(1000 Word Excerpt)

A Woman After My Own Heart is the fresh voice of an honest woman who courageously exposes her vulnerability as she explores the challenges of living from the heart. Struggling with issues regarding relationships, wealth, power and one's purpose in life, Rose Marie Holsing shares her relentless thought processes and the empowering spiritual insights that led out of frustration into joy and healing. Based on her interactions with hundreds of women as the publisher of SuccessfulWOMEN newspaper, and her own heart-wrenching journey, the author offers a life-changing perspective in this book about:

* sowing what you reap and why the Golden Rule doesn't always seem to work.
* creating wealth, health and loving relationships that bring true happiness.
* discovering who you really are and what your life is all about.
* claiming your creative power and stepping into your magnificence.
* owning your intuition and experiencing God in your life every day.

"...We learn some fascinating, empowering things. We get an occasional glimpse of the staggering power of love, the brilliant beauty of truth and the vast potential of our own creativity. It can be a very frightening thing to be in the presence of all that magnificence. Do we really want to connect? What would happen to our own identity if we surrendered to this Awesome Power we have so relentlessly pursued?"

Inside the philosophy and spirit-filled wisdom of these pages, there is also a love story. A Woman After My Own Heart unfolds the joyful beginning of the author's marriage, which began as an answer to a prayer, plumbs the depths of her grief when it tragically ended and reveals the seeds of healing she planted in her own heart.

"The grief itself is completely immobilizing at times. I marvel how my Grandmother, in her 80s, survived the agony as long as she did after Granddad died. At 45, I feel this is more pain than the human heart was meant to endure. Each day that passes adds one thin little membrane around my broken heart and the searing screams in my head subside into deep, wounded moans from time to time. A memory, a voice, a gesture can lance right through my heart and mind unexpectedly and the pain and grief pour out again as if they never had expressed themselves."

Tackling real life situations such as betrayal and hatred, Part One - Spirit of Love offers piercing insights for handling emotional conflicts when you have a commitment to living from the heart.

"Immediately, I came up against feelings about the unfairness of her behavior, the unwavering loyalty friends are supposed to have, the look-at-all-I've-done-for-you mentality, followed by indignation about her obvious ungrateful attitude. The episode flew in the face of my basic belief that we reap what we sow. I felt I was not reaping anything resembling what I had given her. Then I got a piercing view of my attitude."


Throughout the book, there is a pervasive sense of humor that brings its own insights.

"Kodi does everything with vigor and intensity. If he is going to dig a hole, he digs it with great enthusiasm, totally abandoning any other thought. He does not nonchalantly chase a ball. He pursues it as though his life depends on it. The concept of judging himself about how and why he pursued the ball is one with which he will never wrestle."

Far beyond the glib advice to simply "make a different choice," the material in Part Two - Claiming Your Magnificence takes you through the decision process, the pitfalls and the techniques for discovering the power and talent of the real you.

A Woman After My Own Heart will stretch your imagination, strengthening your intuition and inspire you to experience new dimensions of trust.

"Without even thinking about it, I handed the woman a dime, saying, "Here, do you need nine cents?" She was flabbergasted, ...but grateful, nonetheless. Accepting the dime, she remembered her manners and said, "Thank you," then obligingly, "Maybe I can do a favor for you some day." We both knew that would probably never happen. It felt very awkward. Then, out of my mouth came the words, "Or pass it on.

"She lit up like a Christmas tree, a bright smile beaming from her face. Now that was something she could do - pass it on! She was relieved of her sense of owing me something. The cashier was smiling. I felt terrific. As she picked up her bag and walked away, an entire scene flashed through my mind about how it all works. I was certain when she passed on my favor to someone else, it was going to be for a lot more than nine cents."

Part Four delves into life's purpose. With a whatever-works attitude, A Woman After My Own Heart draws on a mix of disciplines in a refreshing approach to handling life with confidence.

"Action cures fear. There is a law of physics about inertia which I think is applicable to combating fear. This law states that it is easier to move an object already in motion than to move one at a complete stand still. When fear prevents us from doing something, the trick is to just get in motion first-walk faster, talk faster, smile more. Once we get momentum, it is easier to direct the motion to fear-conquering activity."

Ms. Holsing shares her own precise seven step formula for becoming a success, beginning with "Tell Yourself the Truth." Constantly searching to understand the spiritual dynamics at work in any situation, this book will make you keenly aware of your possibilities in co-creating the events and outcomes you desire.

"The power to create circumstances in our lives by our thoughts is relentlessly at work regardless of our opinion of that power."

After reading this book, you will feel like you have had an intimate conversation with someone who knows you very well and truly wants happiness for you, because she is indeed, a woman after your own heart.