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Feeling Fate

A Memoir of Love, Intuition, and Spirit

Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

As her sweetheart’s body lies cooling on the living room floor, Joni Sensel—shattered but not surprised—revisits her premonition about this moment. From nearly the start of their fairy tale romance less than four years ago, she knew she would lose Tony, the man she considered to be her soul mate. He was in great health, but fate had other plans—a hard truth that visited Joni in the form of a startling vision during their second weekend together. Though she kept the premonition a secret while Tony was alive, upon his death she’s compelled to share it with his spirit in the form of a letter.
A grief memoir with a paranormal twist, Feeling Fate explores how a dark intuition magnified Sensel’s love and gratitude in the time she and Tony had together before her premonition came true. Faced with evidence of a grand design alongside her grief, she’s torn between faith and skepticism. While she’s nearly undone by the pain of her loss, she eventually discovers that a sassy imagination and the irrational insights of the heart can both defeat despair and transform her grief into meaning.

About The Author

Joni Sensel is the author of more than a dozen nonfiction titles for adults and five novels for young readers, including a Junior Library Guild selection. She holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts (2015) and has served in leadership roles for the Society of Children’s Books Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). Over the past twenty years, Sensel has taught dozens of writing workshops and seminars in locations from Alaska to Amsterdam. A certified grief educator and trained First Aid Arts responder, she has recently focused her teaching on creativity and spirituality. Sensel’s adventures have taken her to the corners of fifteen countries, the heights of the Cascade Mountains, the length of an Irish marathon, and the depths of love. She lives at the knees of Mount Rainier in Washington State with a puppy who came into her life as a gift that reflected afterlife influence.

Product Details

  • Publisher: She Writes Press (April 26, 2022)
  • Length: 248 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781647423407

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Raves and Reviews

2022 Living Now Book Awards Gold Medalist in Aging/Death & Dying

“A poignant, engaging guide to healing that’s infused with valuable insights into dealing with grief.”
Kirkus Reviews

“A tribute to Sensel’s love affair as well as a spiritual exploration, the book navigates the process of mourning in intriguing ways . . . lively and upbeat, even though it is handling the painful subject of Sensel’s grief.”

Foreword Reviews




“A beautiful love letter that felt intimate and compelling, and a reminder that we are part of something grand. Profound. It filled my heart.”

—Martha Brockenbrough, award-winning author of The Game of Love and Death

“Throughout this heart-rending memoir there’s a sense of larger powers at work behind the human tragedy: few books can convince us that a well-placed Hershey bar is like an epiphany—but this one can. Finely paced, with admirably controlled prose and a sense of humor.”
—Patrick Harpur, author of The Secret Tradition of the Soul

“A heart-affirming and tender testimony to the miracles that surround our breathing lives and beyond.”
—Kayce Stevens Hughlett, MA, LMHC, author of Nautilus Award winner SoulStroller

“An intimate window into an inspiring love story, and a hopeful account of what it means to both heal and hold on after the death of a soul mate. Feeling Fate will appeal to anyone who has experienced deep love, all who have known grief . . . and intuitive, soulful readers who, like the author, pay attention to spiritual whispers.”
—Sara Easterly, author of the award-winning spiritual memoir Searching for Mom

“A beautiful, insightful, and precious account of love and the fervent path of grief and loss. Her writing helps the reader see the reality of grief and the journey of assimilating loss into life.”
—Danielle Christiansen, MA, LMCH

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