Santa Barbara, wellness, You'd Better Not Die or I'll Kill You

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.

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