ANCIENT TRUTH
MODERN WISDOM
"Follow Your Heart"
with Characters
and Stories
To Love.
"Crisp dialogue, great settings, and a wonderful cast of characters . . . with a narrative message that touches each of us."
-- A. McQuarrie
AUDIO INTERVIEW OF THE AUTHOR
Click to Listen: http://bit.ly/dZmjGM
Find Audio Play button under Author's Picture.
THE HEART CODE is a FICTIONAL NOVEL -
Filled with family issues, social realities and the continum of creating ones life.
But HOW do you do it?
From the Outside? By what Others Say/Want?
Or From the Inside? By Your Internal Compass?
That is the essence behind THE HEART CODE Novel. All of the characters represent the range of personalities who populate most of our lives.
An old song asks: "Mama may have, and Papa may have, but God Bless the Child who's got his own."
What is that "own" and how do you find it?
Gamma Howe, the wise, bohemian-born grandmother of the book, knows from her experience and culture that one's "own" is found in the senses: our basic five and the sixth one often overlooked."Pay Attention to What Shows Up," She says, "to what you see, hear, smell, taste, touch and feel. Then "Honor What Beckons You," by following what truly draws you. Finally, "Listen To Your Heart Voice," that internal voice only you hear and know. Those three elements, Gamma Howe believes, will reveal the path that is for you. Which is not to say it is the easiest path. Nor a path that everyone would agree upon. But if it is for you - you will know it by how it resonates a balance, truth and clarity that is oten hard to explain.
The Author LAURA MATSON HAHN was drawn to write this book over a 14 year process. Below are some of her thoughts and background.
AUTHORS NOTE
The idea of a Gamma, a wiser person to help you figure it all out, was seeded in me very young.
Growing up, I was an adventurous girl, trying out whatever I found interesting. My mother kept a sharp eye for what might inspire me – as she did for each of her eight children and subsequent grandchildren. She’d select specific gifts and experiences to cultivate our curiosity and creativity, including, but not limited to: an art easel, wood burning tool (which I still have), glass cutting kit, zither, sewing lessons, a vanity (for which I had to sew the skirt), dance classes, tickets to the ballet, opera, symphony, theater, simple blocks, roller skates, trips to the park, zoo, woods, lake, ocean, camping, hiking, cooking, dining, dancing and books, books, books. I had lots of inspiration in my youth but, as I got older, I felt somewhat ill-equipped for the world at large. Our family was big, noisy and cozy-safe. But the world beyond was a mystery and I wanted a little more help in figuring it out.
As I began to discover myself apart from the family, I remember longing for a mentor who would discover me and tell me what I was meant to be and do. But no single person showed up for that job. No Svengali for me! Instead, several people came along, one by one, at just the right time, for just the right reason and helped me see myself. Bit by bit, I began to realize and trust my instincts and notions.
Somewhere along the way, I decided to live my life according to those instincts and notions. I wanted to discover how life would unfold when I trusted my sense and sensibilities. It felt risky, but it felt better than giving my life over to something safe but not true to my spirit. Early in my career, while waiting for the Cable Television Industry to come into the market where I lived, I took on a series of jobs that each gave me a different skill/experience. I accepted each of these jobs in sales, television production, marketing and performance with a conscious evaluation of how that skill would be useful if I ever got the Cable TV Local Origination Production job I sought. When I finally did land that job, I asked my new boss why he chose me. “Because,” he said, “You had all the skills we were looking for.” That was the moment that solidified my commitment to follow my instincts, my heart voice. And whenever I have, things work out in a whole and balanced way – even when the waters turned choppy.
While I knew since I was ten that I would write a novel one day, I also knew life had to be lived in order to have something worth writing. As a result, I’ve sampled a smorgasbord of life and relationships, spanning the world and delivering a colorful palette from which to craft stories. While this work is not autobiographical, it is informed by my interests and experiences.
I hope to continue the story of Celeste, as she steps into the responsibility of creating her own life, along with following up on all the characters from The Heart Code. Please share your thoughts and experience of reading The Heart Code. I am also available to be part of your reading group – in person or via skype.
Thank you for your interest and lend your support by buying a copy of the book for your like-minded friends!
Best to you,
LAURA
Laura Matson Hahn
AUTHORS BIO
“What dat, Mom?” and “Why” were Laura’s favorite questions from her earliest days and she has never lost that inquisitive nature. Raised in a large family filled with drama – both on the stage and within the home – her love for understanding the world through art and literature was nurtured early.
Throughout her education she was fortunate to find mentors who cultivated her appreciation for creative writing, performance, literature, human nature and the world of commerce.
After earning a BA in Oral Interpretation of Literature and Urban Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, she completed her Masters of Communications at the University of Michigan, specializing in the new industry of Cable Television. She then embarked on building a career which took her around the world as she morphed from Television Production to Business Writer to Change Communication Strategist.
After twenty years in the corporate side of life, she left to focus on writing for magazines, periodicals and children’s history books. In 1999 she was inspired to begin what became The Heart Code, when standing at a window of a stone monastery in the south of France at early dawn, listening to the whine of a motorbike approaching the village. A voice came into her head, which she followed for ten years until the novel was completed; a very nice voice, indeed.
Laura lives with her beloved husband John Matson in New Hope, PA where they are active in their community, spending time tending their home and dogs, cooking, crafting, hosting dinner parties, dancing and … writing.