Interview with Donna Criqui

Author of Heaven Help Me

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I am originally from Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, a small college town. I resided in the Reading area for 30 years. I recently moved to West Deptford, New Jersey. About 20 minutes from Center City Philadelphia.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

After college, I took a job in Reading, PA working for a Professional Beauty Company. I wanted to combine my College degree with my knowledge in the beauty industry. (I became licensed at 17 years old as a hairdresser.) In time I became a salon owner and worked behind the chair as a hairdresser. I had 2 beautiful girls who were my world, but difficult marriage. After my divorce, I began to date someone in NJ. I ended up working for a company representing a Hair Color as an Education Manager/Trainer, Platform Artist (teaching from a stage on a larger scale.) The romance did not work with that particular man from NJ. However, that is the path that led to my fiance while working in NJ. I told him I DID NOT want to date from a distance anymore. He said pursued me with all of his heart and said it could work. After 5 years of dating from a distance, my youngest began college this year. It was time, I moved to New Jersey! I am loving it. After 5 years, I have beautiful friends, work for East Coast Salon Services and the Kaaral Italian Color Line. I get to express my creativity at Verde hair salon in NJ and continue to go to Reading PA to do hair as well. And I have a beautiful healing room a fireplace where I do reiki healings, coaching and readings. I have had so much fun since my book launch doing speaking events and book signings to businesses, hospitals, and bookstores this past year in PA and NJ.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I heard guidance telling me during a difficult period in my marriage that someday I would help people because of what I was going through. I left a verbally, emotionally abusive marriage and on occasion it got physical. I was told I would write a book called Heaven Help Me. Heaven Help Me was my constant prayer, Heaven Help Me where are you? Why aren’t you helping me? How could you want this for myself and my children? I prayed and prayed. The subtitle is ~ AWAKENING TO THE WISDOM OF GOD, THE LANGUAGE OF ENERGY, AND THE POWER OF SELF. The book is actually light-hearted actually, funny, insightful and empowering. I am a spiritual teacher and I learned so much more on a deeper level during this period, and even more over the next 10 years by studying energy on a deeper level with a world expert. I learned about my own power, my focus, and my connection, and how much we are loved when we align and ask for help and direction. It is all our own energy that influences our life experiences and possibilities. After checking within a few times after hearing I would write a book, I would ask is it time? Now? I heard, “not yet you have more to learn to offer people.” Wait. Finally, in August of 2017, I heard NOW! I ignored it, lol. I kept being woken at 4 am every day… wide awake for about a month. Like a BING of an internal alarm. I stopped fighting it and said ok, let’s go! I originally planned on making something like a storyboard for each chapter and the content. However, there were no plans yet. I felt such an urgency just write. No plans, only flow! Every day I connected and said, “Ok God, what do you want me to talk about today?” How can we help people and what should they know? I wrote the book in 4 months! It flowed like a full flow of water through an open faucet. When it was about 80% written I contacted Hayhouse. They said I needed an agent for them to even look at my book. I felt an inner prompting that I didn’t have 2 years to wait. So I contacted Hayhouse’s Self-publishing division, Balboa Press.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

My book is very engaging, packed with wisdom, entertaining, very positive, with real-life stories that enlighten and inspire you. One reader described what it was like reading my book. She said she felt like she was chatting with her best friend in front of a crackling fireplace drinking hot cocoa. She couldn’t put it down. You will learn how to have a deeper, loving, trusting, interactive relationship with the Universe. You learn how to recognize what the Universe is saying to you. I share through real-life experiences and the wisdom behind different experiences. You feel so capable and empowered by the end. There is an entire chapter on signs, you learn ideas about how to manifest, and practices to shift your energy quickly from stress to love energy. I teach you how your body has messages for you in pains, illnesses, tightness with how to understand the message. I am a healer, so I discuss my experiences that opened my eyes to there is more than we see. I talk about manifesting throughout the entire book, and what you are attracting with your focus. Which I learned about manifesting by accident at 17 years old when a big event that I had been daydreaming about played out completely as I envisioned. The whole book is about energy and vibration, but disguised in an easy to read and relatable way. Not everyone is interested in hardcore energy books. Everyone can relate to stories better than sometimes boring theory. I see how energy affects the lives we live every day. I come from a very religious upbringing. I think I bridge the gap between tradition and spirituality. It is not an “either” “Or”, “right” or “wrong.” It is about oneness with our creator, and being conscious of what you are putting out in your daily life, thoughts, words, behaviors, and actions. Letting go of old beliefs that are sabotaging us. Having so many rules in my upbringing of what is real and accepted by the church, but different things show up in my life, I had no choice but to explore to find answers to my experiences that I was to what I saw, felt, heard, and knew. I felt so different all of my life but was very true to what unfolded. I knew it was Divine. Now I am an expert!

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

I think people are drawn to know more when they are ready to look for answers. That something in their world isn’t working and they can’t put a finger on it. The core of everything is the self, your personal connection and insight! I have had people reach out who loved my book who lost a loved one and wanted to hear from them, or entrepreneurs who are getting resistance to growing to the next level but hit delay after delay, people with relationship issues, career crossroads, people who want to know how this energy/Universe thing works on a relatable way. I have had people who are battling health issues enjoy the book. Learning to focus on a new positive mindset and practices and wisdom behind the illness. Also, people who are already knowledgeable spiritually but found Heaven Help Me to be uplifting and enjoyed the stories. I think the most surprising compliment was from a collegiate nun who said I covered some very difficult to explain topics in a relatable way. She said the content was excellent and she enjoyed it. Which my first reaction to hearing a nun read my book was a panic. I was very relieved to have her say such shiny reviews. And a priest came to a book signing, bought a book and asked me to sign it. Again terrified I was going to need to go to confession. LOL. But we had a lovely chat and talked about our similarities.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I was surprised by how much I enjoy writing!! I felt I had the knowledge to share and that it was a part of my life purpose. That is was something I must do. I thoroughly enjoyed it and delved in with both feet once I began. As my daughter started college just a few months ago, I realized I have nothing but time. I decided since I enjoy writing maybe I should explore writing for magazines. In the last 3 months, I have been published twice in Thrive Global, associated with Arianna Huffington. And guys…. this opportunity came to ME. I did not know it would become an article at all. As I always do, I listened when I could not deny the feeling I got that caught my attention. I felt it in my body, the spirit was prompting me while on Instagram. I came across the Oprah Magazine Instagram for the day. They asked, “HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN A SIGN FROM THE UNIVERSE?” (lol, where do I begin?). I got clear, then I responded. I received a message from Oprah Magazine I was being included in their feature article in December. I am presently in the cover article of Oprah Magazine, and guys it came to me! This is how energy works lovies.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Ask more questions to the publisher. However, being green in the publishing industry I didn’t know what to ask. Stay true to your mission, and if someone isn’t working their best for your book and supporting you, ask for it to be reassigned to another person. Especially being self-published, truly they are providing YOU a service. You hire them.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

I would love to reach millions. Someone asked me in my 20’s if I could do anything, what would I want to do? I gave it careful thought. I said I want to teach people how to be happy. Working with the public I could see and feel how so many people just don’t know naturally how to be happy. By learning how to work with energy, your focus, and responsibility for what is showing up teaches you how to be happy. It’s a choice and a habit of how we focus. Perspectives, focus, being joyful, loving life. So yes, millions of happier people.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

The writing was easy, that was only 4 months start to finish. It was the editing my book, as I read as it should read right past the errors. I hired an editor who actually did a poor job. But I didn’t see it until after I finally got the written form. On my computer, I read right past the errors. I was horrified! At a book club, I was asked to speak with, I met an editor. She said you should never edit your own work. You can’t see it. I was supposed to get a hard copy to edit before it was live on Amazon. That did not happen. I had a friend who called and said I just bought your book on amazon. I said, what??? Everyone had their copies before I had my author copy to approve. I was mortified at how many mistakes there were. I had to pay to replace the copy after being edited again! uggg! The publishing process took way longer than writing the actual book!

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

As I said the writing was easy. I feel more equipped in the publishing process after my first run. I know I will write more books, but I hope to have an established publisher who works with me on a marketing plan, book talks, and appearances. I am still learning more about the marketing end.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

The editing process was costly in self-publishing so I hired someone with good reviews. That was a weakness for me in writing and publishing. Marketing I have had some success, and ineffective. I am learning what works.

When do you think you will write your next book?

Maybe in 2020 or 2021.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I am self-published for my first book.